NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
A pack of Medicine Hat Cubs swarm captain Kyle Woolridge after he scored his second of three goals in an 8-5, Game 5 win Sunday at the Kinplex over the Okotoks Bisons. With the win, the Cubs take the second-round series 3-2 and advance to the South Finals.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
After years of seeing their playoff hopes stamped out by the Okotoks Bisons, the Medicine Hat Cubs have finally outlasted the herd.
The Cubs won 8-5 Sunday at the Kinplex to take Game 5 and win the second-round series over the Bisons 3-2. Medicine Hat had been eliminated by the Bisons in three of the past four years, seeing Okotoks capture three straight HJHL championships in the process.
It’s a series win that has been a long time coming, captain Kyle Woolridge says.
“My whole career, all four years here, every year you end up playing Okotoks and it’s always a battle,” Woolridge said. “It helped us, we had home ice, we got our fans – the best fans in the league – and it boosts your confidence. Go out there, you play on your own ice, you want to win and we got it done.”
The Cubs beat Okotoks 6-3 on Friday and had a chance to win the series Saturday night, losing 5-0 in Okotoks to set up the decisive Game 5 Sunday. Head coach Trent Derzaph described the victory as a team effort and a reset from the Game 4 loss.
“It was a big win, a team win and a big change from what we saw (Saturday) night,” Derzaph said. “They came out and we got better as the game went on.
“Our forecheck was a little stronger (Sunday) and we played defensively. Obviously in the second period we scored some goals.”
The Cubs and Bisons traded goals through the first 30 minutes, tied at 2-2, before Medicine Hat rattled off four in the second period en route to the win. Woolridge, held without a goal in the first two games, scored twice in Game 3 and tallied a hat trick in Game 5 to ice the series.
“Tonight we came out, we wanted to win a couple of other games but we left the foot off the gas, they scored on the chances and kind of buried us a little bit there,” Woolridge said. “But we came back, bounced back hard and we wanted it more today.”
Randen Collier and Jacob Hazzard both had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s win. Makhi Carriere, Austin Derzaph and Carson Kraft all scored, and Marlo DeRosa made 18 saves.
The Cubs have had a painful route through Okotoks in the playoffs. They lost to the Bisons in six games in 2021-22 and were swept in 2022-23. They lost in four games last season to the Bisons, who then lost to the Sylvan Lake Wranglers in the HJHL finals.
This series was Derzaph’s first behind the bench, taking over for general manager Randy Wong who stepped back from the coaching role ahead of this season. He was as happy for his predecessor as he was for himself.
“It’s huge, Randy is probably more excited than anybody,” Derzaph said. “We’re pretty pumped about that, they’re a great organization in Okotoks.”
The Cubs will face the Cochrane Generals in the South Division Finals, starting Friday night in Medicine Hat with a 7:30 p.m. Game 1. Medicine Hat earned home ice advantage after capturing a South division title for the first time since the 2001-02 season, their debut year in the HJHL.
Cochrane beat the Strathmore Wheatland Kings 3-1 in their second-round series. In the regular season, the Cubs were 2-2-1 against the Generals. They lost 5-4 at home on Sept. 26 and were shut out 3-0 on Nov. 1. They responded with a 5-1 win Nov. 7, lost in a 3-2 shootout Jan. 10 before winning 5-0 on Jan. 18.
Two of their losses came on home ice and they’ve won once in Cochrane. Derzaph expects a tight series with the divisional foes.
“We’ve done some damage to them in the past, but we have struggled with them, too,” Derzaph said. “We have to come out right, roll four lines and score some goals.”
Game 2 of the series is Sunday in Cochrane and Game 3 will be Mar. 5 at the Kinplex (8:30 p.m.). If needed, Game 4 would return to Cochrane on Mar. 7 and a decisive Game 5 would be Mar. 8 at the Kinplex (3 p.m.).
With a spot in the HJHL finals on the line, Woolridge says they’ll have to continue playing for one another.
“They’re a good team as well, they have a lot of guys who want to win, a lot of guys who are also playing in their last year as well,” Woolridge said. “So it’s going to come down to just wanting to win more. Doing what it takes to win and playing as a team.”
