Gavin McKenna leads Tigers to WHL title with Game 5 win over Chiefs

Gavin McKenna can add WHL champion to his already sparkling resume. The Medicine Hat Tigers star scored his ninth goal of the playoffs to help his team capture the WHL title with a 4-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs in Game 5 on Friday.

May 17, 2025 - 15:06

Gavin McKenna leads Tigers to WHL title with Game 5 win over Chiefs

Gavin McKenna can add WHL champion to his already sparkling resume.

The Medicine Hat Tigers star scored his ninth goal of the playoffs to help his team capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs in Game 5 on Friday.

Bryce Pickford, Hunter St. Martin and Niilopekka Muhonen also scored for Medicine Hat.

Goaltender Harrison Meneghin made 34 saves in the win and was named playoff MVP.

It’s the sixth time the Tigers have won the WHL championship, but the first time since 2007.

McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, missed Games 3 and 4 with an undisclosed injury before returning for the series clincher. He was held off the scoresheet in Game 2, ending his 54-game point streak, the longest modern-era run in the CHL.

With the WHL title, the Tigers advance to the Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Que. They will be compete against the host Rimouski Oceanic, the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and the OHL’s London Knights.

— With files from the Canadian Press