What started out as a night of uncertainty ended in victory, as Cochrane Generals out-powered Coaldale Copperheads in a battle of two top dogs in Heritage Junior Hockey League’s (HJHL) Southern Division on Nov. 7.
Gens’ offensive lines were at their best as Patrick Dove (one goal, one assist), Brett Hamer, Chad Harrison (four goals, two assists), Corey Goeson (four goals), Talus Hume (one goal, three assists), and Colton Wong, were the goal scorers for the home team.
Slater Ransom (three), Tyler Kinnon (two), Austin Keller (two), Brett Berndt, Noah Bigland, and Dustin Ponath, all contributed helpers.
“It was something else,” Evan McFeeters, Generals head coach said after the game.
“That wasn’t your typical junior hockey league game at this level. You could talk about this result for hours; how and why it happened, but at the end of the day, it’s two points.”
At times, the clash seemed more like a pond hockey game than a HJHL one, with each team having a, “you score one, we’ll score three” mentality.
How does McFeeters feel about his team pulling out all stops instead of sticking to structure?
“I’m sure as fans it was very entertaining to watch, but it’s frustrating as a coach,” he said.
“I would rather win 2-1 and play with the structure we work on in practice.”
Scoring 12 goals against last season’s league champions has sent a message to the rest of the league that Gens are one of the best around and on their day can unleash a barrage upon opposing teams.
“The players understand what it takes now,” McFeeters said. “They’ve proven that they can match up against anyone. Our main guys like Keller, Goeson, Harrison, Rendell, Hume, and Ransom know that if we want to keep being successful deep into the season they have to continue doing the business.
“We’ve got a lot of firepower and have proven we’re the best team in the league.”
Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., Spray Lakes Family Sports Centre: Okotoks Bisons (9-3, 2nd Southern Div.) at Gens (10-2-1, 1st Southern Div.).
Saturday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m., Stettler Recreation Centre: Gens at Stettler Lightning (3-9-1, 7th, Northern Div.).
Gens forwards Corey Goeson (four goals) and Chad Harrison (four goals, two assists) were on fire over the weekend as Gens’ offensive lines crushed Copperheads
McKenzie Chalmers played backup goalie in the win against Copperheads. In 8:14 minutes of playing time, he faced five shots on goal, conceding two in a rare night off his game.
The game against Bison is the last of Gens’ home stand. They have gone four-for-four so far. Can they claim ten out of a possible ten points?
Including playoffs, Gens were 3-6 against Bisons last season (1-1 this year), and 2-0 against Lightning last year (have not played yet this season).
