With the ink barely dry on their marching orders, the Cochrane Generals are already erecting a M*A*S*H unit for their fallen soldiers.
After silencing the Airdrie Thunder 3-2 Sept. 20 in their Heritage Junior Hockey League season-opener, the Gens’ 6-2 loss Sept. 21 in Coaldale took a serious toll on their firepower. Rookie forward Corey Goesen suffered a broken arm and will be out two months. Key marksmen Kris Keller and Andrew Bergmann are, according to head coach Evan McFeeters, beset with “upper body” injuries. Bergmann sniped both goals in Coaldale and another in Airdrie.
The Generals could be without all three in their Sept. 27 home-opener against Red Deer Vipers at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre, 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
“Bergmann and Keller are both banged up but we don’t know what’s going to happen with them yet,” McFeeters explained.
Injuries aside, the rookie head coach has a game to plan for. The Gens were 1-1 heading into the Red Deer tilt.
“It’s going to be a tough one, but we have a week to prepare for it,” McFeeters said.
As for two thirds of Cochrane’s top forward line: “They (Bergmann and Keller) could be out maybe 2-3 days or they could be out for a couple of months. It’s tough to tell at this point,” McFeeters assessed. “Hopefully, we get some good news from a doctor this week and they can be in the lineup this weekend.”
