The Lacombe Senior AA Hockey Club, formerly known as the Eckville Eagles, will be forced to do a bit of catch-up after the North Central Hockey League officially granted them approval to take the name of the Lacombe Senior AA Generals, as of November 8th.

The team was reprimanded for wearing the Generals jerseys before they applied and were approved for the name change. This resulted in the temporary suspension of the team’s general manager and head coach, Reed Watts.

The team received further punishment after Hockey Alberta found that an unregistered player participated in the game against the Blackfalds Wranglers on November 3rd. Consequently, the game that was formerly a 6-0 win for Lacombe, has now become a forfeit.

“We can’t really afford to give up any games at this point if we want to be back in the standings where we should be,” said Jordan Koopmans, acting head coach.

To view the full statement from the North Central Hockey League, click here.

Despite the troubles, Koopmans believes it was a good move for the team.

“I think just moving to Lacombe it was definitely a good move for our organization. We have a ton of support and I think that it’s a great hockey hub and we’re looking forward to continuing on that General's legacy,” explained Koopmans.

It seems that the new Senior AA Lacombe Generals were able to push past their earlier problems and confusion during their home game at the Gary Moe Autogroup Sportsplex on Saturday, November 23rd.

The Bonnyville Pontiacs were quick on the ice and scored the first goal about three minutes into the game. Lacombe was quick to respond, gaining their first goal shortly after, courtesy of Scott Doucet. With four minutes left in the first period, Kyle Maas got another one, giving the Generals the lead.

Heading into the second, both teams became more aggressive. Lacombe was set on defending their lead, and Bonnyville was determined to catch up. The Pontiacs dump one in and enjoy a short-lived tie, but Lacombe was once again quick to respond. Arseni Oursov pushed past the Pontiacs and scored about 20 seconds later keeping the Generals ahead.

“I got a pretty lucky one there. I was surprised that he dished the puck out to me but I’ll take that as a goal,” said Oursov.

“It was a big response in the period and I think defensively we’re coming along. Definitely, having two number one goalies has definitely kept us in a few of these games lately,” said Koopman.

Later, Jared Ramstead got the last one, which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin. In the third, no goals were scored despite many attempts, and in the end, the score was 4-2 in favour of the Generals.

Generals Goalie, Mackenzie Engel was essential for the victory making many challenging saves. Shots on net were 47-36 for the Pontiacs.

Heading forward, Lacombe will face the Red Deer Rustlers - a definite challenge for the team - but they will be preparing for it.

“We got a big test with Red Deer and I think our powerplay is rolling. I think offensively we are really good, just got to tighten up that 'D-Zone' so we’re not giving up on man rushes,” said Koopmans.

The first of two games this week will be in Lacombe on Friday, November 29th at 8:45 PM.  The Generals are in Red Deer at the Servus Arena on Saturday, November 30th at 8:15 PM.