NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Cubs forward Nolen Sutherland unleashes a shot in the second period of a 7-1, Game 3 win March 5 at the Kinplex over the Cochrane Generals. The Cubs' HJHL Finals series gets underway Saturday in Red Deer against the Vipers. They'll host Red Deer on Sunday at the Kinplex for Game 2 of the best-of-five series, puck drop at 4:30 p.m.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Stand firm at the gates, the Medicine Hat Cubs are ready for their first shot at an HJHL title.
The best-of-five HJHL Finals series gets underway Saturday with Game 1 in Red Deer before the Cubs host the Vipers for Game 2 at the Kinplex on Sunday.
After a week of practice, head coach Trent Derzaph says they’re all set for the series.
“It’s that time of year, we had a good week of practices, the guys are full of energy and they’re ready to go, we’re all ready to go,” Derzaph said.
“You can just see the atmosphere in the room, on the ice, the guys are like race horses ready to go. It was nice to have a few days off for sure, get rid of some bumps and bruises, but just raring to go now.”
It will be the first game in over a week for both clubs, last playing March 5 when they each won their respective Division Finals. Medicine Hat swept the Cochrane Generals in the South Finals with a 7-1 win and Red Deer beat the defending champion Sylvan Lake Wranglers 4-2 in Game 4.
During the regular season, the Cubs and Vipers split 1-1. Medicine Hat won 7-4 on Nov. 23 at home and lost 7-2 in Red Deer on Jan. 24. The Finals will be the first time these playoffs the Cubs will start a series on the road, an early challenge Derzaph says they’ll have to combat head on.
“We’re going to have to work hard and with us starting to run the road, we’re going to have to outwork them, it’s that simple,” Derzaph said. “As far as depth goes, I’m confident in our group. We’ve got lots of speed, we’ve got some depth and we’ve had really good goaltending.
“So we know that we can score on them, we have in the past and now we just have to go up there, play a simple game and outwork them.”
Cubs captain Kyle Woolridge leads the HJHL playoffs in scoring with 10 goals and 12 points in eight games. Red Deer’s leading postseason scorer, Evan Lemke, sits fourth with four goals and 10 points in eight games.
In net, Red Deer’s Meyer Gaume leads the playoffs with a 6-2 record, sporting a .926 save percentage and a 2.37 goals against average, working one shutout. Cubs starter Marlo DeRosa, the 2025-26 HJHL goalie of the year, is 5-1 in the postseason with a 3.22 GAA and a .901 SV%.
After the challenge of starting on the road, the Cubs will look to benefit from home ice in Game 2 on Sunday. They’ve lost just five times on home ice during the regular season and playoffs, with the Cubs’ faithful set to play a role in the series, Derzaph says.
“Our fans are so massive for us to get the guys going and we know there’ll be a number of fans up there in Red Deer, but it’s not the same as being at home,” Derzaph said.
“It’ll be easier for us to get up after a late night and long bus ride home kind of thing, versus those guys playing late into the night and then having to get up early and hit the road as well. So we’re in good shape going into the weekend.”
During Game 2 on Sunday the Cubs will be supporting the Clap for a Cause campaign, looking to combat period poverty. They ask fans to donate one box of tampons, pads or a menstrual cup, with all donations going directly toward supporting individuals in Medicine Hat experiencing period poverty. Fans who bring a donation will be entered to win a prize.
