NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat U13AAA Hounds AP forward Fischer Sprunger gets tripped up while letting off a shot in the second period of a 6-2 loss Thursday at the Hockey Hounds arena to the Red Deer Chiefs. With the loss, the Hounds trail Red Deer 1-0 in the best-of-three South Conference finals.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat U13AA Hounds will have to start a new win streak to preserve the historic season.
The Hounds suffered their first loss since Nov. 2, falling 6-2 Thursday night at the Hockey Hounds arena to the Red Deer Chiefs, falling behind 1-0 in the best-of-three South conference championship series.
The loss snaps a 32-game win streak for the Hounds. They outshot Red Deer 50-26 in a loss head coach Tanner Barton says provides them with some adversity to learn from.
“We deserve the better fate, we more than double out-shot them,” Barton said. “We’re not going to get goalied every game, so just keep the faith. A goalie can’t win every game.”
Red Deer led the Hounds 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Medicine Hat responded early in the second with a power play goal from Teddy Maser, his second of the postseason.
The Chiefs scored three unanswered goals in the middle frame, two of the goals coming on out-numbered rushes, for a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.
“We just have to tighten up the neutral zone,” Barton said. “You give up a break away and two-on-one after two-on-one, it’s going to hurt you.”
They showed life early in the third with a goal from Weston Haslbeck 59 seconds into the period to bring the Hounds within a pair. But that was as close as they got as Red Deer scored twice in a span of 39 seconds to secure the 6-2 final and the series lead.
Dawson Ressler made 20 saves in the loss for the Hounds. Medicine Hat beat the Chiefs both times they faced off in the regular season, the last matchup a 6-4 win in Red Deer on Dec. 7.
The Hounds will need to have the same success when the series shifts North on Saturday. A Medicine Hat win forces a decisive Game 3 on Sunday back at the Hockey Hounds arena. Another Red Deer win and the Chiefs are off to provincials.
The Hounds have had a lot of success throughout the 2024-25 season, with a collective 38-3 record. They’ve faced a little bit of adversity in the season, moments that have instilled confidence in Barton they can pull off the series comeback.
“We’ve won with our backs against the wall, we bring our best, so I expect no different on Saturday,” Barton said.
The Game 3 on Sunday, if needed, would get underway at 3:30 p.m. at the Hockey Hounds arena.
