Generals 6 Eagles 1 (Lacombe wins best-of-seven series 4-1)
LACOMBE — The Lacombe Generals are once again the top dogs of senior hockey in Alberta.
They rode four second period goals to a dominant Game 5 victory and series win, in the best-of-seven Hockey Alberta Senior AAA Provincial Final Wednesday.
Lacombe ousted the Stony Plain Eagles 6-1 at the Gary Moe Autogroup Sportsplex to win the series four games to one and earn yet another berth in the Allan Cup.
“Very proud, when you set out a goal at the start of the year and then when you achieve it,” Generals head coach Sean Robertson said.
“We’ve had a lot go on this year and we’ve had some adversity. We played the right way for the last nine games and we’ve been playing well for a long time. To not take our foot off the pedal, that’s what I’m most proud of.”
#THEARMY are YOUR @HockeyAlberta Senior AAA Provincial Champs! Next stop Rosetown and the Allan Cup! pic.twitter.com/4gtLA9UhgS
— Lacombe Generals (@LacombeGenerals) March 22, 2018
It will be the Generals 11th trip to the senior AAA men’s national championship in the last 12 years.
“When you put as much work in as these guys do, as our ownership, our management, and our players, then you’re not afraid to want it and you expect it. When you achieve it, it means that much more,” Robertson said.
Todd Fiddler opened the scoring for Stony Plain Wednesday with a wrist shot off the rush that deflected off a Generals’ stick and over Steven Stanford, but from that point on it was all Lacombe.
The Generals tied the game at one quickly in the second.
After a turnover down low by the Eagles, Keenan Desmet outwaited Eagles’ netminder Davis Jones and slid it under his outstretched pad.
With the two teams playing 4-on-4 midway through the second, Kyle Bailey sniped high blocker through a screen and gave the Generals a 2-1 advantage.
Nolan Huysmans drove wide and pitched a perfect pass to Collin Valcourt who chipped a shot past Jones to make it 3-1 Generals late in the second.
With just 45 seconds left in the frame, Generals defenceman Brad Stebner picked the puck up out of a scramble and fired it past Jones.
#CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/qNme1vwi4r
— Lacombe Generals (@LacombeGenerals) March 22, 2018
Ian Barteaux scored twice in the third period for Lacombe to close out the victory.
Steven Stanford turned aside 35 shots for the Generals and Jones stopped 21 for the Eagles.
The Generals will play for the Allan Cup starting April 9 in Rosetown, Sask.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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