Another season has come and gone for the Lacombe Generals and with it came the highs of winning league and provincial championships and the low of missing out on a fourth Allan Cup.  Being a few days removed from the tournament, it’s a loss that Head Coach Sean Robertson says still stings.
 
“I think we had a pretty successful year but it came down to one game and if you don’t what get you want then you don’t have anything to celebrate and you kind of look back and wonder what you did wrong and what you could’ve done differently. It’s hard right now. Right now, you just try and take a break and step away from hockey and still try and process what happened and what you want to do but it’s hard.  Saying that, I still think about it and still think about what we want for next year.”
 
One change that Robertson would like to see for next season is an adjustment to the commitment the team asks for from its players.
 
“Our team always starts really early. We start in September and ask a lot of guys for six to seven months.  I think next year what I’d like to see is us maybe start a little bit later and then get more out of guys for a shorter period of time rather than going to the well for a longer period of time.”
 
Regardless of the results, the coach says it’s the fans that keep them going.
 
“We’ve found a home in Lacombe and we still have the Bentley supporters, the people who have been there through thick and thin. Very, very valued, I don’t think they understand how much it means. Basically half the Rosetown rink was pro-Lacombe and that’s huge for our guys.  It goes a long, long ways. It validates what we’re doing.  It makes it seem that it’s important because it is just senior hockey. It’s not the NHL, it’s not the American league, it’s not pro hockey, it’s not the Western League but it gives our guys a reason to come to the rink everyday. To play in front of the group that we have that follows us, it means so much.  It keeps us going.”