The North Central Hockey League officially wrapped up regular-season games on Sunday, January 19th. 

In the regular-season standings, the Morinville Kings wound up in the first of the league. Only the top eight teams were eligible to compete in league playoffs meaning the Westlock Warriors have been eliminated at ninth in the league. 

Here, you will find a summary of the season for some of the teams located in Central Alberta and a playoff schedule to be updated as information becomes available.  

 

Lacombe AA Generals:

The Lacombe AA Generals came in at sixth in the league. The team suffered a setback regarding their name change from Eckville Eagles to the AA Generals when they donned jerseys shortly before the league approved the change. As a result, the team’s General Manager and Head Coach, Reed Watts was temporarily suspended.

Not long after, an unregistered player was noted by the league in the November 3rd game against the Blackfalds Wranglers and the game was automatically forfeited to their opponent. 

Despite their setbacks and challenges, the team managed a pretty steady season at 7 wins and 8 losses. In quarterfinals, the Generals will face the Daysland Northstars for a five-game series. Daysland sits at third in the league, but Lacombe has outscored them 11-10. 

Lacombe AA Generals Quarter Final Schedule: 

Game 1: 2-1 for the Lacombe AA Generals. 

Game 2: 7-5 for the Daysland Northstars.  

Game 3: February 7th in Daysland at 8:15 PM.

Game 4: February 8th in Daysland at 8:45 PM. (If necessary) 

Game 5: February 9th in Daysland at 3:00 PM. (If necessary) 

 

Blackfalds Wranglers: 

It was a little tough for the Blackfalds Wranglers to find their feet this season. Managing the highs and lows of the game came as a bit of a struggle for the team who often saw great wins such as their November 24th 12-3 victory against the Bonnyville Pontiacs and a few unfortunate losses.  

The team has seen 6 wins and 9 losses from the regular season, but begun closing the gap between goals for and against resulting in closer games and more victories to close off the season. 

The Wranglers will face the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs who sit second in the league for their 5-game quarter-finals. The Wranglers have outscored the Chiefs 12-9 in the regular season and have even defeated the Chiefs by 7-5 in October. 

Blackfalds Wranglers Quarter Final Schedule: 

Game 1: 3-2 for the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs. 

Game 2: 13-5 for the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs. 

Game 3: February 2nd in Blackfalds at 3:30 PM. 

Game 4: February 7th in Blackfalds TBA. (If necessary)

Game 5: February 8th in Fort Saskatchewan at 8:00 PM. (If necessary) 

Red Deer Rustlers: 

The Red Deer Rustlers sit in 4th in the league with 10 wins and 6 losses during the regular season. Throughout the season, the Rustlers have seen both a win and loss from all teams in the league except for the Morinville Kings and the Devon Barons, where the Rustlers claimed dominant victories. 

The Rustlers winning streak against the Devon Barons will be challenged in the quarter-finals where the teams will square off for a 5-games. Red Deer goes into the series outscoring Devon at 12-5.  

Red Deer Rustlers Quarter Final Schedule: 

Game 1: 4-0 for the Red Deer Rustlers. 

Game 2: 6-4 for the Red Deer Rustlers. 

Game 3: 5-0 for the Red Deer Rustlers.