NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat product Kyle Woolridge celebrats his empty net goal in the Medicine Hat Cubs 6-4 win over the Cochrane Generals Friday night at the Kinplex in Game 5 of their semifinals series.
The Medicine Hat Cubs are one win away from the HJHL’s quarter-finals after their victory Friday.
The Cubs held on to beat the Cochrane Generals 6-5 at the Kinplex to take a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is set for Saturday at 7:30 in Cochrane.
Cubs head coach Randy Wong says it wasn’t their prettiest win but is looking for the same result on Saturday.
“We had things in control and did we let up a little bit, probably,” Wong said. “The discussion after the second was to just make sure we shut the door down and don’t give them any easy ones, make them earn it. So we accomplished what we needed to get. Bottom line, we won Game 5, so now we get a chance to close out the series tomorrow. That was the mission and its mission accomplished.”
The Cubs opened the scoring with the only goal of the period as Kyle Woolridge found the back of the net 2:01 into the period, Connor Miller had the lone assist. They continued the offence into the second period as they put up four goals on the Generals to lead 5-3 after 40 minutes.
Jacob Mline scored his first of the post season with a power play marker 1:20 into the frame. Cooper Hilworth and Connor Douglas had the assists. After the Generals Brendon Thubron scored 2:38 later, Josh Drefs scored his first with Hilworth notching another assist.
The 21-year-old Hilworth found the back of the net himself, potting a power play goal just before the halfway point of the period. Woolridge and Jackson Bowal had the assists. The Cubs fourth goal of the period came off the stick of Levi Schlosser, finding the twine on a power play. Woolridge notched his second assist on the night with Colby Friedrich registering the other assist.
The Generals had two goals two end the second period as Caden Stephenson and Diago Coelho each scored to bring them within two of the Cubs.
Cochrane made the game interesting 12:54 into the third period as Coelho scored his second of the game as they cut the Cubs lead to 5-4.
With his ninth goal of the series and fourth point on the night, Woolridge scored on an empty net to give the Cubs their final 6-4 lead with 1:15 left in the game.
Kellen Bojic was between the pipes for the Cubs, making 18 saves for the win. Medicine Hat outshot the Generals 40-22.
As the series shifts to Cochrane on Saturday and the Cubs look to avoid returning to the Kinplex for a Game 7 on Sunday, Wong’s message was clear, they need to get it done.
“Win number is always tough, everybody knows that,” Wong said. “You just have to do the little things right. You have to make sure you’re prepared to play and that’s going to be a greasy game. You don’t care how you win those ones. You just get it done so you don’t have to come back for a Game 7.”
