Gens exactly where they want to be at Christmas break

The Cochrane Generals are exactly where they want to be heading into the Christmas break.

The junior team is first in the highly competitive north division of the HJHL, has the league's two top scorers, and has one of the best power-play percentages.

After a hard three-game weekend, the Gens returned to first place by taking five of six possible points. Friday night, they had a 5-4 shoot-out win on the road against the Sylvan Lake Wranglers. On home ice Saturday, they capitalized on seven goals in the first to beat the Rocky Rams, 9-5.

On Sunday, a goal with 31 seconds remaining by Gen Jace Moffat forced overtime against the Red Deer Vipers. Four minutes into overtime, the Vipers scored the winner.

Gens head coach Kurtis Jones says he's proud of his team's performance in what has been a gruelling month. 

"December was a very tough month for the Generals, with health, school, and everything, so I'm proud it came out the way it did."

He says they've had as many as seven players out of the lineup at the same time between school exams and injuries.

Despite the challenges, he's say good teams find a way to win and believes the chemistry in the Gens dressing room is second to none.

"There's not a bad kid in that dressing room. We have no issues at all, and they're a team that wants to win."

There remains stiff competition between the top five teams in the north division. Cochrane has a two-point lead on the Vipers and six on the Wranglers. The Mountainview Colts are one point back of the Wranglers, and the Airdrie Techmation Thunder have found their groove, winning five of their six games in December.

In the south division, the Okotoks Bisons have a 13-point lead on the second-place Medicine Hat Cubs.

Now 27 games into the season, the Gens are on a two-week break to mend and recharge for the last nine regular-season games in the New Year.

They kick off 2022 in Three Hills on Jan. 2 and don't see home ice until Jan. 14.

Dean Olenyk calls it a season

Wanting to focus more upon his education, top-line forward Dean Olenyk has called it quits for the season. 

He was part of the triple threat of the top line of the league, centering Patrick Forde and Tristan Ripplinger.

In 20 games this season, he had nine goals and 28 assists.

As a rookie in the 2019-20 season, Olenyk scored 27 goals and assisted on 30 in 36 games.

He was a standout at the league's first-ever Prospects Game in Medicine Hat on Jan. 5, 2020. He was captain of the south team, and had a goal and assist in the south's 7-3 win. 

Dean Olenyk's first goal as a General was the game-winner against the High River Flyers back in October 2019.