WHL Morning Skate: May 2

NEED TO KNOW

– Rookie Owen Corkish’s hat trick has brought Prince Albert within one win of a trip to the 2026 WHL Championship Series

– Corkish is the fourth skater to net a hat trick in the 2026 postseason

– Projected 2026 NHL first-round draft pick Daxon Rudolph has taken sole possession of the WHL Playoff scoring lead with 20 points (8G-12A) in 14 games

– Medicine Hat will fight to stave off elimination and force Game 7 on Sunday at Co-op Place

TOP PERFORMER

Owen? O-win. Eighteen-year-old Owen Corkish posted his first career hat trick to put Prince Albert in the driver’s seat. Corkish tucked his first goal of the night as he tipped a Justice Christensen point shot off a Prince Albert faceoff win just 22 seconds into the second period. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound winger was left unattended in front of the Tigers’ net and got two whacks at the puck before lofting it over Carter Casey for his second tally of the period and the eventual game-winning goal. Corkish capped it off with an empty-netter. The Cottage Grove, Minn. product has six goals in 14 playoff games, including two game-winners.

RESULTS

For the first time in the 2026 Eastern Conference Championship, a team has won back-to-back games- though Prince Albert’s Game 5 victory was closer than the final score would appear, thanks to a pair of empty-net goals from the home team. Jonah Sivertson (NHL CSS: 53) teed up Alisher Sarkenov (NHL CSS: 149) for a game-opening one-timer from the slot. Defenceman of the Year finalist Jonas Woo (NHL CSS: 179) found the equalizer as he tapped home a behind-the-net feed from Yaroslav Bryzgalov (NHL CSS: 90) to close out the first frame. The second saw the Raiders surge ahead with three goals, including a pair from Owen Corkish and rookie Ben Harvey’s third of the playoffs. The Tigers mounted a furious third-period comeback attempt as veteran Ethan Neutens redirected a Cam Parr shot in front of the net and alternate captain Josh Van Mulligen batted a massive rebound into a yawning cage. With the Tigers within one, the defending champs piled 13 shots on net in the third period, but the Raiders bought themselves some breathing room- and the win- with two late empty-net goals.