As the Cochrane Generals head into the 2017 HJHL playoffs, they couldn’t be in a better position – they already secured a first round bye a couple of weeks ago, and on Saturday night, league leader Connor Rendell logged his 50th goal of the season during the team’s handy 7-1 victory over their rivals, the Okotoks Bisons.
The win gave the Gens a wide enough berth in the points race to secure first place in the league – and with those 63 points comes a reward of home ice advantage when the team hits the second round of the league championship next month.
Add to that, captain Logan Brown and forward Joey Stensland are expected to return to the ice after battling injury throughout the regular season.
All that is reason enough for a party – so starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, before the Generals’ final home game of the regular season, the team will throw open the back gate and celebrate at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
Air 106.1 FM will provide the music, while Save On Foods is providing the food. Current players and hockey alumni will flip burgers, pose for pictures and talk shop with fans who have supported them throughout their 2016 run.
Organizer Jacquie Thrussell said there’s also a few surprises planned that Generals’ fans will not want to miss.
“We want the whole community behind us,” she said.
The event leads up to the Gens’ last regular season game against the High River Flyers, which gets underway on Totem 1 at 7:30 p.m.
