The Cochrane Generals are trying to reload after losing a pair of games in Heritage Junior Hockey League play.
The Generals took a 5-3 loss to Three Hills Thrashers in Trochu on Oct. 11 a night after dropping a 4-1 decision to visiting Blackfalds Wranglers at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
While not hitting the panic button, Generals head coach Evan McFeeters is trying to regroup ahead of an Oct. 17 roadie in Mountainview and a big Oct. 18 home tilt against rival Okotoks Bisons.
While this season’s defence-first strategy has netted some results, inconsistency and a lack of firepower up front is starting to show. The Gens have been limited to three or fewer goals in their last two games.
“We’re addressing our consistency. It’s still something we’re lacking,” McFeeters assessed.
“We play a great first period, everything is going well for us, and yet we take the second period off or maybe three or four minutes and a goal or two slips behind our goalie and all of a sudden the momentum of the game changes and we’re playing catch-up instead of dictating the pace of play. With our team we have to dictate the pace of play to be successful.”
Craig Packard, Slater Ransom and Chris Hugo scored for Cochrane against the Thrashers in Trochu.
Mack Chalmers kicked out 27 shots in Gens goal. Against Blackfalds, Hugo scored the lone Cochrane goal with netminder Garrett Iverson turning aside 48 shots. Provincial-champion Thrashers are the top HJHL team right now.
“There’s a reason why they were provincial champions last year,” McFeeters observed. “They definitely showed it on Friday night here at home. At times it was men against boys out there. But it was a wakeup call for our hockey team. That’s where we want to be. Now we know the level of play it takes to be a provincial champions.”
