Three members of the Cochrane Generals will be lacing up for the 2nd annual all-star game of the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) being held in Airdrie on Sun. Jan. 6 at the Rob Ebbesen Arena starting at 1:30 p.m.

Team co-captains Brandon Aab and Chris Sambrook, as well as defenceman Jordon Marks, will be suiting up for the south team to take on the north division all-stars.

For Aab, it will be only his second game back after missing most of November and December due to illness.

Sambrook has appeared in all 25 Gens games and is third in scoring with 12 goals and 14 assists.

Jordan Marks came to the Gens early in the season from the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs after deciding to leave that league.

Twenty players from both divisions are featured and HJHL fans are in for a real treat watching the north and south battling for bragging rights for who is the best in the league.

Last year, the south won a 7-6 thriller. The south came back with two goals in the last 38 seconds of regulation to force the shootout. Austin Keller, Talus Hume and Slater Ransom represented the Gens and both Ransom and Hume scored.

Gens head coach Travis McMillan says the game provides the HJHL with an opportunity to showcase the depth of their talent. He's glad to see it continue and believes adding a prospects game and possibly a scholarship program in the future would also be valuable additions.

Twelve HJHL teams have selected three players for the game while division leaders—Coaldale and Airdrie-- are both sending four. The top two goalies in both divisions fill out the rosters.

“From what we’ve seen this year we could have sent three or four different guys,” says McMillan.

Gens open New Year at Home Friday Night

Before that, the Gens will be hosting the Strathmore Wheatland Kings for their first game of the New Year this Friday night (Jan. 4) at the Cochrane Arena. Game time is 8 p.m.

The Gens solidified their grip on third place in the south standings on the strength of a four-game winning streak to close out 2018. They are five points behind the Okotoks Bisons and have a game in hand.

The Kings are in a fight with Medicine Hat for fourth.

The south leading Coaldale Copperheads have been smoking hot and are on an 11-game win rampage.