Round two of the HJHL playoffs begins tonight, and the Cochrane Generals are ready to battle their longtime rivals, the Okotoks Bisons.
Assistant captain Ethan Matiece is eager for the long-awaited playoff matchup. "This rivalry goes back almost 40 years. I've been with the team for three years and haven’t had the chance to face them in the playoffs. We’ve been waiting a long time for this."
The Bisons, the top-seeded team in the south, are on a quest for a fourth consecutive championship. The Generals know they face a tough challenge but are confident. "There's a lot of belief in the room," Matiece says. "We know what they've done over the past three years, but we believe we can move on."
Preparation is key, and captain James Quaife emphasized the mental side of the game. "I think everyone just believes in each other to do their job. The little things matter, like our warmups, and that’s going to be a big factor as we go deeper in the playoffs."
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Generals fans have already shown up in force, and the team is counting on their support again. "You don't notice it at first, and then you score a big goal or make a big play, and you look up and see 500 people cheering," Matiece says.
"That support means everything to us."
Despite the stakes, the team is sticking to its routine. "We practice a few times a week, but there’s not much more you can learn before playoffs," Quaife says. "It's about being game-ready."
Game 1 is set for tonight in Okotoks, with Game 2 at SLS Centre's Totem 1 on Sunday at 3 p.m.