NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Mat Ward celebrates after scoring in the second period of a 10-1 win at Co-op Place over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on March 22.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Who would’ve thought?
Mat Ward is gearing up to face the Swift Current Broncos in the first round of the WHL playoffs Friday, looking to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers on a run for the sixth championship in franchise history.
Looks as crazy as it sounds.
“I had a lot of good years there and a lot of respect for that organization,” Wong said. “They have an intelligent group over there with the coaching staff, so they’re going to be prepared for us, but it’s going to be a special postseason for a lot of reasons.”
The former Bronco is looking to end his WHL career on a high note, with the first step coming against his former club. He played 199 games in the green and blue, notching 73 goals and 208 points.
Before the Broncos were moved to the East division this season, the two teams had one of the more fierce rivalries in the Eastern conference. From the Tigers’ Game 68 win in 2022-23 to clinch the final playoff spot, eliminating the Broncos, to Swift Current snatching the Central title from Medicine Hat last season, the two teams have been tied to one another.
The two-hour trip down Highway 1 has been the only separator for the two rivals, who have seemed destined for a playoff matchup for years. Now that one has finally arrived, and being on the “good guy” side of it, Ward says the first round sets up to be one of the more exciting in the WHL playoffs.
“They’re going to be fast games; for a few years this series has been wanted by the fans, two passionate fan bases,” Ward said.
“I was part of that Game 68 a few years ago, when I was on that team I didn’t forget about it. So I know a lot of the guys on that team now still have that in mind as well. So it’ll be interesting to see how we approach that.”
Ward joked he is finally over that Game 68 loss, with back-to-back division titles helping ease the pain. In the 2-2 split series between the Tigers and Broncos, Ward had three goals and five points.
In his five years in Swift, he suited up in eight playoff games with the Broncos, who made it to the second round last season after an opening-round sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, ultimately falling to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
He is one of six Tigers to make it past a first-round series, some added experience he plans to share.
“Just how magnified every little detail can be, especially when the pace is high as it is,” Ward said. “Sometimes the difference between getting a puck out and getting hemmed in your zone can be the difference in a series or a game or whatnot. It’s important to keep that in mind.
“Every team has three 20-year-olds that want to do anything to win,” Ward said. “They have a really good group over there, without injuries they’d be a little higher in the standings, too.”
Ward hasn’t given thoughts to this playoff run being the last of his junior hockey career before he heads to Northern Michigan University in the fall. Instead of the idea of being done, he says the talk all year has been about ending the year on top.
“That has been the goal since Day One,” Ward said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t feel like things are going to be ending soon. I feel like we have a lot of hockey left in us, so we’re ready for it.”
