Generals Downed By Colts

The Gens kicked off the second half of the season Sunday afternoon in Didsbury. The first half was somewhat of a disappointment for the young Generals as they finished with a .500 record of 8-8-1-1. Sunday’s line-up was a little sparse as injuries continue to ravage the Generals’ roster. Sunday’s matchup was against Cochrane’s Central Division rivals, the Mountainview Colts. The Colts sit 7 points back of the Generals, who sit in third spot in the Central Division, coming into Sunday’s tilt.

The first period got off to a sloppy start with the Generals looking a bit flat. Both teams traded a couple scoring chances, but both teams played a passive first period trying to feel the opposition out. The Colts would strike first 11:36 into the first period on a point shot that was tipped past the Gens rookie netminder Garrett Fraser. The Generals failed to pressure Mountainview for the equalizer and the Colts added to their lead only a minute later. The Generals got a couple late powerplays in the first but could not convert. After 20 minutes it was Cochrane 0, Mountainview 2. Mountainview had the edge in shots 15-10.

The second period saw the intensity pick up, but the intensity soon turned to chippiness seeing each team take 4 penalties in the frame. At the eight minute mark, with a Mountainview man in the box, the Generals potent powerplay was looking to spark some offence. Instead of narrowing the lead, an errant pass sent a Colt in on a shorthanded breakaway where here slid a slick backhand move past Fraser. After forty minutes the Gens found themselves down 3-0 and unable to create any offence. The Generals outshot the Colts in the period 11-6.

The Generals came out firing looking to net an early goal and mount a comeback. The Generals directed plenty of rubber towards the Mountainview net, but it wasn’t until half way through the third that the Generals finally got on the board. Johnny Pictin fired a quick snap shot from the off wing that found its way into the bottom bunk for his team leading 14^th of the season. Assists went to Mike Matlo and Danny McSween. The assist was McSween’s team leading 30^th point of the season. Once again the General’s failed to sustain the pressure on the opposition after a goal. This has been a problem that has plagued the Generals all season. It only took the Colt’s 28 seconds to restore their 3 goal lead. The Generals desperate efforts were to no avail and the final buzzer rang with the scoreboard reading Mountainview 4, Cochrane 1.

Final shots in the game were 36-30 in favour of the Generals. Cochrane killed off all three Mountainview powerplays while going 1-8 on the powerplay themselves. The Generals started the second half of the 2009-2010 season on a bad note and now find themselves in the middle of a three game losing skid. A hard week at practice sans pucks should motivate the team to eliminate the simple mistakes that are costing them games going into a key 3 game weekend next weekend. 

Generals Player of the Game: Jason Labelle

Sunday afternoon’s game review is brought to you by the Golden River Restaurant in Didsbury. The finest ginger beef in all of Mountainview County.