Copperheads eliminated by Generals

The Coaldale Copperheads playoff run has come to an end.

The Copperheads were defeated 7-5 by the Cochrane Generals during Game 6 of the teams’ best-of-seven Heritage Junior Hockey League South Division final series Saturday night at the Coaldale Sportsplex.

The result gives the Generals a 4-2 series win and advances them to the league final where they will face the Red Deer Vipers, who knocked off the North Division-leading Mountainview Colts in seven games in the Northern Division final.

On Saturday at the Coaldale Sportsplex, the teams lit into each other with seven first period goals as Cochrane held a 4-3 lead after 20 minutes.

The Copperheads tied it up at 4-4 with the sole goal of the second period and took a 5-4 lead 3:07 into the third, but the Generals rattled off three unanswered goals in the last 3:50 — the last one an emptynetter — to clinch the win and the series.

Dillan Kelly stopped 38 of 44 shots in the loss.

Tyler Anderson, Matthew Nadeau and Ryan Swier — a shorthanded goal — scored in the first period for Coaldale.

Nadeau added his second of the game for the Copperheads in the second and MacKenzie Karl briefly gave Coaldale the lead in the third.

The Generals posted a 4-3 win in Game 5 Friday night in Cochrane to take a 3-2 series lead, a night where Kelly was busy, facing 64 shots and stopping 60.

The Copperheads tied the game 3-3 with 6:42 left in regulation on a power play goal from Matt Krusky, but the Generals struck for the game-winner with 2:19 to go.

Nadeau scored the other two Coaldale goals Friday night.