Tigers record first win of B.C. trip, beat Cougars 6-3

By James Tubb on October 22, 2025.

Medicine Hat News

The Medicine Hat Tigers won the battle of the Cats Wednesday night.

The Tigers picked up their first win of the six-game B.C. Division road trip with a 6-3 win at Prince George over the Cougars. They came into the mid-week contest off a 3-1 loss in Vancouver to the Giants on Sunday and a 5-4 loss Saturday at Victoria to the Royals.

Starter Jordan Switzer stopped 32 shots in the win as the Tigers iced a shorthanded lineup with defenceman Bryce Pickford a late scratch due to illness, the same reason forward Cam Parr was out with Luke Ruptash slotting in.

Prince George’s power play entered the game leading the WHL at 41.3 per cent and got to work early. Terik Parascak scored on a first-period man advantage for the Cougars, knocking in a puck in the crease for the 1-0 lead. His sixth of the season gives Prince George power play goals in 10 straight games.

The Tigers responded 29 seconds later with a breakaway goal from Noah Davidson. The Irvine, Calif. product flew up ice and scored with a backhand move for his fourth of the season, giving him goals in back-to-back games. Kyle Heger and Liam Ruck had the assists as the game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. Prince George led the frame in shots, 17-5.

Medicine Hat scored the lone goal of the second period. Heger fired a shot from the point that had eyes of its own, finding twine at 6:18 for his second on the year. Kadon McCann and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll had the assists on the goal as the Tigers led 2-1 after 40 minutes, Prince George leading in shots 24-12.

Heger, as well as the Rucks, were all given B-rankings by NHL Central Scouting as second-to-third round candidates for the 2026 NHL Draft. A total of nine Tigers were ranked on the preliminary watchlist.

A wild third period saw six goals hit twine as the Tigers grabbed a lead and held on.

They scored at the 13:23 mark when Yaroslav Bryzgalov intercepted a pass from a Cougars’ defender behind the net and after firing a shot, the Tigers’ forward picked up his own rebound and scored his fourth of the season.

The Tigers doubled down 20 seconds later when Kade Stengrim fired a laser from the slot, beating starter Alexander Levshyn for the 4-1 lead. McCann and Niilopekka Muhonen had the assists on Stengrim’s third of the year.

The Cougars responded 2:06 later, capitalizing on a six-on-three power play. Off a face-off win in the Tigers’ end, the Cougars pulled the goalie but didn’t get to use the extra attacker as Kooper Gizowski fired off a shot that beat Switzer to make it a 4-2 Medicine Hat lead with 4:14 left in the game. Brock Souch had the lone assist on Gizowski’s 10th of the year.

After the Tigers killed off the remaining penalty time, Prince George cut the lead down to one with 1:19 left in the game. With pressure in the Medicine Hat end and Levshyn on the bench, Jett Lajoie cut to the net with the puck and directed it to the net where it glanced off a defender’s stick up and over Switzer to make it a 4-3 game late. Kayden Lemire and Aiden Foster had the assists on Lajoie’s eighth.

The Tigers held off the final push for the Cougars.

Liam Ruck picked the pocket of the last Cougars’ player skating up ice with the net empty and scored on the open net for his third of the year, making it a 5-3 lead with 59 seconds left. Carter Cunningham also scored on the empty net with Misha Volotovskii and Veeti Väisänen having the assists on his second on the year.

Prince George out-shot the Tigers 35-27 with Medicine Hat winning the face-off battle 36-28. It’s the first time the Tigers have been outshot this season. They were held scoreless on their lone power play, Prince George was 2-6 on the man advantage. Across the ice from Switzer, Levshyn made 21 saves.

The Tigers (8-4) are off until Friday when they are in Kamloops taking on the Blazers. Puck drop at 8 p.m. MST.