The Medicine Hat Tigers move on to the HJHL South Finals after playing the Carstar Okotoks Bisons three times over the weekend. (Image Credit: Jesse Gill/CHAT News)

By Jesse Gill

Sports

Medicine Hat Cubs move on to HJHL South Finals after defeating Okotoks Bisons

Feb 23, 2026 | 10:09 AM

The Medicine Hat Cubs defeated a Carstar Okotoks Bisons team on Sunday that had knocked them out of the playoffs on multiple occasions in prior seasons.

An 8-5 game five win on Sunday at the Kinplex sealed the series win for the Cubs, who will now face the Cannex Cochrane Generals in the HJHL’s South Finals.

Early in the contest, the Cubs put a puck past Bisons goaltender Derrick Ford for the first time in 93 minutes and 52 seconds.

Cubs forward Carson Kraft took a shot from the side of the net that snuck by Ford and gave Kraft his first of the playoffs.

The Bisons would tie things up at one late in the first, which is where things sat heading into the second.

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Cubs captain Kyle Woolridge would strike early in the second to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead, before the Bisons would respond midway through the period on the powerplay with the eighth goal of the playoffs from forward Seamus Garagan to tie it at two.

Woolridge would strike again on the power play a few minutes later to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead they would continue to build on.

A goal from defenceman Austin Derzaph, followed by a power play marker from forward Jacob Hazzard, and a goal from forward Randen Collier gave the Cubs a 6-2 lead heading into the third period.

An early power play goal from Cubs forward Makhi Carriere would make it 7-2, chasing Ford from the Bisons’ net and giving Carson Jerome his first playoff action.

The Bisons would respond less than a minute later to narrow the deficit to 7-3.

A few minutes later, Cubs forward Jesse Klimosko was stopped on a shorthanded breakaway, falling behind the net, where a Bisons player delivered a hit while Klimosko was still down.

The officials didn’t call an infraction, and Klimosko was helped off the ice at the next whistle.

The game would turn rough shortly after, at the 7:45 mark, when multiple Cubs and Bisons players would tangle in the neutral zone after the Bisons captain Hunter Cobb had gone down.

Bisons defenceman Jonah Thomas and the Cubs’ Carriere were both given five minutes each for fighting and a game misconduct.

Bisons forward Brandon Jarman was ejected for being the third man in.

Cubs defenceman Hayden King and Bisons forward Zephyr Laplante were both given five minutes for fighting, a game misconduct, and an additional game misconduct each for being the second fight out of the scrum.

King is set to miss the Cubs’ next game and was given an additional two minutes for being the aggressor in the fight.

Cubs captain Woolridge was also penalized two minutes for roughing.

The Bison would waste no time on the five-on-three power play, scoring seven seconds into it to close the gap to 7-4.

A goal from Cobb with just over four minutes remaining put the score at 7-5.

Woolridge would cap off the victory with his hat-trick goal to make it 8-5 Cubs with a minute and 36 seconds left on the clock.

The schedule for the South Finals is expected to be released in the coming days.

The North Finals will be between the Red Deer Vipers and the Sylvan Lake Wranglers.