The Cochrane Generals earned their first preseason win, skating past the Airdrie Thunder 3-1 last night.
After a 1-1 first period, the Gens took control in the second with two quick goals. Brendan Thubron buried the game-winner from Lincoln Pidsadowski and Evan Plewes at 9:45, and Jaxon Bouchard added his second of the preseason two minutes later.
Pidsadowski opened the scoring 4:30 into the game from Max Waugh, while Joel Taniguchi answered for the Thunder.
Tyler Rudy stood tall in goal for Cochrane, turning away 30 shots.
Head coach Derek Bell said the team is still experimenting with line combinations, but the focus was clear.
"That was the goal—let’s go get one. Preseason isn’t just about losses or figuring things out; it’s about winning. Winning is fun," he said.
Bell plans to shuffle lines again for tonight’s final preseason game in Airdrie but says the mission remains the same: come out on top.
"We’ll give some other guys a chance to jump in and show their stuff."
With AJHL and WHL cuts made, the Generals are looking to add a few players to camp ahead of the regular season.
The Gens lost both games of their opening home-and-home series against the Mountainview Colts.