The bench keeps getting shorter for the Cochrane Generals in what has been a physical semifinal series against the Okotoks Bisons.

Game two on Saturday night in Cochrane saw the Bisons come from behind twice by using their physical play to muscle a 4-3 win and take the first two games in the best-of-three series.

Now, the Gens will have to steal one on the road this afternoon in Okotoks' Murray Arena to bring the series back to Cochrane Thursday. Otherwise, it's the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Gens Harry Osler finds some air time while lacing a shot towards the net.Last night, the Gens took a 2-0 lead with goals by Slater Ransom and Talus Hume in the first. Gens goalie Knute Loe robbed the Bisons of many golden opportunities to keep the Gens in control, especially during the penalty kills on a Walid Hassin tripping violation. 

The Bisons came out of the dressing room for the second with a beefed up physical game and had tightened their lackadaisy defensive play of the first. The Gens were caught scrambling and the Bisons got on the scoreboard at the 11:15 mark. Eleven seconds later a wildly fluttering high shot curved its way past the glove of Knute Loe to tie the match.

The Gens scored early in the third on a long feed from Hassin to Jarod Domingo to take a 3-2 lead but the Bisons wore them down. The Bisons kept building momentum and hit a few goal posts before tying the match, then scoring the winner with 4:29 on the clock.

Going into the game, the Gens were already without captain Austin Keller, who suffered a concussion on a high hit Friday night in Okotoks and is expected to be out of the lineup for at least a week. Jordan Fisher sustained a shoulder injury and River Ross was also out. Brandon Aab spent much of the third period in the penalty box on Friday night and received a one-game suspension for a fight at the final buzzer that saw him sidelined for game two. 

The Bisons used their size to penetrate the slot to pressure Knute Loe.

Already down these key players, sniper Slater Ransom was shaken up in the first period on Saturday and missed the balance of the game and is now day-by-day on the injury list.

Players like Jarod Domingo and Talus Hume spent most of the third period on the ice to try and find some offensive punch. Fast-skating Domingo became a target of the Bisons and took some brutal hits on his constant drives into the Bisons zone.

The short bench definitely hurt but head coach Travis McMillan admired how players stepped up their play. 

"The guys stepped up and they battled and being short staffed can bring out the best in players. It's unfortunate we got the loss. It's a tough one to take but we'll be ready to go at 1:15 tomorrow in Okotoks."

Braden Bain looks to put one just below the crossbar on 6'4" Devin Reagan, but he comes out to block it.He expects another physical matchup today.

"That's their game, and they play it extremely well. Their coaching staff knows it, their management knows it. Sometimes if you get on your heels it's tough to match but our guys are used to playing that way. We lost a bit of the physicality in the second period and we didn't set the tone the way I think we wanted to. They just played their game and came out on top."