Ryder Ritchie leads Medicine Hat Tigers past Moncton Wildcats

Ryder Ritchie continued his red-hot tournament with two goals and an assist as the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 at the 2025 Memorial Cup on Monday night. With the victory, the WHL champions remain undefeated and clinch at least a spot in Friday’s semi-final — and could punch their ticket to Sunday’s final with a win over the OHL champion London Knights on Tuesday.

The 2024 NHL Draft-eligible Ritchie now leads the tournament with three goals and four points, tied with linemates Gavin McKenna and Oasiz Wiesblatt, as well as London’s Easton Cowan. Wiesblatt’s four assists are a tournament-best.

“I think my linemates are making it easy for me,” said Ritchie. “They’re finding me, and I’ve just tried to put myself in good spots for them. It was a huge win for us, but we still need to clean up a few things going forward in this event.”

Ritchie opened the scoring at 4:24 of the first period, burying the puck into a wide-open net after Wiesblatt set him up moments after McKenna was denied on a breakaway. He added his second at 9:42 of the middle frame on the power play, hammering home a one-timer off a pass from Andrew Basha (CGY) to give Medicine Hat a 2–0 lead after 40 minutes.

Moncton responded just 31 seconds into the third as Dyllan Gill (TB) scored for the second straight game, his point shot deflecting in off a Tigers defender to cut the deficit in half. The Wildcats pushed for the equalizer, but a late penalty for too many men while their net was empty halted their momentum. McKenna sealed the win for Medicine Hat with an empty-net goal in the dying seconds.

Tigers netminder Harrison Meneghin (TB) made 21 saves in the win, while Mathis Rousseau turned aside 38 of 40 shots for Moncton, who were outshot 41–22.

“He’s been solid throughout the year for us and certainly in the playoffs,” said Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins of Meneghin. “And he’s been very sharp in this tournament. I thought our team played well, and we’re certainly happy with the win.”

The loss puts Moncton in a do-or-die situation on Wednesday when they face the host Rimouski Océanic — both teams sit at 0–2, with the winner advancing to face either London or Medicine Hat in Friday’s semi-final. The Wildcats previously defeated Rimouski in six games to win the QMJHL title.

Moncton was also playing through tragedy. Just minutes before puck drop, Wildcats general manager Taylor MacDougall received word that his father-in-law, Pat Buckley, had died of a heart attack while golfing in Rimouski. Taylor shared the news with his father, head coach Gardiner MacDougall, five minutes before the game.

“So it’s a devastating loss and certainly the hardest game I ever had to coach,” said MacDougall. “Pat Buckley was an unbelievable sportsman, top-notch golfer and former university hockey player. He was a second father to my son Taylor … they bonded like no other.”

Memorial Cup Standings (after May 26):

• Medicine Hat: 2–0
• London: 2–0
• Rimouski: 0–2
• Moncton: 0–2

Upcoming Games:

• May 27: London vs. Medicine Hat — 7:00 p.m. ET
• May 28: Rimouski vs. Moncton — 7:00 p.m. ET
• May 29: Tie-breaker (if necessary)
• May 30: Semi-final
• June 1: Championship Final

With two undefeated clubs set to face off and two desperate teams fighting for survival, the stakes are only getting higher in Rimouski.