The Medicine Hat Tigers, featuring Yukoner and NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna, were defeated by the London Knights in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Memorial Cup Championship final on Sunday, June 1.
The Tigers fell short of claiming the cup, suffering a 4-1 defeat after failing to recover from a dominant second period by the Knights. McKenna offered a glimmer of hope in the third, breaking the shutout to make it 4-1, but the Tigers were ultimately unable to generate enough offence to shift the momentum.
McKenna appeared to score a second goal late in the third period, but it was waved off by the referee following a missed high-sticking call.
Despite falling short in the Memorial Cup final, the Tigers delivered a strong tournament performance. They defeated the Rimouski Oceanic, the Moncton Wildcats and the Knights in round-robin play, before being bested by the Knights in the final of the tournament held between May 23 and June 1.
McKenna tallied three goals and six points during the Memorial Cup Championship, according to the CHL’s league leaders table. He ranked fourth in goals scored, tied with four other players, and trailed teammate Ryder Ritchie, who led the Tigers with four goals.
The Tigers advanced to the Memorial Cup Championship after claiming the Western Hockey League (WHL) playoff title on May 16, defeating the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 in the series finale held in Washington State. McKenna gave a strong performance during the series with 38 points consisting of nine goals and 29 assists, across 14 playoff games.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
