Gens head coach Kurtis Jones got his wish this weekend when his team outmuscled the Mountainview Colts, then out finessed the Coaldale Copperheads in a two-game homestand.

The Gens scored two early goals, and four in the third to double the Colts, 6-3, Jan. 11. 

The Colts beat them in their only other encounter in the regular season by playing a physical game. Lesson learned.

"We beat them at their game," says Jones. "They came out, they tried to play physical, and we just matched them. We scored on the first two shifts, and everyone stood back and said, Whoa."

Sunday night against the Copperheads, the Gens grabbed a 5-2 lead after one, then held off a late-game comeback to win 7-5.

While the Gens won three of their four games against the Copperheads, all featured a late-game comeback by the Snakes, who simply don't quit.  Coaldale chopped in half a four-goal Gens lead in the final six minutes of play.

"In all the games, we thought we had it in the bag, and they'd come back. So today, we had enough of a lead that they couldn't."

The recent addition of former junior A player Justin Giacomin has added a little more punch to the Gens offense that has been relying heavily upon rookies Dean Olenyk and Patrick Forde

"At the start, he was kind of slow, but he's starting to fit in here now. He's good. He had a really good game on Saturday."

The wins keep the Gens in the race for a second-place finish in the HJHL south division. They are currently tied with the Medicine Hat Cubs. Just one point behind are the Copperheads.

The Gens have eight games remaining in the regular season. All of them matter.

"Every game is a big game. We just have to play all the way through and stay on the high and not the low."

"We play High River and Strathmore this weekend. Again, it's got to be a four-point weekend."

Exactly who earns the bye from the first round of playoffs could come down to a showdown between the Gens and Cubs in their final two games of the regular season. 

The league-leading Okotoks Bisons lost only their second game of the season over the weekend against the Red Deer Vipers, who are on a 10-game winning streak. Still, with a 14-point lead in the south, The Bisons have all but wrapped up first place.

The Gens are on the road Friday night to face the High River Flyers.

The Strathmore Wheatland Kings are in town on Sunday.