48... and counting.

Gens captain Patrick Forde is on the cusp of hitting the 50 goal mark and it might just happen tonight in Airdrie.

In just 32 games, Forde has scored a remarkable 48 goals, an average of 1.5 goals per game. When you add in his 28 assists, the total is 76 points, nearly 2.4 points each time he steps on the ice.

Second in the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) scoring race is linemate Tristan Ripplinger, who has 27 goals and 35 assists in 30 games.

The Gens have four strong lines, something other teams struggle to match. But when it comes to scoring punch, the combination of Forde and Tristan Ripplinger and whoever centres the line has proven to be a winning combination. Dean Olenyk was the other piece of that turbo-charged trio, racking up 37 points in 20 games, before opting out to focus on his post-secondary studies.

In interviews, Forde doesn't talk about his success, but that of the team and his line.

"It's a pleasure to play with them," Forde typically says. "They're just great players. They find me; I find them."

If Number 50 doesn't come tonight, the Gens are back at the Cochrane Arena on Saturday night in the second of a home-and-home series against the Airdrie Techmation Thunder. We can expect another close contest between the two teams.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.