PHOTO COURTESY JEN SAMLL
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Hunter St. Martin pushes off Spokane Chiefs' defenceman Will McIsaac before scoring on a breakaway in the second period of a 5-2 Game 4 win Wednesday in Spokane to lead the WHL Championship series 3-1.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Treating Game 5 of the WHL Championship like any other game of the playoffs is the plan for the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight.
They enter the Spokane Arena to face the Chiefs with a chance to capture the franchise’s sixth Ed Chynoweth Cup, a number that would tie them with the Kamloops Blazers for the most among WHL teams.
It’s easier said than done, head coach Willie Desjardins says, approaching Game 5 like they did Game 4, a 5-2 win Wednesday that put them up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Or like Game 3, a 6-0 shutout win Tuesday that came in response to a 6-2 loss Sunday on home ice.
They have three shots at that last win, No. 16 to cap off the final chapter of a nine-month journey, with only eternal greatness or disappointment as the two results.
“For me, it’s just another game, we have to play well, they’re a really good team, if you give them any life they’re going to be right back in the series,” Desjardins said. “So we just have to play hard every game and hopefully we get one of them.”
Wednesday’s win came with the Tigers having to make a three-pack of lineup changes, with forwards Cayden Lindstrom, Gavin McKenna and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll out with injury. Misha Volotovskii left in the second period after getting caught along the boards in the neutral zone with a hit that saw Nathan Meyers ejected for a five-minute interference major and a game misconduct.
Desjardins had no injury update Thursday, and says they won’t know who can play until game time Friday.
Marcus Pacheco, Markus Ruck and Carter Cunningham slotted into the lineup Wednesday, something Desjardins was happy to see for those three players.
“We’ve had that all year where we’ve had injuries, so guys had to step in,” Desjardins said postgame Wednesday. “I was really excited to see Cunningham get a chance. He’s worked really hard all year and hasn’t had a chance, for me it was great for him to get a chance. I’ve always believed he could play, it’s not that I didn’t think he could. Pacheco came in, too, had to sit and he came in and played hard. Markus Ruck, too, he’s played all year. In lots of ways it was really great for them to get a chance because they are all good players.”
While the Tigers look to approach Game 5 with the same mindset and game plan, there is no way to prepare for a potential championship-clinching game. They’ll rely on what has worked these playoffs and league final, defence leading to offence.
They’ve outscored Spokane 17-9 through the first four games of the finals, a gap shortened by the Game 2 loss at Co-op Place. Beyond that 6-2 loss for the Tigers, it’s a 15-3 differential in four games.
“When we’re playing well, our defence are playing well,” Desjardins said. “Spokane has a lot of offence. With our defence, (and Harrison) Meneghin has been outstanding. So whenever you have great goaltending and our team works pretty hard to get back, so we’ve kind of taken away their time a little bit with how hard we’ve tracked back.”
The Chiefs’ top line of Berkly Catton, Andrew Cristall and Shea Van Olm are -21 entering play tonight. It’s success from the Tigers’ defence that blue-liner Bryce Pickford says comes from the game plan.
“They have really quick forwards, and their defencemen are good at joining the rush, so having tight gaps, trying to kill the plays early definitely frustrates their forwards a lot,” Pickford said. “But they’re also pretty good, so we have to stay dialled on our gap.”
Pickford scored twice in Wednesday’s win, putting him 10th in WHL playoff scoring with 12 goals and 23 points. He rides an eight-game point streak and has scored in seven straight playoff games, a modern WHL record for a defenceman. It’s a streak Pickford was informed of during the postgame press conference Wednesday.
“It feels pretty good, but it’ll feel a lot better to win here, so we just have to focus on the game,” Pickford said.
Wednesday’s Game 4 win was playoff victory No. 83 for Desjardins, moving him into fourth all time among coaches, slotting ahead of Portland Winterhawks president, general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. It’s a win total he says shows he’s worked for winning teams and with exceptional staffs, but unsurprisingly, Desjardins says win No. 84 is the only one he’s concerned about.
As they push closer to the ultimate goal, one win away from that championship, there won’t be any special speech from Desjardins ahead of Game 5, or 6 or 7 if needed. He says they’re honoured to have the chance to play for a championship.
The motivation they needed and received came on the bus ride out of Medicine Hat on Monday, with the Tigers faithful cheering them on the road to Spokane.
“We were down after Game 2, that was a tough loss for us at home, like we weren’t great, so to go through the city with people on the streets, that was incredible for us,” Desjardins said. “To see the guys at the back of the bus and to hear, ‘Guys, we have to get our act together, these fans are so supportive we have to get going here,’ it made a difference for us.
“That’s the fun part, I hope we’re part of the city, because I know the fans in Medicine Hat are a part of us. We go with them, we rely on them and they make a difference for us.”
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