The Cochrane Generals have hit their stride on a march through the Heritage Junior Hockey League.
The Gens won a pair of home games over the weekend, dispatching Stettler Lightning 6-5 on Nov. 15 after doubling Medicine Hat Cubs 6-3 Nov. 14.
Now riding a four-game win streak, Cochrane’s snipers have dialed in their sights after suffering from bad aim and weak ammunition three short weeks ago. Cochrane has scored more goals (22) in its first four games in November than in all nine games (21 goals) last month.
All this without abandoning the team’s defensive strategy. Although a two-goal, third-period lapse against Stettler is cause for concern.
“It took some time, but we’re finally getting some bounces and goals,” said Generals assistant coach Dan Gendur following the Stettler tilt at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. “We need to shore up our defensive-zone coverage. Good teams don’t give up goals in the third period like that. We really need to shut it down.”
Gens have focussed on defence from the first day of training camp, so the firepower discovery is a welcome development.
“We pride ourselves on defence,” Gendur said. “We’ve all of a sudden found some depth at forward. We can roll four lines now comfortably as coaches and not be worried about that. We’re extremely happy.”
He went on to detail Cochrane’s defence-first strategy.
“We discussed it at the start of the year. We wanted to have a ton of structure from the neutral zone to our defensive zone, and let the players play down low. We’ve got so much team speed that it creates offence automatically. You don’t need set plays when you have speed.”
That offence by osmosis is now netting results.
Brett Berndt (2), Corey Goeson (1g, 2a) Patrick Dove (1g, 1a), Talus Hume and Colby Chartier scored for Cochrane against Stettler. Steven Tisdale had two assists. Slater Ransom (2), Dustin Ponath, Dustin Boone, Chris Hugo and Dove scored Cochrane’s goals against Medicine Hat.
Gens (9-5-2)
at Okotoks Bisons (13-6)
Fri., Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Murray Arena
Three Hills Thrashers (11-7)
at Gens
Sat., Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Spray Lake Centre
Brett Berndt, F, Gens (2g in last game); Steven Tisdale, F, Gens (6a in last 4 games)
Bisons G Brayden Engel (1-2, 4.53 GAA); Thrashers rookie D Randy Hanger (1g, 1a, 32 PIM in 15 games)
7 (last week, 9)
The team’s strategy of coaching everything from its own goal line out to the opposing team’s blue line, and then letting the horses run, is finally paying dividends. After scoring just 21 goals in all nine October games, the Generals have scored 22 times in their first four November tilts. Speed kills. It just takes time to put it together. Gens rookie F Steven Tisdale has been a one-man gang down low, pounding everything behind the opposing net before chucking pucks into scoring areas for trigger men Talus Hume and Slater Ransom to convert. He has six assists in his last four games. The addition late last month of Jr. A (Calgary Mustangs) forward Colby Chartier, the return to health of Ransom and rookie Brett Berndt’s awakening provide Gens the firepower they’d been seeking.
“We’re just really excited about our depth at forward right now,” Gens assistant coach Dan Gendur says.
If role players like Corey Goeson (8g, 6a) and Patrick Dove (4g, 8a) continue pouring in points, and defencemen Craig Packard (5g, 2a) and Austin Keller (1g, 8a) stay on target, the production now coming from the top-6 make Gens hard to defend. Particularly if Cochrane continues holding opponents to less than three goals a game.
The Gens played their fourth game of the season Oct. 11 in Trochu, losing 5-3 to a Three Hills Thrashers team currently third in HJHL Northern Division standings. Cochrane is third in Southern Division standings.
“Good team. Lots of speed. They’re looking solid,” Gendur says of Three Hills. “They have solid defence and solid goaltending.”
Cochrane’s only scoreless outing this season came Oct. 18 at home to Okotoks, a night after a gritty 3-2 overtime road win in Didsbury against Mountain View Colts.
“This is the biggest weekend of our season,” Gendur surmises of Cochrane’s Nov. 21-22 games. “We have a team in Okotoks we’re chasing, and a team in Three Hills that we need to match up well against.”
