Staff
With any luck, the members of the Rimbey Rock and the Bentley Generals got new luggage for Christmas, because they’re going to need it.
After opening the 2010 portion of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League schedule with a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to the Three Hills Thrashers on Jan. 3 and a 9-1 beating at the hands of the Red Deer Vipers the following night, the Rimbey Rock will hit the road for four of their next six games to close out the month.
This past Saturday the Rock travelled to Cochrane to face the Generals (details unavailable as of press time), which will be followed by back-to-back tilts on Jan. 23 and 24 in Strathmore to face the Wheatland Kings and in Blackfalds against the Ford Wranglers.
The Rock will return to Rimbey for some home cooking on Jan. 24 when they host Blackfalds with a 6 p.m. start at the community centre and welcome the Red Deer Vipers on Jan. 29 with the puck dropping at 8 p.m.
Then, the team will be off to Didsbury on Jan. 30 to face the Mountainview Colts.
Prior to this past weekend’s action, the Rock was clinging to fourth place in the league’s North Division with a five-win, 18-loss record with one shootout loss, three points ahead of the Ponoka Stampeders and four behind the Stettler Lightning.
Over in the Chinook Hockey League, the Bentley Generals kicked off 2010 in fine fashion by defeating the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs 5-2 on Jan. 2 in a game played in Lacombe.
This past weekend the Gens travelled to Sylvan Lake to face the West Central Alberta Rams and hosted the Chiefs the following night.
On Jan. 16 Bentley will host their old nemesis, the Stony Plain Eagles, at the Red Deer Arena beginning at 7:45 p.m. before packing their bags for the next four games.
On Jan. 23 the Generals will head to Fort Saskatchewan, followed by back-to-back trips to Stony Plain on Jan. 27 and 30. They then head east on Feb. 6 to battle the Lloydminster Border Kings.
The next home game for Bentley will be on Feb. 13 for a return engagement with the Border Kings at the Centennial Civic Centre beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Prior to the weekend’s action, the Generals were right at home at the top of the standings with an 11-win, one-loss record after 12 games and had a five-point lead over the second place Eagles.
The Generals also lead the league in goals-for with 73 and goals-against with just 24.