Oceanside’s Save-On-Foods Generals will have some new faces in the lineup this weekend as they take to the ice for three games in three days looking to halt a four game losing streak.
“We figured that with a bunch of new kids, with so many rookies in the lineup trying to learn the systems we like to use, we’d get off to a slow start, so we decided to give the kids we had a 10-game trial to see what they could give us, to see who would fit,” Gens’ fist year assistant coach Rob Gaudreault told The News Thursday. Gaudreault, from Port Alberni, was an assistant coach with Gens’ bench boss Brent Demerais in Port last season where the two guided the Midget Rep Bulldogs to a league title and second place finish on the Island in the Tier 1 playoffs.
The Generals are nine games into the VIJHL regular season, “but we made quite a few changes this week,” said Gaudreault.
Forward Shane Dial was moved to the Nanaimo Buccaneers for D-men Darion Pauze and Quinlan Moore. Right winger Will McNamara was also sent to Nanaimo for left winger Robert Cahill.
Goalie Josh Alalouf and defenseman Zach MacIntyre were traded to the Kerry Park Islanders for local centerman James Sneddon and the playing rights of forward Cole Snyder currently on the Islanders reserve list.
Sneddon, who came up through Oceanside Minor Hockey, makes his debut with the hometown Gens Friday night.
“We’ve been really busy,” confirmed Gaudreault, adding “we as coaches and management thought we’d make these moves to make our team stronger — nothing against the players that were here, we tried to move them to their home towns, and we’d like to thank them for their hard work and dedication.”
The Generals are down Island tonight (Friday) to tangle with the Peninsula Panthers, and return home to Oceanside Place for a weekend set. On Saturday they host the Saanich Braves (7:30 p.m. start) and on Sunday the Comox Valley Glacier Kings are in town for a big North division showdown. Puck drops at 2:30 p.m.