NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Ryder Ritchie celebrates his first period goal in a 4-3 overtime Game 4 win Wednesday at Swift Current over the Broncos.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Ryder Ritchie is playing his best hockey at the right time of the season.
The Medicine Hat Tigers forward sits 10th in league scoring in the playoffs with three goals and seven points through the first four games of the first-round series with the Swift Current Broncos.
After being held scoreless in the 4-0 Game 1 win on March 28, he’s rattled off two three-points games as Medicine Hat leads the Broncos 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. One of those three-point efforts came Wednesday night, as he scored the first goal and had two assists in a 4-3 overtime win at Swift Current.
“That building is hard to play in, their fans are loud and it was just huge to come out of it with a win,” Ritchie said. “It’s a hard fought game, both teams played really well.”
Ritchie is in his second playoff series in the WHL, suiting up in five post-season games with the Price Albert Raiders in a first-round matchup with the Saskatoon Blades. He’s matched his scoring from that series, in one fewer game. The Minnesota Wild prospect says the taste of playoffs last year, as well as two gold medals with Canada, have helped ease nerves for this year’s postseason.
“It’s just harder hockey, more physical, it helps to know how to kind of play in those tough, tough games and high pressure situations,” Ritchie said. “I’ve learned that throughout the playoffs and also playing in two big gold medal games. So for me, just trying to be a leader and help the guys who haven’t had as much playoff experience and big-game experience. That’s the biggest thing, try to be a leader out there and just help the guys.”
Ritchie, alongside line mate Gavin McKenna, won gold with Canada at the U18 World championship in May 2024 and captured the Hlinka Gretzky Cup that same August. McKenna, who leads the WHL in playoff scoring with two goals and 14 points, credits Ritchie and centreman Oasiz Wiesblatt for his success.
“Playoffs is the hardest hockey of the year and some people shy away,” McKenna said. “With Wiesblatt, me and Ritchie, we have been playing pretty well together and we’ve been clicking when we needed to and stepped up with some big games.”
Game 5 of the first-round matchup goes tonight at Co-op Place with the Tigers one win away from making the second round for the first time since the 2018 playoffs. Ritchie says they have to replicate their Game 4 efforts ahead of what he says will be the hardest game of the series.
He says there is no comparison with the first four games of the series to a potential elimination contest.
“It is its own kind of animal because their season is on the line and you know that winning the fourth game is usually the hardest game to win in the series,” Ritchie said. “Just because of what’s on the line, and we know we’re going to get their best, and they’re, going to be so hungry, so we just have to match that. Just have that intensity and work as hard as we can.”
While they know Swift will be playing for their season, Ritchie says they can’t get too excited about the game. He’s approaching Game 5 with a mental focus of treating it as a normal night.
“Just try to play it as another game, be mentally ready for it and try to stay emotionally even keel,” Ritchie said. “Don’t try to think of it as an elimination game, just think of it as a massive game and a game that we have to try to win. Just go out there and give my all and just do what I can to help the team win.”
He’s also looking forward to playing back in Co-op Place in front of the Tigers faithful. Ritchie, speaking after the 6-3 Game 2 with 5,947 fans in attendance, said the atmosphere they’ve seen at Co-op Place is something he’ll never forget.
“I don’t ever get nervous but I had butterflies my first few shifts, it was unbelievable,” Ritchie said. “It’s a lot of fun and I hope the Tigers faithful can follow that up through the playoffs. That was awesome and we appreciate that so much, it gives us so much energy.”
