After ending 2021 with a four-game win streak the Airdrie Techmation Thunder have gone for an entire month without tasting victory.  

The Thunder dropped home-and-home games to the Cochrane Generals this weekend, ending January on a seven-game winless slide that's been exacerbated by the team facing a number of COVID-19 cases which caused the cancellation of several games this month.  

After losing to the South Division-leading Okotoks Bisons 7 - 2 on Tuesday in Okotoks, the Thunder were back at home for a Friday night contest to face the North Division-leading Generals. 

The Gens Patrick Forde padded his Heritage Junior Hockey League scoring lead, connecting for his 49th and 50th goals of the season in leading Cochrane to a 6 - 2 win.  Forde now has 79 points on the season.  Tristan Ripplinger, who sits second in league scoring, added four assists for the Generals.  Brett LeGrandeur and Curtis Patrick had the goals for the Thunder. 

Last night (January 29), all the scoring was done in the first period as the Generals came away with a 2 - 1 victory at the Cochrane Arena.  Jeremy Jobin opened the scoring for Airdrie before Kyle Crosbie, who recently joined the Generals from the WHL,  tied it less than four minutes later for Cochrane.  The Generals'  Jordan Marks got the eventual game-winner just before the halfway mark of the first before both teams barred the door for the rest of the night.

To demonstrate just how even the two teams were this weekend, the shots on goal over the two games were identical, with each firing 76 at the other's goal.  Shots were 37 - 37 Friday and 39 - 39 on Saturday.  

Airdrie remains in fifth place in the North Division with 32 points in 31 games.   They trail the Mountainview Colts by ten points.

This week the Thunder play three games on the road starting Wednesday night in Red Deer when they'll take on the Vipers.  They're in High River for a Friday night encounter with the Flyers before wrapping up the weekend on Saturday with a game against the Wheatland Kings in Strathmore.  

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