GALLERY: Latest chapter in Gens-Bisons rivalry comes here Sunday

It's been a few years since the Gens and Bisons have faced off in the HJHL playoffs. You can expect a buzz in the air at Totem One on Sunday afternoon for a rivalry that dates back 33 years. (file photo)

The latest chapter in a 33-year rivalry between the Cochrane Generals and Okotoks Bisons begins this Friday in the second round of HJHL playoffs.

The Cochrane Generals punched their ticket into the second round of the HJHL playoffs with a convincing 11-4 win over the Coaldale Copperheads on Feb 16 after losing a 2-1 squeaker the night before at the Coaldale Sportsplex (see photo gallery from Coaldale below).

Nearly 500 people packed Totem One for Game Three of the Coaldale series. 

The series win is a reversal of fortune for the Gens after being upset last season by the High River Flyers in overtime in game three of the opening round.

A shot at advancing the the HJHL south final hinges on overcoming the Bisons, the top-seeded team in the south, and ending their run at three consecutive HJHL championships.

Providing the Gens a little assurance heading into the series is knowing they can beat Okotoks. On Jan. 17, they beat the Bisons on the road for the first time since 2021.

The Gens last met the Bisons in the 2022 post-season in the HJHL championship series, losing four games straight. That same season, though, the Gens won silver at provincials, ahead of the Bisons third-place finish.

The south best-of-five semi-final series opens at Okotoks' Murray Arena on Friday before heading to Cochrane on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. After that, the series volleys back and forth between Okotoks and Cochrane until a winner is decided, no later than Mar. 2.