A 5-1 loss on Friday night in Okotoks left the Gens further behind the undefeated Bisons in the south standings of the HJHL.

The Gens exploded the next night at home with a 10-1 win over the Sylvan Lake Wranglers, the top team in the north division. They grabbed a 7-0 lead at the end of the second and added three more in the third.

The last came with 26 seconds remaining by a team determined to get 17-year-old rookie Logan Paquette his first hat trick as a Gen.

Teamed up with linemates Patrick Forde and Tristan Ripplinger, he had a six-point night.

Logan PaquetteRookie Logan Paquette got his first hat trick as a Gen. He had six points on the night.

"It's pretty easy when you play with those two guys. They just feed you the puck, and they're always open so you send the puck over to them, so it's pretty easy to play with them."

Paquette's family recently moved to Cochrane from St. Albert, where he played last season for the St. Albert Steel U18AA.

"This is faster, for sure more physically and there are better players, so it's nice to play here."

It was the Gens most productive line of the night. Ripplinger had five points and Forde, four.

The first shutout for recently acquired Gens goalie Kashton Payne was spoiled on a powerplay goal seven minutes into the third.

Gens head coach Kurtis Jones says it was an important win after losing to the Okotoks the night before.

"They beat us," Jones says of the Bisons. "They were the better hockey team, and we didn't show up to play."

"The coaching staff wasn't happy about the results, so we turned it around and played systems, and the players bought in."

This weekend, the Gens have rematches with both the Wranglers and Bisons.

Friday night, they're on the road to Sylvan Lake. Jones isn't taking the Wranglers lightly, despite the lopsided win.

"Sylvan's a good hockey team. Maybe they had an off night here but we're back there Friday, so we have to play hard."

Jones says winning those north division matchups are important to keep the Gens high in the standings. They're currently second in the south division.

Saturday, the Bisons make their first appearance in Cochrane this season after a couple of rough games in the Murray & Piper Arena.