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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2005
Generals Go 3-1 in Pre-Season Kickoff Tournament
Eugene, OR – Last Friday, the Eugene Generals boarded a charter bus to Vancouver, WA, for the Pre-Season Kickoff Tournament. The Generals faced a fairly daunting task drawing the River City Jaguars, Idaho Rattlers, of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL), and defending NOR-PAC Western Division Champion Puget Sound Tomahawks. As the bus approached Vancouver it was obvious the team was becoming more and more anxious by the second. The boisterous laughter that had previously filled the bus had quickly turned into nervous chatter that was sparsely scattered around the bus. To make matters worse, only seven of the 25 Generals players had ever played Junior B hockey.
The Generals nervousness showed on the ice, as the team fell down by a goal to the Jaguars, early in the first period. “We were running around like chickens with their heads cut off,” Head Coach Robert Freeland stated. “That goal forced us to wake up, and start playing our game.” The Generals game turned out to be score, and score often. Shortly after the first River City goal, forward Michael Frei scored the first goal in competition for the Generals. “I’m proud to have the first goal for the Generals,” Frei stated. “They were a very physical team, and I definitely have the bruises to prove it.” That was the first of many goals to come for the Generals that night, as they tamed the Jaguars with a 9-4 win.
The second game of the tournament for the Generals was against the Idaho Rattlers of the WSHL. Once again, the Generals came out nervous, and quickly found themselves down 1-3 heading into the second period. The Generals would not give up another goal, as they scored eight unanswered to beat the Rattlers 9-3. “It’s obvious that our boys have a lot of heart,” Assistant Coach Chris Hartly exclaimed. “We just have to get out of the habit of starting off slow and playing our way back into the game.”
That was not the case, however, and the Generals found themselves down 2-3 against the defending Western Division Champion Puget Sound Tomahawks. True to format, the Generals made a late charge and tied the game up early in the third period. “It was touch and go there for a little while,” Freeland said, and was immediately followed by a sigh. “The momentum was switching back and forth like a five year old trying to mimic a lightning storm with a light switch.” The game had been like that for the better part of three periods until forward Ryan Schank slid the puck past the Tomahawks goalie with under three minutes to play. Puget Sound would eventually fail to regain any momentum, and fall to the Generals 4-3.
The win against Puget Sound catapulted the Generals into the semi-finals as a number 2 seed. The Generals faced the Tri-City Titans in what turned out to be an all out battle. The Generals were down 2-3 heading into the third period, and it looked as if they wouldn’t be able to mount their fourth comeback in three days. “We were playing our game, but we just couldn’t seem to put the puck in the back of the net,” Freeland stated. “I don’t want to take anything away from the Titans though. They played us really tough.” The Generals did find a way to come back, however. The team scored late in the third period to send the semi-final game to sudden death overtime. The first overtime, four on four for five minutes, saw no scoring from either side. Both teams played cautiously, and appeared to care more about not giving up a goal, rather than scoring one. The second overtime, three on three for five minutes, was a different story. The Titans found a way to end the Generals hopes when they scored on a break-away goal. “We had the chances we needed to win the game,” Freeland sighed. “We out shot [the Titans] 70-20, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net.”
Despite the disappointing loss, the Generals are looking forward to Opening Night where they face perennial powerhouse, and the Pre-Season Kickoff Tournament Champions, Fort Vancouver Pioneers. The Pioneers defeated the Tri-City Titans 6-5 in overtime of the championship game. For more information on the Pre-Season Kickoff Tournament or Opening Night please visit www.eugenegenerals.com.