Cubs open HJHL Finals with 6-2 win Saturday in Red Deer

By James Tubb on March 14, 2026.

Medicine Hat News

The Medicine Hat Cubs draw first blood in the HJHL Finals.

The Cubs, starting on the road for the first time this postseason, beat the Red Deer Vipers 6-2 Saturday night for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five league finals. It’s the first appearance in the HJHL finals for the Cubs who joined the league in the 2001-02 season after winning an IJHL championship in 2001.

Red Deer, the HJHL regular season champion, opened the scoring a little over halfway into the first period. Mason Hammerback scored on a power play for the 1-0 Vipers lead.

The Cubs responded with a pair in the opening frame to lead 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Ethan Burgeson scored his third of the postseason, finding the back of the net a little over two minutes after Red Deer opened the scoring. With 1:45 left in the frame, captain Kyle Woolridge scored his 11th of the postseason. Nolen Sutherland and Jacob Hazzard had the assists.

The Cubs grabbed a two-goal lead over halfway through the second with Randen Collier’s second of the playoffs. Jesse Klimosko and Austin Derzaph had the assists.

Red Deer drew within one with 3:32 left in the second period, Evan Lemke scoring his fifth of the playoffs.

The third period was all Cubs who scored three times for the 6-2 win. Josiah Jackson scored on a power play 2:02 into the frame, Derzaph and Mason Osinski had the assists on his third of the playoffs.

Blake Girard scored on an empty Red Deer net with 2:02 left in the game and Keynan Cairns scored with 15 seconds left in the game, both recording their first playoff goals. Hazzard had the lone assist on Cairns’ goal.

Marlo DeRosa made 35 saves in net for the Cubs who outshot Red Deer 41-37.

The Cubs (1-0) host Red Deer on Sunday for Game 2 at the Kinplex, puck drop at 4:30 p.m.