(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

generals officially revived

Lacombe’s senior hockey fans get their beloved moniker back

Nov 24, 2019 | 4:58 PM

We can once again call Lacombe’s senior hockey team the Generals.

Formerly the North Central Hockey League’s Eckville Eagles, the franchise relocated to Lacombe over the summer. However, there was still a Hockey Alberta process to undergo before being allowed to use the name or even wear the jerseys of the 2019 Allan Cup champions.

Now approved by Hockey Alberta — a Senior AA squad as opposed to AAA — the Generals are led by GM Reed Watts, who ran and played for the Eagles the last three years. He previously played for Blackfalds in the HJHL, and Big Valley in the defunct Battle River Hockey League.

“The name means a lot within Lacombe and there’s a lot to live up to using it; it carries weight,” says Watts. “There are very passionate fans, lots of carry-overs we’re seeing, and they’re true fans of this team. They know the players and want to stay up to date.”

The Generals’ previous iteration was a multiple time Allan Cup champion and had made the final five years straight. Thus, getting to this point hasn’t been easy, according to Watts, who admits it was his own fault when given an indefinite suspension by the NCHL.

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“We’d applied and it was taking so long, so we proceeded with the name of Lacombe Hockey because we didn’t want to be called Eckville. It was confusing, and the sponsors weren’t responding,” he says.

“We were growing impatient, which was bred by myself, so we went ahead and started wearing the jerseys. We weren’t aware that wasn’t allowed, and that led to the suspension, which has since been rescinded.”

Now that politics are out of the way, the Generals can start putting more energy into an exciting on-ice product. Despite getting off to a 2-5-0-0 start, Watts notes that the team has plenty of talent, including returning players from last year’s AAA championship squad like Kyle Sheen and Collin Valcourt. The Gens also have the Mulder bros, Blair and Tyler, who played for the 2019 Allan Cup runners-up from Innisfail.

“The commitment to detail hasn’t been there. It’s not Jekyll and Hyde, but it isn’t far off. We shoot ourselves in the foot. We’ll cycle for 30 to 40 seconds and everyone’s brain goes from where to shoot and score to a loose puck squirting behind the D, and then it’s good night,” says Watts.

“If you look at the underlying numbers, we’ve got a strong powerplay and a really strong penalty kill. It’s just 5-on-5 we struggle with.”

Watts would love to see the NCHL expand from nine to 10 teams, making it easier to become a two division league. But, he says the league is better now than perhaps it’s ever been.

“Since year one when I was in the league, it has improved immensely. As far as the parity of the league, I truly feel this is one of the best seasons for a competitive balance,” he says. “No one’s running away with it, teams are keeping pace and the league is strong.”

The Lacombe Generals currently sit eighth out of nine teams in the NCHL standings with four points, the same amount as rival Blackfalds Wranglers, and four behind the third place Red Deer Rustlers. On offense, they’re led by Kyle Maas (4G,6A), Jagger Bowles (3G, 4A) and Lacombe native Jared Williams (3G,3A), who helped Watts spearhead Eckville’s move to Lacombe.

The team also has former Red Deer Rebels forward Arseni Oursov on the roster.

Next up for the Generals is a home and home versus Red Deer Nov. 29 and 30, the first night (8:45 p.m.) in Lacombe, and the next night (8:15 p.m) at Red Deer’s Servus Arena.