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Cubs playoff run ends in Game 7 overtime thriller in Coaldale

Mar 3, 2019 | 2:22 PM

 

COALDALE, AB – Against all odds the Medicine Hat Travelodge Cubs took the top team in the South Division to Game 7 overtime on Saturday, but their magic ran out 1:27 into the extra frame.

The Cubs came back from a 3-1 deficit on the road in a do-or-die Game 7 against the Coaldale Copperheads, however it was Jayden Bexte closing the final chapter on Medicine Hat’s 2018-19 campaign.

Bexte’s game-winner also wrapped up a wild seven game series between the Cubs and Copperheads that required three overtimes and saw Medicine Hat push the 29-7-2 Coaldale squad to the brink.

Captain Quinten Karg said it was a heartbreaking conclusion to their year, but added they put up quite the fight.

“Definitely a tough pill to swallow, but I mean we fought back every single game, we never gave up,” said Karg. “I’m nothing but proud about the boys and the way we played.”

Staving off elimination in both Games 5 and 6, the Cubs were looking to steal a second consecutive game in Coaldale on Saturday night.

It was Copperheads forward Brandyn Howg opening the scoring in Game 7 however, putting his first of the post-season past Brett Vanderveer two minutes into the first period.

Grant Forbes answered back for Medicine Hat six minutes later to tie up the game at 1-1, but that was short-lived with a power play marker from Coaldale’s Jared Bainbridge following suit.

Ending the first period with a flurry of shots, Coaldale grew their lead to 3-1 before the first intermission with a goal from Jayden Smith to keep momentum fully on their side.

Controversy erupted midway through the second period with what the Cubs believed to be a pair of potential goals being waved off, something Karg said post-game still stings.

“We were quite confident that we were going to win this game,” he said. “Missed call at the end, I’ll always believe that but nothing you can do about it now.”

Medicine Hat was able to pull themselves to within a goal of the Copperheads with just five seconds left in the period though, as Cooper Hilworth let a shot rip from the left side of the slot.

Facing elimination, the Cubs turned on their offence even more in the third period with 16 shots including a tap in from Chandler Aleman with 6:38 left in regulation to tie things up at 3-3.

Just over a minute into overtime though, Bexte picked up the puck at the left circle and ripped a wrist shot blocker side on Vanderveer to send the Cubs packing.

Comforted in the Medicine Hat crease, Vanderveer said his teammates came to his side following one of the toughest moments of his career.

“Just keep your head up, it’s a good shot, nothing I could do,” said Vanderveer. “Yeah, it was tough.”

The overtime loss caps off a magical few weeks for the Cubs, who won their first playoff series in six years over the Strathmore Wheatland Kings and finished playoffs with a 5-2-2 record.

Head coach J.D. Gaetan said not too many people gave the Cubs a shot against the top-ranked Copperheads team and added they proved a lot of people wrong.

“We were probably expected to go out 4-0 in this series,” said Gaetan. “I’m sure a lot of people thought that, we didn’t think that of course. We knew it was going to be a series and the guys gave it everything they had.”

It was also the final game in a Medicine Hat uniform for Karg, who is the lone graduate from this year’s Cubs roster.

Karg finishes his three-year HJHL career with 13 goals and 48 points in 102 regular season games, while also dressing for 14 post-season contests.

Gaetan said the team is losing one of their most relied upon voices in the dressing room and a great mentor for the team’s young roster.

“He’s one of the best captains I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching, his are going to be big shoes to fill next year,” he said.

While the series might not have ended the way he wanted, Karg said the last few weeks have been some of the best hockey he’s played in his life.

“It might be the best memories of my hockey career,” he said. “This is my last year and getting sent out on this, I’ll never forget this series and I don’t think anyone in that dressing room will.”

Medicine Hat finished the regular season with a 17-17-4 record, improving 12 points from the previous year and were one of just three teams still alive in the South Division on Saturday night.

“Putting on that jersey there was always a stigma,” said Karg. “We were in the bottom of the league a couple of years ago and we’ve come a long way, that’s a number one seeded team and we gave them all they could handle.”

Aside from Karg, the rest of the Cubs roster is eligible to return in the fall including assistant captains Tristan Stensrud, Mackenzie Fritzler and Tavin Stadnicki, leading scorers Aleman, Hilworth and Noah Irvine, and Vanderveer between the pipes.

The 19-year-old rookie said the Cubs grew a lot this season and are ready to elevate their game to contender status next season.

“We’re not a basement team anymore, we can compete and we’ll be back next year,” said Vanderveer.