A 6-3 win by the Cochrane Generals last night has given the local junior 'B' team the edge in a best-of-three series against the High River Flyers.

The Gens took an earlier two-goal lead, but the High River Flyers inched back, tying it up twice before the Gens went on a three-goal scoring spree in the third.

A seemingly harmless shot by Jacon Anderson 46 seconds into the third kept the Flyers in the game before Riley Hopper scored on a powerplay four minutes into the third.

"It was a huge sense of relief when that one went in," says Hopper. "It was just a good feeling to finally get one by him, so we could rest a little bit on the bench, and have a little bit of relief."

The Gens notched two more to put the game out of the reach of the Flyers.

"They'd been breathing down our neck, but I expect nothing less from our team and we pulled out the win," says Hopper. "We're a good third-period team and we came back and stopped them."

Patrick Forde clocked 32 minutes of ice time to give the Gens the matchups they wanted. It paid off, with a hattrick and four-point night for the Gens captain.

"I thought my linemates Tristan (Ripplinger) and Diago (Coelho) had great games, so it really helped me."

Ripplinger had a goal and two assists and Coelho had three assists.

"They're a good team, they're a lot better than they were at the beginning of the year," said Forde of the Flyers. "To help to get the win is all you can ask for."

Even with the win, he believes the team needs to do better.

"It's a good start and we just have to look forward to tomorrow," says Forde.

Caden Stephenson notched the Gens' other goal. Connor Stephenson, James Qualife, Brendon Thubron, and Jamal Kalaf all had assists.

Late-game fights have left the Gens without Stephenson Jr. and Kalaf for tonight's game. Grant Ovans is back in the lineup after serving a suspension from a Feb. 4 game against the Okotoks Bisons.

Tonight, the Gens are in High River. If necessary, the rubber match will be played at the Cochrane Arena on Sunday (Feb. 19) at 5:30 p.m.