It's been 13 years since the Cochrane Generals have worn the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) crown.
After a stellar regular season and a 10-3 win over the Rocky Rams in the first of a seven game semifinals playoff series last night, 13 may be the Gens lucky number.
"We all know the goal," said team captain Patrick Forde. "We're a pretty tight group and we want to go far for sure. Ever since I came in the league, I've just wanted to win the championship. I think we have a good shot this year."
To get there, the Gens need 10 more wins and while last night's score may tell a different story, Forde said it's not going to be an easy road ahead.
"Rocky is a tough team and in the first couple periods I was pretty anxious because that's what they did against Sylvan — they came back and bit them in overtime."
The Sylvan Lake Wranglers were upset by Rocky in a three-game quarter-finals series. The last two games went into double overtime and both of their wins came on the road.
The Rams were up by one at the beginning of the second period against the Gens but it wasn't long before Cochrane responded with back-to-back goals.
The team went on to solidify their lead with another unanswered five goals in the third period.
"I think we started to get under their skin a bit and wear them down psychologically," said one of the stars of the game Riley Hopper. "If we can do that every game that'd be perfect."
Despite a strong show in game one, the team has no intentions of letting their guard down.
"We're feeling good, but not that good just because it's only one game," said Andrew Guss, who was named first star in the match-up with one goal and three assists. "We gotta keep our head and move forward through the rest of the series."
All three players accredited much of their success throughout this season to a strong bond the team shares.
Forde was recently named MVP of the HJHL after finishing the regular season with 52 goals, and said he could not have accomplished the feat without the help of his teammates.
"It's an honour," he said. "There's a lot of good players on my team alone, and then in the league there's a lot of good guys that I think could've deserved it. For the league to pick me was really special."
The Generals are away in Rocky Mountain House Feb. 18 and will return to the Cochrane Arena this Saturday for game three. The puck drops in front of a home crowd at 7:45 p.m.
