Medicine Hat Cubs win silver at Alberta Provincials

“The tournament was absolutely awesome,” he added.

“It is a lot, five games and five nights as a final. But, just didn’t have the legs today.”

The game was closer than the score would tell.

“The boys battled hard. We didn’t have the bounces that we needed. There were some opportunities there that we just couldn’t strike, and they had a great game,” Derzaph said.

The first period didn’t see a goal scored until 6:41 remained on the clock.

That would set off an offensive burst from the northern Alberta team from La Crete, as they scored three in just under four minutes.

This would be the end of the night for Cubs goaltender Marlo DeRosa, who was pulled for Kayne Wright with 2:51 left in the first period.

Captain Kyle Woolridge would get the Cubs on the board just 21 seconds later on a goal assisted by Ethan Burgeson and Hayden King.

The Cubs got within one before the end of the first, again on a Woolridge goal. This time, the power play was assisted by fellow 21-year-old players Burgeson and Austin Derzaph.

A 3-2 score that would be as close as the Cubs would get in the game, as the Lumber Barons would score two in the second, and two in the third to finish off the game.

The Cubs had several scoring opportunities with breakaways and shots around the net on Lumber Barons goaltender Ethan Fechter, but couldn’t get a bounce or solve him again. He would stop 30 of 32 shots for the win.

Cubs goaltenders would combine to stop 33 of 40 in the contest.

“We’re the HJHL champs. Nobody can take that away from us. We came here, and ultimately we’re the second best in Alberta, and I’m proud of the boys for that,” Derzaph said.

“Do we want to be the best? Absolutely. Do I believe that we have the best in there? 100 per cent I do. Just didn’t get some bounces today and tough luck.”

This was the final junior game for 21-year-old players Woolridge, Burgeson, Derzaph, and Kenyan Cairns.

All four finish their career as HJHL Champions and Provincial Silver medalists.

The head coach said he talked to his players after the game.

“That group in the room has done something special. That’s something that I don’t believe anybody else has done as a Cub in the past. Not just winning the HJHL, but again, coming back and coming to gold,” Derzaph said.

“You know, it’s hard on the guys, it’s hard on myself right now. Not to walk away with a gold, but at the end of the day, this silver medal is a big accomplishment for the club,” he added.

“It’s something for those guys; they’ve got friends for life in there. With a silver medal, they’ve got stories that will go on forever.”

The head coach said the process started right at training camp.

“I remember having a meeting with the guys early, early on. In fact, I think it even started at camp. Once I started releasing some guys and we got to our core group, I told them, I believe, that we’ve got a championship team,” Derzaph said.

“I’m sure some of them have been here for a few years and maybe didn’t believe in me at that point. I was a new coach. But, as the season went on, right, we went on that run,” he added.

“Even here, we got the double digits again. And so, we did it. We absolutely did it. However, we didn’t quite finish the way we wanted to in the finals.”

Cubs general manager Randy Wong hopes to see a strong group back next season.

“Yeah, we hope that as many guys return and are hungry to come back and do this over again,” Wong said.

“That’s what building a program is all about. We went through a COVID transition here, and we had to build a team and kind of start from scratch,” he added.

“We felt that we brought in good leadership every year. We got better and better with that. I think the number of wins that we get each year, how we play, the culture that we’ve got in the dressing room, all that just kind of builds for a successful program. So success doesn’t always come in a gold medal. We look at what we’ve done in the room and the organization. I think we’ve been on the right track, and I think this is just proof of that.”

Wong said the support from the fan base was huge.

“Yeah, it kind of gives a guy goosebumps knowing that we’ve got fans there that just really love the program. I’ve had texts from alumni today before the game, wishing us luck, and guys are pulling for us,” Wong said on Sunday.

“That’s great, actually. So that’s gut-wrenching. I’m proud of what we’ve done.”

The fan support is something the coach also noticed and appreciated.

“Oh, it’s huge. You guys have no idea what the boys in the room are saying. You can hear them talking about, you see so-and-so and so-and-so, and you hear that and whatever. The fan support for Medicine Hat, the entire city has been huge for our club,” Derzaph said.

“I thank every single one of them for all the support. It’s not just that, the Medicine Hat Tigers are reaching out to me too, supporting. That’s huge. These guys see it and hear it, and it’s just huge,” he added.

“The fan support is, I don’t know what to say, but it’s amazing.”

Medicine Hat Cubs win silver at Alberta Provincials

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