Cubs open 50th season with win and a new look

The Medicine Hat Cubs unveiled a lot of new looks this weekend as they kicked their HJHL season.

The Cubs showcased their new, 50th anniversary jerseys and their leadership group for the 2023-24 season on Sunday afternoon at Coaldale in a 5-4 win over the copperheads.

Head coach and general manager Randy Wong called the game the perfect way to get things underway for the season.

“You never know what you’ll get in the first game, there could be some jitters, could be nerves, you’re playing on the road, which is not a bad thing, I don’t mind that for the first few games on the road, but you just don’t know what emotions you’re going to get from the team, but you’re ready to go,” Wong said. “We’ve had a good preseason, we had some good work ethic and practice and I think for the first game to get the two points on the road, especially in Coaldale, it’s always a good one. We’ll take that and we’re ready for next week.”

Before the game got underway, the Cubs announced via Facebook their leadership group headlined by captain Callen Prosofsky. The Medicine Hat product says nothing changes for him as a leader and he’s excited for the rest of the season.

“I’m looking forward to leading these guys,” Prosofsky said. “I still have to go to work and put in the work like the rest of the guys, nothing changes.”

The Cubs’ assistant captains are Darnell Glasgo, Gerett Harty, Jamal Shaw and Brady Mahar. Wong says the leadership group came together as it has because he leans on his older players to lead and liked how this group had not only handled that, but embraced the role. He says he left the decision until the end of preseason to see all of their habits.

“It was really just observing their actions, their words, what they were trying to provide for the team, how they were conducting themselves off ice, the work ethic in practice, all of that kind of plays into why it’s those guys,” Wong said. “ I told them in a speech to end preseason and start regular season, they’ve done some good things early on, they’ve said some good things and they just can’t change. The things they’re doing early on in the year, they’re working and I think the team is buying in with each other. That’s a good, strong, group-it’s a tight group. And that’s only going to get stronger as we continue these road games.”

The Cubs opened the scoring Sunday with Jamal Shaw’s first of the season and game. Coaldale added two more to take a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes. Kyle Woolridge tied it up early in the second frame before the Cooperheads rattled off two straight for a 4-2 lead. Owen Wagner scored late in the to being Medicine Hat within one after 40 minutes.

Just before the halfway mark of the third, Keynan Cairns scored to tie the game up at 4-4. Both sides traded chances but it was the defenceman Shaw, who picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, navigated through defenders before scoring for a late Medicine Hat lead.

The Cubs held on, goaltender Dimitrius Virostek made 27 saves and they managed the 5-4 comeback win.

Medicine Hat’s next two games are in the road, they’d at Airdrie on Friday to face the Techmation Thunder before they head to Three Hills on Saturday to take on the Thrashers. Wong says he likes when they have road trips like this early on in the season, not only to save home games for later in the year but also because it lets the group bond early.

“You get on those bus trips and they’re just on their own as a group,” Wong said. “They don’t have any distractions so they can enjoy the trip, they can enjoy their teammates and that’s huge early in the year. So having those road games and then having a road trip, those are all going to help down the stretch when we’re in some tighter games and these guys will bond and they’ll play for each other.”