WHL Championship: Medicine Hat bounces back from loss; dominates Game 3 in 6-0 win over Spokane Chiefs

WHL player of the year and consensus No. 1 overall 2026 NHL draft pick Gavin McKenna was a late scratch for Medicine Hat in Game 3 of the Western Hockey League Championship.

It hardly mattered.

The visiting Tigers completely dominated the game from puck drop to final horn, winning 6-0 at Spokane Arena on Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead over the Spokane Chiefs.

The Chiefs don’t have long to lick their wounds – Game 4 is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Arena.

“It’s one of those things. I don’t know what, as a coach, to put your finger on,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “You just gotta have a short memory – 24 hours later, we’re right back at it.”

“It was a big game for us,” Tigers coach Willie Dejardins said. “(The Chiefs) had a really good game in Medicine Hat and kind of took it away from us, so it was important to see how we were going to respond. … I thought our leadership was really good tonight.”

Medicine Hat outshot Spokane 45-28 – more than half of the Chiefs shots came in the third period. Six Tigers scored, and Medicine Hat went 1 for 3 on the power play.

“I’ll be pretty honest, we weren’t very good as a group,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “I thought Medicine Hat had probably their best game so far in the series. I thought they came and had a lot of jump and were skating well. For us, we were on our heels.”

Tigers goalie Harrison Meneghin wasn’t tested early but earned his sixth shutout of the season and third in the playoffs. The Chiefs were shut out just once this season, in a 5-0 loss to Swift Current on Oct. 18.

“(Meneghin) was unbelievable,” Dejardins said. “I didn’t think it was a 6-2 game or whatever it was in Medicine Hat, and I didn’t think it was a 6-0 game (tonight). Both could have been a lot closer than they were. So, our goaltender was really good tonight.”

McKenna, whose major junior 54-game scoring streak was halted in Game 2, came off the ice early during warmups and did not dress for the game. The rest of the Tigers more than got the job done despite missing their leader.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve had adversity,” Dejardins said. “We’re gonna have adversity moving forward as well.”

McKenna had eight goals and 29 assists in 15 playoff games this season, following a 129-point campaign.

“We thought he might be able to go but just wasn’t (able) tonight,” Dejardins said of his star player. “The nice thing for us is he’s been such a big part of our team all year, it was really nice for us to rally behind and, you know, get one for him. Because he’s got quite a few for us.”

As he’s done occasionally down the stretch, Lauer broke up his top line in the second period looking for a spark. It didn’t come, as Berkly Catton and Shea Van Olm finished minus-4. 

“Obviously you want to be plus-3, plus-4,” Catton said. “Our line just flat out wasn’t good enough tonight. But that’s the beauty of playoff hockey, and that’s what we’re looking at it, learning from tonight, but also flushing it and coming out ready to play tomorrow.”

Unlike the first two games of the series, the Chiefs managed to clear the first minute of the game without giving up a goal. But it didn’t take much longer for the Tigers to get on the scoreboard. 

Spokane was awarded the game’s first power play midway through the first as Oasiz Wiesblatt was sent off for a post-whistle slash.

But just moments after the penalty expired Wiesblatt jumped out of the box, tracked down a puck behind the Spokane goal and fed Cayden Lindstrom out front, who beat Chiefs goalie Dawson Cowan for his second goal of the series at 11:45 of the first. 

The Chiefs have allowed the first goal in 13 of their 18 playoff games – including all three in the championship series.

Medicine Hat made it 2-0 with 1:51 left in the period. Catton lost the puck in the neutral zone, leading the Tigers back the other way with numbers. Lindstrom’s backhand shot was brushed aside by Cowan, but it went right to Hunter St. Martin who dumped it into an open net for his fifth of the playoffs. 

The Chiefs were outshot 15-5 after one.

“We weren’t playing as a group,” Lauer said. “It was a lot of individual hockey, lot of lot of stuff that was uncharacteristic of us. … We’ll dissect it here tonight and tomorrow morning to figure things out and make sure we’re ready tomorrow.”

The Tigers came out flying in the second. Cowan had to make a terrific pad save on Wiesblatt, then on the next shift Veeti Väisänen gathered a loose in the slot, skated around the cage and wrapped a pass to Kadon McCann, who stuffed it inside the post to make it 3-0 just 1:33 into the period.

Chiefs defenseman Nathan Mayes was sent off for interference with 8:24 left in second and they were able to kill the penalty without incident. A minute later, though, the Tigers had another extended offensive possession and with Saige Weinstein standing in the crease without a stick, Liam Ruck converted a pass from behind the net for his fifth of the postseason and a 4-0 lead with 5:08 left in the period.

Medicine Hat had 32 shots after two period; the Chiefs had 13.

Lauer pulled Cowan for the start of the third to conserve his starter for Game 4, but it didn’t matter. Carter Esler made a terrific save 16 seconds in, but Medicine Hat scored off the ensuing faceoff, as Andrew Basha waltzed in off the boards, skated the puck into the crease and lifted it over the sprawled rookie netminder for his second of the series. 

The Tigers added a power play goal, Bryce Pickford’s 10th goal of the playoffs, midway through the third. 

Weekly awards: Catton was named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending May 11 the league announced Monday. Catton led all skaters with three goals and one assist in the first two games of the series. 

Forward Mathis Preston was named rookie of the week. He led rookie skaters with one goal and one assist.