That wasn’t the game we expected. In one of the most hyped games of the WHL season, a letdown ensued for the Everett Silvertips.

Plenty of future NHL talent was on display at Angel of the Winds Arena, but it was the Eastern Conference-leading Medicine Hat Tigers who came into Everett and blew the doors off the league-leading Silvertips, 7-3.

What could have been a preview of the WHL Finals saw both teams enter the game atop their respective conference standings. Everett, with 75 points, holds a 15-point lead over the next closest team and a nine-point lead over the Tigers despite the loss.

The main matchup of the evening, however, was that of Tigers winger Gavin McKenna, and Tips defenseman Landon DuPont, who are both pegged to be selected high atop their respective drafts, McKenna in 2026 and DuPont in 2027. McKenna is the league’s leader in assists with 58 and points with 83, while DuPont leads all WHL rookies with 35 assists and 46 points. This was their first-ever matchup, and DuPont was eager for the challenge.

“Knowing how skilled and fast he is, you just have to watch out,” DuPont said. “He’s a great player. He’s very skilled and makes some nice plays, so you’ve always just got to watch where he is. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

It would be McKenna, with a hat trick, an assist, and a goal where he took the puck away from DuPont, who would have the last laugh, however.

#WHL/#NHLDraft Gavin McKenna strips Landon DuPont of the puck and buries his 2nd of the night.

Let’s the crowd hear it a little too. pic.twitter.com/N93AQDqdUx

— Cameron Riggers (@CameronRiggers) January 30, 2025

Game recap

The first period took a while to get going. Neither team dominated shots or opportunities until Carter Bear scored 10 minutes in, extending his team lead to 33 goals on the season.

The Tigers turned up the pressure late in the period, though, flipping the game to 2-1 after the first with a pair of goals. Shots ended 11-9 in favor of the Tips.

In the second, McKenna added another goal, making it 3-1 with a cross-crease feed from Oasiz Wiesblatt. That goal extended his point streak to 24 games, and the Tigers’ physicality made it hard for the Tips to keep up.

89 DAYS – AND COUNTING.

The last time Gavin McKenna went pointless with the @tigershockey came nearly THREE months ago.

Crazy stuff from the 2026 #NHLDraft Top Prospect. #WHLStats pic.twitter.com/TuTzbbf0jb

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 30, 2025

Dominik Rymon made it 3-2 early in the third, but former Seattle Thunderbird Bryce Pickford scored what would be the game-winner. The Tigers would add four unanswered goals, two of which came from McKenna, before the Tips got a garbage-time goal to finish 7-3.

Shots ended 30-22 in favor of the Tips, but many were low-percentage shots, which has been a recurring issue despite their top record. Everett couldn’t get much past Tigers goaltender Harrison Meneghin, who would wind up stopping 27 of 30 shots on the evening.

“We got a little bit steamrolled,” head coach Steve Hamilton said. “There were a couple stretches where things just got escalated and [the Tigers] capitalized. They had 22 shots and seven goals. That’s probably not very good [for us].”

Despite their lead over the Tigers in the standings, the Tips looked as though they may not be as battle-tested as other top teams. The Tigers were the better team in terms of physical play and quality offensive chances.

Hamilton acknowledged the strain down the middle, especially as Everett will continue to miss centers Austin Roest and Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen for an extended period.

“We’re on some lean times right now up the middle with our center situation,” Hamilton said. “Rust has come along for some guys, and it’s taxing.”

Hamilton isn’t concerned with the idea of facing the Tigers again in the finals if it comes to it. He’s focused on the short term and filling holes for now.

“We’re so far away from [possibly playing them again],” Hamilton said. “It’s one game. I’m not blowing it out of proportion. Collectively, though, it was not a very good effort. It was loose, and they capitalized.”

If you’re in the region and want to see McKenna before he likely turns pro two seasons from now, this Saturday, Feb. 1 in Kent might be your last chance, when the Tigers take on the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Header photo courtesy of Evan Morud, Everett Silvertips