‘Do it for Harry’: Tigers band together after passing of goaltender’s father

By Lethbridge Herald on March 27, 2025.

NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Harrison Meneghin looks up after making a blocker save in the third period of a 5-2 win Sunday at Calgary's Saddledome over the Hitmen.

By James Tubb

Southern Alberta Newspapers 

Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender and former Lethbridge Hurricane Harrison Meneghin is set to return to Medicine Hat after the sudden death of his father Derek on Sunday.

The team was informed of the news after the 5-2 win Sunday at Calgary’s Saddledome over the Hitmen. Head coach Willie Desjardins says they flew the 20-year-old back to Vancouver to be with family and they have had outside help speaking with the team in the following days.

“The guys were really shook up over it,” Desjardins said. “But hockey is a strange one, you go from such a high of winning to such a low, losing somebody like that, it was hard for the group, but certainly we are there for Harrison and his family.”

Despite the win, clinching first place in the conference for the first time since 2007, Desjardins says the bus ride to Medicine Hat was quiet in respect to the Meneghin family.

“There were no thoughts of hockey,” Desjardins said.

Tigers’ captain Oasiz Wiesblatt said they prayed as a team before leaving Calgary on Sunday and adds they enter the playoffs with the focus of winning for the Meneghin family.

“Harry is a heart and soul guy for us, he’s a guy who just brings energy for us,” Wiesblatt said. “Finding out that news on Sunday was really hard on not only him, but the team and obviously their family, and we send our condolences to them. It’s a really tough situation but it will bring the team together.”

Desjardins says Meneghin will return to Medicine Hat ahead of the weekend but he also says no decision has been made regarding who will start Game 1 Friday at Co-op Place against the Swift Current Broncos.

“Our way to honour him is to play well, that’s our way to honour him and he would want that for us and he’d want that for Harrison,” Desjardins said. “Harrison is going to be coming back to the team pretty soon, it’ll be good to see him back and then we’ll just take it from there.”