Medicine Hat Cubs head to HJHL finals after sweeping the Cochrane Generals

Medicine Hat Cubs celebrate and shake hands after series win.

Their opponent for the HJHL championship series will be the Red Deer Vipers, who won their series against the Sylvan Lake Wranglers on Thursday, 4-2, to finish the series in four games.

The Cubs’ offence was spread out in game three with five different players scoring. Nolen Sutherland and captain Kyle Woolridge both had a pair, with Jesse Klimosko, Josiah Jackson, and Carter Allan all finding the back of the net.

“I thought we played a pretty good 60 [minutes] overall. They were starting to run around a little bit on us, and the guys kept their heads up and kept their cool,” Cubs head coach Trent Derzaph said.

“We score three or four goals there in a couple of minutes. That really turned things around for us.”

The flurry of goals started at the 15:14 mark of the second period with the Cubs already up 3-1.

Playing 4-on-4 hockey with a player aside in the penalty box, the Cubs’ skill shone through with some more open ice.

Klimosko scored at 15:14, followed by Woolridge at 15:43, and Sutherland at 16:19, giving the Cubs three goals in a minute and five seconds.

“We’ve got lots of depth here. And that’s probably why we ended up where we did, swept them in three. That depth is huge,” Derzaph said.

Late in the third, Allan, an affiliate with the team, picked off a Generals’ pass and went in on a breakaway, firing it under the glove of Generals’ netminder Owen Hall-Chay to score on the power play. It was his first HJHL goal and put a final exclamation mark on a dominant Cubs win.

Cubs goaltender Marlo DeRosa, who accepted the HJHL Top Goaltender award before the game began, was solid between the pipes, turning aside 36 of 37 shots.

Woolridge, who accepted the trophy for the South Division title after the game, also accepted hardware before the game as the winner of the league’s Most Valuable Player and Top Goal Scorer.

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READ: Pair of Medicine Hat Cubs players win HJHL regular season awards (Feb. 26, 2026)

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Derzaph said he is looking forward to a finals series against the Vipers.

“We split the season with them. We know that we can get goals by them. So let’s have at her. Last time they were here, we put seven up on them,” Derzaph said.

“We’re pretty confident going in, but not cocky.”

Randy Wong is in his sixth year with the Cubs, coaching for the first five years before focusing solely on general manager duties this season.

“Our journey started to try and win a championship [six years ago]. I think we’ve always been close over those last five years; we’re top three or four in the league. Never got over that hump,” Wong said.

“Certainly, our nemesis was Okotoks each year for the most part. [We] slayed the dragon in our second round to get through them. I think that relaxed our guys. The guys that have been with me through the program, three, four years, Kyle Woolridge, Jacob Hazzard, [and] Keynan Cairns. Those guys have been through a lot with us, and it’s always been a struggle to get by those guys,” he added.

“Finally, we get over the hump, and now we’re in the league finals. We’re certainly excited about it and the opportunity that’s there for us. We match up well against Red Deer, and so I think I’m excited about our series.”

Derzaph, who came in to coach the Cubs during the off-season, reached the league finals in his first year.

“It’s huge for me. But ultimately, I’m proud of the guys. And they did the things I wanted them to do. And that’s what got us here,” Derzaph said.

“They’re just pumped. The 21-year-olds who have been here the whole time. They haven’t seen this, so a huge feat getting through Okotoks to start with, which they’ve never been able to do,” he added.

“Now getting through Cochrane and moving on. It’s first place, playing first place. So it’ll be good.”

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat Cubs head to HJHL finals after sweeping the Cochrane Generals

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