May thankful for his WHL opportunity in Medicine Hat
By JAMES TUBB on February 1, 2024.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb Evan May will always remember Medicine Hat as a welcoming spot for him in his hockey career. The 19-year-old goaltender made his return to Co-op Place on Jan. 27 for the first time since being traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors at the WHL’s Jan. 10 trade deadline. While it wasn’t the result May and the Warriors would have wanted – a 5-3 loss – returning to the city and team who gave him his first real chance in the league was special to him. “They gave me a shot last year, trading for me and not knowing what I was,” May said. “I’ve learned about myself through my character and how hard I work, how good of a teammate I can be through that.” In 40 games with the Tigers, May was 14-16-2 with a .886 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average after being acquired from the Everett Silvertips during the 2022-2023 season. He looks back on his time in the city in a positive way, with a lot of life-long memories, including a 40-save performance last season in a 6-4 win over the then-powerhouse Winnipeg Ice. “It was a lot of fun, I made a lot of good memories with the guys so letting that go is pretty sad, but now I’m here with a new team making more memories so I’m super excited,” May said. The Nanaimo product picked up a win in his first game as a Warrior, a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 17. May was happy to get the first win out of the way and is looking forward to working with 18-year-old Jackson Unger for the rest of the year. “He just got the all-time franchise record for most wins in a row, so it just sets the bar for me and how hard I have to push to try and take his spot,” May said. In the trade, the Tigers acquired a 2027 third-round pick, originally Seattle’s, from the Warriors. It also left the crease open for 18-year-old Zach Zahara and 17-year-old Ethan McCallum to get more ice time. For head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins, it wasn’t an easy move to make and they miss May but needed to give the younger goalies the added work. “He’s a really good person, lots of qualities, he plays well, we miss him but I just had two young guys, I needed to try to see what they could do,” Desjardins said. “So we made a move that way, but it wasn’t a reflection of Evan. It was a reflection of I needed to try to get my young guys going.” McCallum was in net for the Tigers against May and says it was awkward seeing him in a new jersey but says he was happy he had the opportunity he did with Moose Jaw. “It’s weird seeing him in another jersey but he looked good in red and black,” McCallum said. “I hope he enjoys it out there.” May says he’ll never forget his first day in Medicine Hat, only knowing forward Brayden Boehm but quickly realizing he would quickly make a lot more friends. “My first day here not really knowing anyone, I knew Brayden Boehm so that was kind of easier for me, but all the boys introducing themselves to me really made me feel welcome,” May said. “That always sticks in my head.” 19-18
