By Scott Roblin

Cubs drop third straight to Generals, wrap up regular season Sunday

Feb 10, 2019 | 1:53 PM

COCHRANE, AB – It will all come down to the final day of the regular season to determine whether or not the Medicine Hat Travelodge Cubs will get home ice for HJHL playoffs.

Medicine Hat was handed a 4-2 loss to the Cochrane Generals on Saturday night, suffering their third consecutive loss in the process.

Cochrane opened the scoring with two goals in a 45 second span midway through the first period, with Takuro Okada and Brandon Aab putting the Generals up early 2-0.

Logan Robertson was able to erase the zero on the scoreboard for Medicine Hat just a few minutes later however, beating Cochrane’s Robert Michetti for his fifth goal of the season.

Medicine Hat knotted the score up at 2-2 a little over two minutes into the second frame, getting an early period marker from Teagan Berko.

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Tensions then boiled over 4:35 into the period, with Medicine Hat’s Grant Forbes and Cochrane’s Ben Davison dropping the mitts for a spirited tilt.

Cochrane restored their lead with 7:39 remaining in the second thanks to a goal from Chris Sambrook, before Scott Shugg put one past Cubs netminder Brett Vanderveer late in the period.

Medicine Hat outshot Cochrane 10-9 over the final 20 minutes of play, but Michetti was able to shut the door for the Generals to preserve the 4-2 victory.

Berko and Robertson both had a goal and an assist in the loss, while Vanderveer made 38 saves between the pipes for Medicine Hat.

Now holding a 17-17-3 on the season, the Cubs sit two points back of the Strathmore Wheatland Kings for fourth place in the Southern Division and home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs.

The Cubs will wrap up the regular season on Sunday afternoon at 2:45 pm against the Generals at the Kinplex.

With a win on Sunday, the Cubs would clinch home ice advantage against Strathmore due to the goal differential tie-breaker.