NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Cubs defenceman Blake Girard blasts a power play goal from the point in the first period of the Cubs' 7-4, HJHL Finals Game 2 win Sunday at the Kinplex over the Red Deer Vipers.
Medicine Hat News
The Medicine Hat Cubs have put themselves in the drivers seat of the HJHL Finals.
The Cubs beat the Red Deer Vipers 7-4 Sunday at the Kinplex to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Sunday’s win, coming less than 24 hours after Medicine Hat won 6-2 in Red Deer, puts the Cubs one win away from the franchise’s first HJHL title.
“It was a team fought effort, it’s big, it’s huge for us,” head coach Trent Derzaph said. “We took their home ice advantage away last night, came back (with) some tired legs, some tired bodies and we took it to them again.
“I just said to the guys, let’s just enjoy the win tonight and let’s dial it in this week and be ready. One shift, one period, one game, that’s all it takes.”
The Vipers appeared to get on the board in the first minute of the contest for a second straight night.
On a rush into the Cubs end, a Vipers skater was tripped up, getting a shot off on the delayed penalty that found the back of the net. After an officials discussion, the goal was called back and Red Deer headed to a power play.
It was the Cubs who made good on that man advantage.
Jesse Klimosko scored less than minute into the penalty kill for his fifth goal of the playoffs and the 1-0 Medicine Hat lead. Derzaph says they grabbed the momentum from the quick shift in lead.
“I told the guys we needed a quick start and that first shift there where they got the goal called back, that wasn’t the start that we wanted,” Derzaph said. “But we killed off that penalty and scored one.”
The Cubs rattled off a pair to lead 3-0 over halfway through the first.
Josiah Jackson scored 2:16 after Klimosko, Makhi Carriere picking up the lone assist on his fourth of the playoffs. Just 1:35 past the halfway mark, Blake Girard scored with a shot from the point on a power play for the Cubs three-goal lead. Nolen Sutherland had the lone assist on Girard’s second of the postseason.
The Vipers got on the board a little over two minutes later, capitalizing on a power play. Tyler Gladney scored his first of the playoffs, to make it a 3-1 Medicine Hat lead after 20 minutes.
Medicine Hat opened the second period with a pair of goals for a 5-1 lead.
Sutherland scored 4:01 into the frame, Carriere and Jacob Hazzard recording the assists on his third of the playoffs. Keynan Cairns scored his second of the playoffs, captain Kyle Woolridge getting the lone assist.
Red Deer responded 1:03 after Cairns scored as Mason Hammerback found the back of the net for his second of the playoffs, making it a 5-2 Cubs lead.
After a Vipers power play expired, the North Division champions struck to make it a two-goal game after 40 minutes. Red Deer’s Dylan Rude got the last touch on a shot from Griffin Slywka to score his first of the playoffs.
Red Deer had five power plays in the second period, finishing with 12 in the game, the Cubs had five man advantages. Derzaph says their discipline has to be a focus heading into Game 3.
The Vipers scored first in the third period, making it a one-goal game. Hammerback scored his second of the night, finding the back of the net at 12:09 to make it a 5-4 score.
Medicine Hat answered back with a pair of goals for a 6-4 lead. Hayden King scored his second of the post season and Hazzard scored seconds after the Vipers pulled the goalie for an extra attacker.
Cubs goaltender Marlo DeRosa made 32 saves for his seventh win of the playoffs. Across the ice from him, Meyer Gaume made 24 saves.
The Cubs will head to Red Deer on March 21 for Game 3 of the series, looking to capture the team’s first championship since they won an IJHL title in 2001, the year before they joined the HJHL. The Cubs will savour the Game 2 win, Derzaph says, before they get ready for the hardest victory to get.
“We’re just going to have to play a well-rounded, all-around game,” Derzaph said. “Our forechecks (have) been good, our back checks been great, our goaltending has been awesome and our defence are awesome. We’ve got guys from all four lines that are scoring. So we just have to take it one shift at a time up there, just enjoy it and outwork them.
“It’s going to be the hardest game of the year hands down, because they’ll be playing for their lives and so will we.”
