NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN - Medicine Hat Cubs defenceman Joshua Schafer passes the puck around Stettler Lightning forward Brendan Bardwell during a Heritage Junior Hockey League game at the Kinplex on Sunday.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Stettler Lightning made the most of their opportunities on Sunday afternoon at the Kinplex.
Despite throwing 52 pucks at Lightning goaltender Davin Nattestad and allowing just 20, the Medicine Hat Cubs fell short of completing a weekend sweep in a frustrating 7-6 loss.
“I think it comes down to a little bit of taking the team lightly,” said Cubs co-coach JD Gaetan.
“I think we did come out a little bit flat, but we did pick it up in the last couple of periods. We put up 50 shots on them, but a couple bad bounces the wrong way and we’re in a 7-6 loss.”
The Cubs sit fourth in the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s Southern Division with an 11-5-2 record following the weekend homestand – which also featured a 6-0 win over the Lomond Lakers Saturday.
Medicine Hat and Stettler left the ice after 20 minutes in a 2-2 stalemate. Cubs forward Mackenzie Fritzler opened the scoring, then Matt Sylvester answered back for Stettler before Chandler Aleman and James Switenky traded tallies in the dying minutes of the period.
Levi Schlosser restored Medicine Hat’s lead halfway through the second, but the Lightning came storming back. While they were held to just nine pucks on goal through the first 30 minutes, Sylvester scored on back-to-back shots to give Stettler a 4-3 lead entering the final frame.
The Lightning kept coming early in the third and Eric Rost converted on an early power play to double up on the lead before Sylvester struck again to silence the crowd at the Kinplex – giving Stettler a 6-3 edge despite being outshot 30-15.
“You have to be ready to play every game in this league,” said Gaetan. “Every game is a tough matchup. If you look at Ponoka, they knocked off (undefeated) Okotoks last night. Rocky, last place in the Northern takes out Coaldale (Sunday). You have to be ready to play against anybody in this league.”
Cubs defenceman Martin Watz cut into the deficit with a shot from the point later in the period, but Sylvester responded with his fifth goal of the game just over a minute after that to restore Stettler’s three-goal lead.
Mason Fischer kept hope for a comeback alive by converting on a power play chance, then Noah Irvine added another with four minutes left in regulation – but they were unable to get anything else past Nattestad and the Lightning jumped to 6-12-1 as a result.
“We need to perform better if we want to beat easy teams like this, and beat the tough teams as well,” said forward Spencer Chapman, a former SEAC Tiger who spent last season with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings before joining the Cubs earlier this month.
“The guys have really been helpful and so have the coaches. They’ve given me a lot of opportunity on the power play and penalty kill to really prove myself.”
Cubs starter Brett Vanderveer was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots, then Dawsen Savage stopped six in relief.
Despite the loss, Gaetan says he was pleased with the spirited comeback effort, as his Cubs seemed to return to form in the final minutes.
“I liked the way we pushed back, especially in the third period,” said Gaetan. “They didn’t get too many looks and we were controlling the play.”
The tough result came on the heels of a lopsided victory over Lomond Saturday – a game originally slated to be Medicine Hat’s home opener that was rescheduled due to poor weather.
Irvine led the push with two goals and an assist, while Aleman had a goal and two helpers and Brayden Anderson had one of each. Chapman and Grant Forbes rounded out the scoring, while Tavin Stadnicki closed out the game with a pair of assists.
Savage stopped all 19 shots he faced to lock up the shutout victory.
The Cubs return to the ice Friday for a rematch against the Lakers in Lomond.
