In a result that no one in Alberta's junior B hockey community likely saw coming, the Cochrane Generals' 2023 post-season came to a stunning end on March 4, when the team was shut out 9-0 at home by the Medicine Hat Cubs in game six of their best-of-seven playoff series.
As a result of the lopsided result at the Cochrane Arena, the Cubs advance to the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) south division finals, having overcome Cochrane four games to two. They will face the Okotoks Carstar Bisons to determine which south division squad will progress to the HJHL finals.
Given the other games in the series between Cochrane and Medicine Hat were air-tight – two went to overtime, while the others were decided by one or two goals each – the nine-goal difference last Saturday was undoubtedly a shock, to say the least.
"To me, that’s the way hockey is," said head coach Kurtis Jones. "Our guys were battling a lot of injuries and sickness, and it just hit us. The mood around the ice, you have to look at it from the coaching aspect as, it’s not always about winning. It’s about the culture and the way you produce throughout the year. That’s what you have to look at when you lose like that, or when you get knocked out of the playoffs. If you lose 1-0 or 9-0, it’s all the same.”
The Generals came into the home battle hoping to tie the series after a 6-4 loss in Medicine Hat the night before that gave the Cubs a 3-2 advantage.
Despite the stressful situation of being on the verge of elimination, 21-year-old Connor Stephenson said the Generals arrived at the rink in good spirits on Saturday, excited to play in front of their home fans.
"We were all prepared to win that game," he said. "We were all ready at the rink and we were all in a good mood. We just felt the bounces weren’t going our way – sometimes you can’t do anything to change that.”
While Stephenson said Cochrane started decently and generated a couple of scoring chances in the opening minutes, it was the Cubs who struck first. And by the end of the first period, the visitors had extended their lead to 3-0.
“We actually had the first minutes down and had more scoring chances than they did," Stephenson said. "Unfortunately, we just had a couple goals leak by our goaltender and then a few unlucky bounces."
The first period opened the floodgates for the remainder of the game, and the Cubs went on to run up the score, netting an additional three goals in the second stanza, and then three more after that in the third period. By the end of the game, Medicine Hat had scored on nine of their 54 shots, while shutting out the Gens at the other end of the ice.
"Three led to four, four led to five, and at that point, it was out of hand,” Stephenson said.
As the Cubs racked up their goals total, Generals fans, players, and coaches could only watch, stunned, as their promising 2022-23 season came to an end.
The disappointing finish brings to a close what was otherwise a positive season for the Generals, who spent most of the season in second place of the HJHL's south division before ultimately ending the regular season in third. Cochrane then beat the High River Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Generals' graduating players will include captain Patrick Forde – who was once again the team's leading scorer this season – as well as Stephenson, Jamal Kalaf, and Zac Faulton.
A Cochrane native, Stephenson said even though the campaign ended on a sour note, he's still incredibly proud to have worn the Gens jersey the last three years alongside some of his life-long friends – and not to mention his younger brother Caden, who was a first-year member of the junior B squad this season.
“It is [disappointing] but that group of guys is the best hockey team I’ve ever been a part of," he said. "When I left the ice, I still left with a smile on my face. I’m happy I got to play with my brother and all my Cochrane buddies I grew up with.”
Jones added that it will undoubtedly be a difficult task to replace the likes of leaders like Stephenson and Forde, who was the HJHL's 2021-22 MVP and recorded 139 goals and 251 points while wearing a Generals jersey since 2019, as well as the other departing 21-year-olds who have each helped grow the Generals program in the last few years.
"Those guys were part of building our program," he said. "It’s nice to have good players like that.
"Four years with Connor and Forde, and Zach for two and Jamal was here for three, so it’s quite sad to see them go. They were a big part of our group, no question.”
According to Jones, the Generals will hold their end-of-season awards banquet in the coming weeks, although the date for it has not yet been determined.
