The Cubs have drawn first blood in the Heritage Junior Hockey League South Final.
Medicine Hat erased a three-goal deficit with three goals over the final 22 minutes to force overtime with sniper Kyle Wooldridge completing the comeback as the Cubs edged the Carstar Okotoks Bisons 5-4 Friday night at the Murray Arena to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five set.
Woolridge, who led the HJHL with 49 goals in the regular season, scored the late equalizer on the powerplay with 3:38 left in regulation and added the winner with 3:44 left in the first overtime.
Okotoks carried the play for large portions of the series opener, outshooting the visitors 50-30.
Adam Kirkpatrick opened the scoring in the first period, McCallum Bakken added his third of the playoffs in the middle stanza with Ty Russell and Sam Callahan scoring 12 seconds apart to give the Bisons a 4-1 advantage.
Cubs captain Callen Prosofsky’s late second period goal trimmed the deficit to two entering the second intermission and helped key the third period rally.
Medicine Hat was 2-for-4 on the powerplay while Okotoks was shutout on its three opportunities on the man advantage.
Okotoks has gone to overtime in three of its six playoff games with Friday marking the herd’s first loss in the extra session in the post-season.
Game 2 of the series is Sunday, March 9 in Medicine Hat with Game 3 back in Okotoks on March 11 at 8 p.m.
Both the Cubs and Bisons won their second round series in four games over the Wheatland Kings and Generals, respectively, and had first round byes.
For more information, go to okotoksbisons.com.
Series schedule
Game 1: Cubs at Bisons. Medicine Hat wins 5-4 (OT)
Game 2: Bisons at Cubs. March 9, 3 p.m. Medicine Hat Kinplex
Game 3: Cubs at Bisons. March 11, 8 p.m. Murray Arena
Game 4: Bisons at Cubs. March 13, 8:30 p.m. Medicine Hat Kinplex
Game 5: TBD
