The Oceanside Generals opened the New Year splitting a pair of Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League games.
Under the guidance of new head coach Garrett Dunlop, who took over bench duties following the departure of Marek Babic in December, the Generals kicked off 2025 on the road to take on the South Division's second-ranked team, the Westshore Wolves on Jan. 3.
The Generals played hard and stayed close in the first two periods but faded down the stretch, losing 5-3 to the Wolves. Scorers for the Generals were Logan Lough, Ryken Ray and Grady Dragani. Alexandre Alhaj assisted in two of the Generals' goals and earned the third star of the game.
Goalie Josh Nuttall manned the pipes for the Generals and turned away 36 of 41 shots.
The next night, the Generals played their first home game of the New Year against the Saanich Predators. It was a close game with the score tied 2-2 going into the final frame. The Predators got the lead early in the third but the Generals bounced back with two unanswered goals to earn the win, 4-3.
The Generals goals were garnered by Levi Gree, Mathias Alhaj, Kane Law and Lay.
Goalie Hunter Farrer stopped 36 shots to earn the win in goal.
The Generals moved their record to six wins, 24 losses and three overtime losses. Prior to December, they only had two wins to their credit.
The Generals will play two games at home at Oceanside Place this weekend. They are scheduled to host the Campbell River Storm on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. and the next day play a matinee game against the Port Alberni Bombers, at 2:30 p.m.
