The dream has become a reality.
The Cochrane Generals finished their regular-season campaign in first-place overall in the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL), with a franchise record of 62 points. Gens went into their first weekend home game against Coaldale Copperheads (26-10-2, 3rd Southern Division) on Feb. 5, knowing that only a point was needed to secure their first-place finish, and they did not disappoint as the put in one of their best performances of the season.
The home team didn’t get off to the most ideal start, as they went a goal down (thanks to Copperheads’ Brady Parenteau) in under five minutes, before they even had a shot on target.
That did nothing but motivate Gens, as they banged in three unanswered power-play goals from Slater Ransom (his 25th and 26th) and Connor Rendell to give the home team a 3-1 lead going into the second period.
Ransom, Austin Keller (two), Kurt Thrussell, and Logan Brown all had helpers.
The second period continued the Gens onslaught as they embarrassed Copperheads by scoring four unanswered from Colton Wong (Patrick Dove assisting), Corey Goeson on the power play (Keller and George King getting helpers), Brett Hamer (Wong and Dustin Boone getting assists), and Rendell (grabbing his second of the game). Goeson and Keller (his fourth of the game) nabbing helpers.
Copperheads grabbed a consolation goal through the power play in the third period though Connor Gross, but in the biggest game of their season, Gens ran out 7-2 winners.
“It feels good to go into the first round of the playoffs knowing that we have a bye now,” Gens head coach Evan McFeeters said.
“As a staff, we did not envision having the game that we did, but we always prepare and hope that’s the outcome
“We went into that game looking at it like another three period war with one of our biggest rivals, just like the week before. We had a playoff mentality and played a playoff style game against them. There’s the chance we might be facing them in the second or third round of the playoffs, so we wanted to play a simple hard-nosed hockey game. Our team managed to draw a lot of penalties from there early because of our speed and transition. Then, our power-play took over. After we scored four, we had the momentum for the full 60 minutes.”
For some teams, playing a game the day after one where you clinched first place would be a nothing game, but for Gens, there was added incentive to crush Strathmore Wheatland Kings (13-23-2, 5th Southern Division) on Feb. 6.
“Friday night, we got a phone call saying that we were only a point away from tying the franchise record, so that gave our team a lot to play for in both games,” McFeeters said.
Gens took the lead through yet another power-play goal from Ransom (Rendell and Keller assisting) with just under two minutes on the clock.
Goeson added to Gens’ lead on the power play (Ransom, Keller grabbing helpers) a couple minutes later to make it 2-0 with less than five minutes played in the first.
Kings grabbed one back on the power play through Kristian Ayoungman, before Goeson grabbed his second of the game – 29th of the season – King and Talus Hume assisting to make it 3-1 going into the second period.
Hamer and Hume (on the power play) made the score 5-1 for Gens (Ransom, Goeson, and Brown nabbing helpers), before Kings pulled two back through Zachary Meadows and Brennan Fuoco.
Gens grabbed two more power-play goals from Ransom (Dustin Ponath and Rendell with assists) and Rendell to make it 7-3 for the home side going into the final period of play.
Kings added a fourth through Lucas Jones in the third period, but Gens knowing that a win was all but certain took the foot off the gas as the game ended 7-4 in their favour.
“Having that extra incentive of potentially setting a franchise record with a hockey club that has been around for 30-plus years was huge for us,” McFeeters said. “We knew going into the game that we had our position solidified in the standings. As a staff, we always preach to our players to play the right way with proper details heading into the playoffs.
“It was a proud moment for our players, they did a great job in the last game.”
Did McFeeters envision his team’s regular season would go so well as it has at the start of the season?
“Looking back at training camp in September, we knew we had a solid group of players returning, and that we wanted to surround those players with a lot of talent,” he said.
“I think we did a good job coming out of training camp and we set some goals for ourselves as a club. The first goal was to secure a first-round playoff bye, and the other was to win our division. Once we got around Christmas time, we readjusted those goals when we saw that not only could we win our division, we could finish first overall in the entire league. That means home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.”
Gens offensive power hitters have all been on fire this season.
None more so than Ransom who finished the regular season as the Gens’ top scorer (26 goals, 34 assists, 60 points), and was last week’s HJHL player of the week as he picked up eight points in four games.
“Slater is not just in my opinion, but in a lot of coaches around the league opinion, one of the best players in the HJHL,” McFeeters said.
“He’s a big player that skates well, sees the ice, and is hungry to score goals and help his teammates out.
“He makes everyone on the ice better, and this weekend he took control of this hockey club and did a great job of leading our team when we needed it most.”
Gens’ first playoff game is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. on Feb. 16 at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
They will be playing the lowest-seated team from the first round of the playoffs which will either be the winner of the Kings – Banff Academy Bears series, or High River Flyers if they beat Copperheads in their respective series.
