By Sheldon Spackman

Generals ready to battle for fourth Allan Cup title

Apr 7, 2018 | 11:00 PM

The Lacombe Generals are primed for another appearance in the national senior men’s AAA hockey championship.

The 2018 Allan Cup runs from April 9 – 14 in Rosetown, Saskatchewan. The Generals play their first round-robin game of the six-team tournament on Tuesday, April 10 against the hometown Redwings.

Generals Head Coach Sean Robertson says after winning provincials last month, the team added a few more practices to their regular once-a-week practice schedule.

“We’ve asked guys to do their best to get in the gym and get their fitness levels up in preparation to play five [games] in five [days], or even four in five days,” says Robertson. “On the ice, we know what we’re up against. That’s kind of what we’re focused on, our first game and that’s what we’ve been building towards.”

Robertson says they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but rather be good at the small details which they feel will make the difference in being successful.

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“They’re deep, they have quite a bit of depth,” he says about the Redwings. “Their power play is very, very dangerous, so discipline is a big factor. We almost play similar styles, they’re a very good and defensively sound team, they force you to the outside and don’t let you penetrate the middle.

“If you’re going to score goals on them, you’re going to have to work for them and you’ll have to get some lucky ones, too.”

The Generals second round-robin game is Wednesday, April 11 against the Stoney Creek Generals from Ontario. Robertson says they appear to be a pretty scary team on paper.

“They’re sort of that veteran, skill sort of patient-poised team with good goaltending. What I’m telling my guys is we don’t have to worry about the other five teams, we only have to worry about the Rosetown Redwings and then the next day we get up and worry about somebody else.”

As for the other teams, Robertson may have limited knowledge about each of them but still has a pretty good idea of what to expect.

“South East Prairie Thunder, we’re fairly familiar with them. We haven’t seen them this year but over the years, nothing has changed for them,” says Robertson. “They play a bit of a lull you to sleep trap game and they capitalize on their opportunities with good goaltending and good, solid puck-moving defensemen.

“Bethune, really all we know is that they lost to Rosetown in a close series in provincials in Saskatchewan. And New Brunswick, I have no idea. I expect them to be physical and hard-working. That’s what the New Brunswick teams were last year.”

Heading into the prestigious tournament, Robertson feels the Generals are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

“I think we feel good. We’ve been playing some pretty important hockey games for a long time now, we’ve been playing playoff hockey for quite a while. The fellas are excited, they’re chomping at the bit but there’s some nervous energy.”

Having several players with a lot of Allan Cup experience, Robertson feels, is a big help for the other Generals players heading to the tournament for the first time. 

“In this tournament, there’s no longer best-of-sevens, its best-of-ones,” warns Robertson. “You’re allowed to make mistakes but you can’t make too many of them.”

Quarter-final action at the tournament is slated for Thursday, while the semi-finals take place Friday and the Allan Cup final itself on Saturday, April 14.

This is 11th appearance in the Allan Cup over the past 12 seasons for the Generals franchise, missing out only in 2012.