Cubs take series lead
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on February 28, 2020.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Cubs are coming home with a 2-1 edge in their best-of-seven Heritage Junior Hockey League Southern Division semifinal series against the Cochrane Generals.
Cubs goaltender Dawsen Savage stopped 25 shots and hit the post on a late empty-net chance before securing a 3-2 win – his second consecutive victory since returning from a hand injury to start Game 2.
“Savage got the chance and he got it down and hit the post. It was so close,” said Gaetan, whose Cubs return to the Kinplex for Game 3 tonight at 7:30 p.m. “We were solid. All four lines, defence and Savage. We kind of built off last game and brought it right off the opening puck-drop. We had lots of energy. We were finishing our checks. Everybody was playing our system perfectly. Everything just fell into place for us.”
Cooper Hilworth scored halfway through the first to put the Cubs in the early driver’s seat. Cochrane quickly responded with one from Brandon Aab and looked to take the tie into the second, only to have Mason Fischer steal back the lead with 12 seconds left in the first.
Generals netminder Erik Garber held his team in the contest with 23 saves through the first 40 minutes, but Chandler Aleman managed to sneak another one past him with four minutes left on the clock to give the Cubs the insurance they needed to skate away with the victory.
“I think we threw about 45 shots at him tonight. He’s a solid goaltender,” Gaetan said of Garber, who finished with 39 saves. “We have to put that many shots up to get a couple by him, so we’re just going to keep throwing pucks at him and driving the net.”
Taylor Girard managed to answer Aleman’s marker shortly after Savage hit the post, but with just 0.4 seconds left in regulation it was too late to complete the comeback.
“It was a big one,” said Gaetan. “We knew we had to win one at some point in Cochrane and I think it’s been quite a while actually since the Cubs have come into Cochrane and won a game. To be able to win it early here, it definitely gave the guys lots of confidence.”
10
-9
