Gens season on the line tonight

The Cochrane Generals season is on the line tonight in game three of their first round series against the High River Flyers.

Last night, the Flyers responded with a 5-2 win on home ice to send the HJHL series back to Cochrane. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Totem One.

A second period meltdown saw the Flyers score three goals to amass a 4-1 lead before Gen Ethan Matiece responded, assisted by Diago Coelho. Flyer Jegar Marshall rounded out the scoring with his second goal in a three-point night, an empty-netter with 1:04 remaining on the clock.

It was a rough first period. Temperatures flared and a brawl broke out at the end of the first.

Flyers goalie Parker Forrest, shown here with defenceman Chaz Lazar, faced 55 shots last night, turning away all but two.

Flyers goalie Parker Forrest held off the Gens, stopping 53 of 55 shots. The Gens replaced starting goalie Braydon Yonin with backup Isaias Maddigan about eight minutes into the second.

Gens leading scorer Tristan Ripplinger scored his first goal of the playoffs from Caden Stephenson and Jordan Butz.to tie the game in the first.

Ethan Burgeson, MaCallum Bakken and Alex McIsaac were the other Flyers scorers.

The Airdrie Thunder have advanced to the second round with a 2-1 win over the Three Hill Thrashers in the opening north division series. The Thunder now face the Sylvan Lake Wranglers, the top team in the north, in a best-of-five series that opens Saturday night in Sylvan Lake's NexSource Centre.

Also Saturday, the Medicine Hat Cubs are at home to kick of their series against the Coaldale Copperheads and the Mountainview Colts host the Rocky Rams.

The winner of the Gens-Flyers series will play the Okotoks Bisons, defending HJHL champions and the top team in the regular season.