Cubs split opening weekend

By Ryan McCracken on September 24, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The new-look Medicine Hat Travelodge Cubs are heading home with a split.

After opening their season with a rousing 5-1 victory over the Stampeders in Ponoka, the Cubs found themselves on the wrong side of a 8-6 barnburner in Stettler against the Lightning.

“We had five different scorers, which is something we didn’t have last year,” Cubs head coach JD Gaetan said of Saturday’s victory in Ponoka. “To have five different scorers (Saturday), it was nice to have those extra people to go to.”

Those five goal-scorers were Tavin Stadnicki, Noah Irvine, AlexDuclos, Chandler Aleman and Austin Strathdee. Aleman also added a pair of assists, while goaltender Brett Vanderveer locked up the win on 29 saves.

“It was all positive,” said Gaetan. “The defence was great, the goaltending was great.”

Taite Opdendries scored Ponoka’s lone goal to cut into a 2-0 deficit on the power play in the second, but the Cubs answered with three more.

Stampeders goaltender Derian Gaumond the loss on 40 saves.

While their momentum was halted in a wild back-and-forth affair Sunday in Stettler, Gaetan says there are still positives to be pulled from the setback.

“Our guys definitely outplayed them, outshot them, between bad bounces and some disciplinary issues — we were short a lot of the game, which kind of hurt us and took away from the flow of the game —but other than that there’s definitely positives to come out of it,” said Gaetan, whose Cubs more than doubled up on Stettler in the shots department, 58-27.

Fletcher Aleman scored twice, while Duclos, Stadnicki, Josh Schafer and Cooper Hilworth added individual markers.

The Cubs will take their new brand of hockey back to Medicine Hat for Saturday’s home opener against the reigning Southern Division champion Coaldale Copperheads.

After going 0-4-2 against the Copperheads last season, Gaetan says the Cubs will be looking to make a statement Saturday.

“They’re definitely excited for Coaldale,” said Gaetan. “That’s a team that’s not only a rival to us, but they’re the defending South champs and they have a lot of guys returning from that roster. It’s definitely going to be a benchmark game for us.”

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