NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Zane Douglas looks for the hole to score on a penalty shot attempt in the firt period of the Cubs 9-2 win over Strathmore last Saturday. Douglas would end of scoring on the penalty shot.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It’s been a great start to the season for the Medicine Hat Cubs, despite having played only four games at home.
The Cubs are off to a 7-4-1 start and have only won two of their four contests at the Kinplex – including Saturday’s 9-2 drubbing of the Strathmore Wheatland Kings.
The early success is remotely tied to wins on the road which isn’t always the case, especially with teams as young as Medicine Hat’s. Only six of the 22 players listed on the Cubs roster are returning players from last year’s team.
Head coach and general manager Randy Wong says he doesn’t mind starting on the road early in the year, as it helps the team bond.
“It kind of gets the team bonded and those road trips have some value as far as the team makeup goes and the chemistry that just being on the road with the guys on the bus, it certainly does help,” Wong said. “We were fortunate that we were able to get some wins on an eight-game road trip and we’re quite happy with where we are sitting right now and the progress we are making.”
This season will be Wong’s first full year at the helm of the Cubs since he took over the head coach and GM position in August 2020. He says his young team has gained confidence from the early wins and he credits his leadership group with creating a tight-knit team.
“Our guys didn’t know each other last year. Even though we were a team last year and played some games, we started over again really with a lot of the same guys from last year,” Wong said. “The biggest thing I see is the chemistry that we are developing in the room and how well the guys get along. I didn’t see that last year in whatever hockey we did have and I’m real happy with what our leaders have done in the room to make sure the guys feel like they are a part of the team. I think that’s the biggest thing that I can see that is very positive for us and that in itself will lead to some extra wins that you don’t get when your team’s not as tight as it should be.”
The leadership group of captain Levi Schlosser and assistants Cooper Hilworth, Colby Friedrich and Jacob Milne have been leading the team on and off the score sheet this season and that was reflected in Saturday’s win over Strathmore. All four picked up points in the win and Hilworth, a four year veteran with the Cubs, registered his 100th point with Medicine Hat in the HJHL thanks to two assists in Saturday’s win.
Wong said it was a huge honour for Hilworth to get his 100th point at home and it’s been nice that the leaders are showing the younger Cubs how to get it done on and off the ice
“Levi and Cooper are the two that we would hope would provide the leadership in the dressing room and the on ice as well and they’ve done that,” said Wong.
He says the team was disappointed with their outcome last Friday when they lost 3-1 in Airdrie, and that combined with a good atmosphere in the arena, led to the big win against Strathmore. Wong says netminder Dawsen Savage didn’t look sharp early in Saturday’s win, but he settled down, as did the team, and they ran away with the win. He said they’ve given Savage all of the tough games early in the season and he’s given them a chance every game.
With 24 more regular season contests ahead, Wong says he likes to wait until the end of November before figuring out the team’s identity.
“There’s a lot of learning to do early in the year and I think we are starting to see things like that,” Wong said. “Defensively we’re getting better, offensively there is starting to be some chemistry with a couple lines that we have. I think our production on the power play has been good, our penalty kill has been really solid all year. All the pieces are coming together nicely and we’ll continue to improve through November and that will really give us a real good indicator what the recipe will look like.”
The Cubs return to action Saturday when they host the High River Flyers at the Kinplex. Puck drops at 8 p.m.
