Hounds outlast Blackhawks at home to increase divisional lead

“It wasn’t a great start for us, we got down 2-0,” said Hounds captain Caleb Irvine. “But, we just reset and were able to find a way to keep going, even in the third they didn’t get much. We just kept pounding, the chances came and we buried.”

Cameron Hall recorded a pair of goals in the victory, while Cole Rath and Kyden Moore also chipped in despite trailing early.

Head coach Randy Wong said his team was able to lock the Blackhawks down over the final 20 minutes to earn two crucial points at home.

“It’s like playoff hockey,” said Wong. “If you’re close in a game and it’s getting into the third, do you have enough in the tank to get that next goal and not give up one? I think our guys are learning that as we go, so it’s a good process we’re going through right now.”

Brendan Olson earned the victory between the pipes for Medicine Hat with 23 saves on 25 shots, improving his record to 10-2-1 on the year.

He and Nate Hoffman, who himself has a sparkling 9-1-3 record, have been big reasons why the Hounds sit atop the SCAHL’s South Conference.

“They’ve only got one or two losses each,” said Wong. “So, they’re keeping us in the games when maybe we’re not playing at our highest potential. They allow us to get into the groove and get a goal.”

Since December 7, the Hounds have been virtually unbeatable with a record of 11-1-2 in their last 14 games and are undefeated in their last eight.

Expectations were tampered at the beginning of the season with most of their 2018-19 provincial-winning roster graduating, but Wong said he’s been pleasantly surprised by his club’s recent dominance.

“I might say that we’ve overachieved a bit,” he said. “We weren’t sure that we were going to get this many results this year, obviously pleasantly surprised by it. So, we’re looking towards that playoff tournament in March.”

The Hounds have already earned their berth at the playoff tournament as they will serve as the host team, while just eight games remain in the regular season.

Even for players like Irvine who took home a provincial banner last season, the desire is still there to do it once again.

“Some of us it’s our last year of minor hockey,” said Irvine. “We want to go out with a bang and get another banner.”

Medicine Hat travels to Taber on Friday night to battle the Golden Suns before returning home to the Kinplex next Sunday to host the Airdrie Lightning at 1:00 pm.

by Scott Roblin

Hounds outlast Blackhawks at home to increase divisional lead

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