Cubs gearing up for pressure filled second half

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com
@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Cubs have put themselves in a position to have a good second half of their HJHL season.

The Cubs entered their holiday break tied for second place in the South division with a record of 17-4-3. They’re tied with the Coaldale Copperheads with 37 points, with Coaldale having played one more game than them.

That second-place spot, if the season ended today, would give them the bye of the first round of the playoffs they’ve enjoyed the last two seasons.

The importance of holding onto that spot and making a push for first place occupied by the Okotoks Bisons was head coach and general manager Randy Wong’s parting message to his team.

“The second half is sort of a frenzy of South versus South and you’ve got to be on your A game every game,” Wong said. “If you don’t, because the standings are so tight, you could go from second place to fourth or fifth place in one or two weekends. So the importance of making sure that yes, enjoy the Christmas break but let’s come back ready to go and make sure we’re ready to play against the South teams.”

The Cubs have 14 games left on their schedule before the playoffs get underway in late February and all 14 are against division rivals. That slate includes three more matchups against Okotoks, a team the Cubs have been tied to the last two seasons after the Bisons have consistently finished first in the South and have knocked Medicine Hat from the playoffs both seasons.

Wong says in previous years they’ve been too focused on beating certain teams whereas this year, he says there is a group focus on their own game.

“We know whoever we play against, as long as we’re playing our game we have a good chance to have success,” Wong said. “So that’s probably going to change where we’re not trying to beat the team specifically, we’re just trying to be better ourselves.”

The Cubs have had a balanced offence this season, sitting third in goals for (119) and having allowed the fourth fewest (67). Six different players have hit the 20-point mark, with forward Kyle Woolridge leading the way with 22 goals and 31 points.

Goaltender Tyler Wakelam has taken the reins in net, picking up six wins in 11 games with two shutouts, leading the league with a .935 save percentage and sitting in third with a 1.72 goals against average.

Wong credited both players as standouts so far and says their work ethics, as well as captain Callan Prosofsky’s, are what he wants his team to mimic for the rest of the season.

“Guys are trying to do that when they see different guys out there, so it’s been a good blend of hard work, some good skill and some good determination – to have the ones who have success,” Wong said.

Throughout the season, Wong has recognized the Cubs’ bond as a group and their desire to play for one another instead of looking for individual success. It’s a trend he hasn’t seen in past seasons and is one that he says needs to continue and get stronger if they want that postseason success they’ve been chasing.

“Wanting to play and compete for your teammate is the biggest factor that can put you over the top, we build teams who really want to play for the guy beside them,” Wong said. “Those are the teams I’ve been part of in the past who have had good success. That’s what hat you hope for, they just continue to buy into all of the systems we’ve implemented this year and the work ethic is there because you just want to continue to make sure that all falls into place and you keep it going.”

Another trend he hopes to see continue is the number of Cubs fans in attendance for their home games and the buzz that carries through the crowd throughout games. He says it’s something they’ve fed off so far this season and he is looking forward to it sustaining and hopefully growing as they get closer to the playoffs.

“We’re putting on a good brand of hockey that is entertaining and I think people are starting to see it,” Wong said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to work with minor hockey, work with different non-profit groups and we’ve been really busy and guys have been busy out marketing themselves. It’s been a lot of hard work from our board and from our players and we’re getting rewarded for it by seeing the attendance that we’ve got.”