Three-goal third period propels Tigers over Océanic

By James Tubb on May 23, 2025.

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NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna unleashes a shot in the first period of the the opening game of the 105th Memorial Cup in Rimouski on Friday. The tigers took on the host Rimouski Ocèanic to kick-off the tournament.

JAMES TUBB

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com

Twitter: @ReporterTubb

RIMOUKSI, QUE.

The comeback cats made their way to Quebec.

The Medicine Hat Tigers overcame three deficits in the opening game of the 105th Memorial Cup, scoring three times in the third period to beat the Rimouski Oceanic 5-4 Friday night.

“Both teams played well,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Rimouski has a really good team. I was really worried about them, they have lots of speed, they have a really good forecheck. So I knew it was going to be a hard game for us and they played hard. It could have gone either way.”

This is Desjardins’s third trip to the Memorial Cup and the first time his team has won their opening game.

“Every game is so big, so it doesn’t change anything, we’re going to have lots of hard games ahead of us,” Desjardins said. “Rimouski has a chance to be there at the end as well. So it was good to get that one.”

After sustained pressure to start the game, the Tigers opened the scoring for the Memorial Cup.

Gavin McKenna fired a shot on net that bounced off the cross bar, settling in front of the net for Ryder Ritchie to tap in for the 1-0 lead at 13:50. Oasiz Wiesblatt had the second assist.

“It’s pretty cool getting the first one,” Ritchie said. “But we got the win, so that’s the big thing.”

Getting their first look at the Memorial Cup, St. Martin says there’s a lot of excitement around the tournament.
“All these teams are spectacular, it’s a tough road to win this thing and there’s good players everywhere,” St. Martin said. “There’s some unexpected things you just have to handle and come by as it goes. So it’s really exciting.”

Rimouski responded later in the frame on a power play.

Before then, goaltender Harrison Meneghin was speared while making a save, he had to be attended to but stayed in the game as the penalty kill continued. Rimouski forward Alexandre Blais found Mael Lavigne with a pass at the side of the net to make it a 1-1 game after 20 minutes.

The Oceanic led first in the middle frame, capitalizing on a Tigers turnover. Mael St-Denis scored at 10:43 to make it 2-1 Rimouski.

Medicine Hat responded later in the frame on a power play of their own. After pouring shots on goaltender Mathis Langevin, Bryce Pickford unleashed a laser that beat the net minder to make it a 2-2 game at 16:18. His goal gives him markers in nine straight games, Tanner Molendyk and Wiesblatt had the helpers.

Rimouski regained the lead late in the frame on another power play, with captain Jacob Mathieu getting the final touch on a shot that bounced off multiple sticks before finding twine with 1:34 left in the period. Medicine Hat still led the game in shots 26-18 after 40 minutes.

‘The Tigers grabbed a lead in a flurry to start the third, scoring twice in 5:16 for a 4-3 lead. They started with pressure and urgency, throwing chances toward the net before Pickford unleashed a second wire from the top of the circle, beating Langevin at 1:08. Jonas Woo and St. Martin had the assists.

A little over five minutes later, McKenna put his stamp on the game.

Wiesblatt sprung the Tigers’ star for a breakaway and after getting stopped on a backhand attempt in the second, scored with a top-shelf shot on the blocker side for the 4-3 lead at 5:16.

“We obviously pre-scouted the goalie, so we kind of know what to expect a little bit,” McKenna said. “Obviously, you don’t want to think about it too much when you’re going down there. But I thought I could get him high, I saw it, shot and luckily it went in.”‘

Rimouski tied it at 13:04 with a power play goal from Johnathan Fauchon, their third PP goal on the night.

Following the seesaw affair, Medicine Hat finally took the lead for good, scoring at four-on-four. Tanner Molendyk had the puck at the point and he carried it toward the net. St. Martin broke at the same time and tipped in a cross-ice pass from Molendyk for the 5-4 lead with 2:41 left in the game.

The Florida Panthers’ prospect scored the Tigers’ championship-clinching goal in Game 5 of the WHL Championship series just a week ago.

“Tanner made a great move by the blue line, and I saw him go to the net and that play happened a couple times, so there’s a little bit of familiarity with that,” St. Martin said. “I just thought, go to the net, put my stick down, he made an unbelievable pass and luckily it went in. So that was really good for our group.”

The Tigers outshot Rimouski 38-24, Meneghin made 20 saves for the win. Across the ice, Langevin made 33 stops.

Medicine Hat has two days off before they face the QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats on Monday. Pickford says the two days off give them a chance to rest, recover and get ready for back-to-back games.

“Just to get to sleep, rest, stretching, all we need, ice baths,” Pickford said. “They’re going to be good teams, so we just have to be ready to go, watch video and just have some fun.”

The win comes 18 years to the day from the Tigers’ last win at a Memorial Cup. They beat the Vancouver Giants 1-0 on May 23, 2007.