Cochrane hockey players Kadon McCann and Ethan Neutens took turns raising the Ed Chynoweth Cup Friday night in Spokane, and now have their sights set on winning the Memorial Cup.
The Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 4–2 win over the Spokane Chiefs on May 16 in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,600 to clinch the Western Hockey League title and punch their ticket to the Memorial Cup, which begins May 23 in Rimouski, Que.
It marks the Tigers’ first WHL championship since 2007 and their sixth since joining the league in 1973.
Neutens set up Niilopekka Muhonen for the opening goal at 12:42 of the second period. The Tigers built a 3–0 lead before the Chiefs scored twice in quick succession to make it a one-goal game. Bryce Pickford sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:46 of the third.
In an emotional moment, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt handed the trophy directly to goaltender Harrison Meneghin, who backstopped Medicine Hat throughout the playoffs and was named postseason MVP.
A Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Meneghin rejoined the Tigers just days after the sudden passing of his father on the final day of the WHL regular season. He finished the playoffs with a 14–1 record, three shutouts, a 2.35 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
McCann is in his second full season with the Tigers after being selected 23rd overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. He is currently ranked 116th among North American skaters ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.
Neutens, a WHL veteran forward, was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets in mid-November.
Regarded as one of the most difficult trophies to win in hockey, the Memorial Cup pits the WHL champions against the winners of the Ontario Hockey League, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and the tournament’s host club in a round-robin format.