NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Bryce Pickford celebrates his game-tying goal in the third period of Game 3 on April 29 in the Eastern Conference Championship series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Medicine Hat won the game 7-6 in overtime.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Two of the Medicine Hat Tigers’ key offseason acquisitions look to make good on their May 2024 promises.
Defencemen Bryce Pickford and Jonas Woo were acquired by the Tigers at the 2024 WHL Draft, both bringing WHL playoff experience and looking to help Medicine Hat get back to the Championship series for the first time since 2007.
“I do have some experience on how to win and I’m excited to come there and add to their culture,” Pickford told the News on May 10, 2024.
Pickford captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2023 at the age of 16. The team the Thunderbirds and Pickford beat in 2023 was the Winnipeg Ice, featuring a then 16-year-old Woo. He was in a smaller role then, playing in his rookie season. He’ll never forget that Finals experience but he is looking forward to playing a bigger role this year and hopefully completing the story.
“Having a bigger role here, it’s fun and it’s trying to take advantage of the moment you have here,” Woo said.
“Everything just gets a little bit, the adrenaline, the will to do better, but it’s just really exciting. You never want to make that mistake, but you can’t look for that.”
The pair are top five in playoff plus/minus, with Pickford at +19 and Woo +17. They logged some of the most minutes on the Tigers in the Eastern Conference Championship series against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, with Pickford averaging 23:42 a night and Woo 23:30 a game. It’s a pairing the Tigers lean on and one associate coach Joe Frazer says has only gotten better as the year has gone on.
“Their best hockey was last series against Lethbridge, all four games they were creating offence for us, but they’re also playing great defence,” Frazer said. “When those two are doing that, it’s a really good pair. They can both skate, both move the puck, both join the rush. They were really good defensively against Lethbridge, so they’ve been great all year for us.”
With another year under his belt since winning a ring and the run to the finals with Medicine Hat, Pickford says he’s ready to do whatever it takes to get back to glory.
“Everything matters now, it’s all for Ed,” Pickford said. “I want to lift that cup again, so we just have to do everything it takes to win it all.”
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