NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
The Medicine Hat Cubs celebrate after scoring a goal against the Coaldale Copperheads during a Heritage Junior Hockey League pre-season game at the Kinplex on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019.
The Medicine Hat Cubs exacted a little bit of revenge on the Coaldale Copperheads by sweeping a pre-season home-and-home this weekend.
The Cubs followed up a tightly-contested 5-4 victory Saturday in Coaldale with a 5-1 win at the Kinplex Sunday in the first meetings between the clubs since the Copperheads ended Medicine Hat’s season in overtime of Game 7 in the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s Southern Division semifinals.
The Copperheads managed to hold the Cubs in a scoreless first period Sunday, but Medicine Hat broke free early in the second.
Fletcher Aleman kicked off the scoring four minutes into the frame, then Carson Dingwall doubled up on the lead before Mason Fischer, Chandler Aleman and Levi Schlosser struck for three more over a five-minute span to leave the Copperheads buried.
Mason Sande finally got Coaldale on the board in the dying minutes of the second, but they were unable to do any more damage in the third.
Dawsen Savage and Brett Vanderveer shared Medicine Hat’s crease in the win.
Saturday’s victory didn’t come quite so easily. The Cubs jumped to a 2-0 lead on power play goals from Jamal Kalaf and Dingwall before Jayden Bexte responded for Coaldale.
Chandler Aleman tacked on another power play tally for Medicine Hat a few minutes later, but Coaldale’s Jason Creighton responded in kind to keep the Copperheads within one after 20 minutes.
Cooper Hilworth stepped up with an insurance marker in the second, again with the man advantage, before Coaldale mounted a strong push in the third.
Ty Anderson scored to keep the pressure on, however Ethan Machan answered right back for some breathing room. Bexte struck again to keep things close with eight minutes left to play, but Medicine Hat held strong to lock up the win.
Logan Leroux and Triston Cherwoniak split goaltending duties for the Cubs.
Medicine Hat opens the regular season Friday in Airdrie against the Thunder. The home opener is slated for Sept. 29 against the Lomond Lakers.
