Deep.
That’s the word rookie head coach Evan McFeeters is using to define the 2013-14 Cochrane Generals.
Losing just two players due to age – forward Jason Labelle and defenceman Nick Borody – the Gens boast a seasoned core group which includes last year’s team scoring leader Kris Keller and veteran goalie Matt Shawchuk.
“We’re down to our opening-day roster,” McFeeters said. “We’re carrying a few more players than we expected at this point, but it’s because training camp was so tough and it was tough to make decisions and all the players who are here still have deserved a spot on the opening-day roster.”
The Generals have 14 forwards, eight defenceman and three goalies in the rink. That’s down from more than 50 who showed up for opening-day tryouts Sept. 7.
McFeeters got a good look at all of them in three pre-season games Sept. 13-15. The Generals split a Sept. 13-14 home-at-home series with provincial-champion Okotoks Bisons, losing the opener 5-3 and winning the second 4-2. The Generals then tied Mountainview Colts of Didsbury 3-3 Sept. 15 in Cochrane.
“It was not a bad game,” McFeeters said of the team’s final exhibition game against the Colts. “We were pretty tired. We’d been on the ice for eight of the last 10 days and were making some mistakes out there. But that can be adjusted through practice this week heading into the regular season.”
The team opens Sept. 20 in Airdrie and travels to Coaldale Sept. 21.
“We’ve got a deeper team than the team that was on the ice last year,” McFeeters assessed. “From top to bottom, all our of guys can skate and all of our guys can contribute by putting the puck in the net as well as playing defensively.”
