Flint Generals (CoHL, 1994-95)

1994-95 Regular Season:
Generals vs. Saginaw Wheels

      The Flint Generals were coming off a successful inaugural season in 1994, both on and off the ice. The team made the playoffs that season and reached Game 7 of the semifinals. In response, Flint fans flocked to the IMA Sports Arena, with an average of 3,579 per game, second most in the Colonial Hockey League and the largest average for a Flint hockey team in years. Expectations were high for Year Two, as Peter Horachek returned as Head Coach/GM.

     The Generals took a step back in 1994-95, as the team finished with a 34-34-6 record, back in last place in the West Division. Their 74 points were five back of third place Saginaw and 18 behind first-place Detroit. While the attendance average dipped slightly, to 3,454 per game, Flint was still first place in the Colonial League in that statistic.

     Offense was not an issue that year, as the Generals topped the Colonial Hockey League with 350 goals. Kevin Kerr led the way with 63 goals and 119 points in 62 games. Brian Sakic was next with 28 goals and 113 points in 62 games. Todd Humphrey (35), Jeff Whittle (31) and Kyle Reeves (38) were the other 3-goal scorers. 

     The Generals struggled on defense in 1994-95, as Flint allowed 353 goals, third-most in the league. Horachek used six goaltenders that year. Returning starter Mark Gowans played in 24 games, but went 10-8-3 with a 4.64 GAA before being released. Midseason signing Vern Geutens, from the ECHL's Erie Panthers, played 22 games, sporting an 8-10-2 record and 4.36 GAA. Ryan Douglas, in his only season of pro hockey, went 7-8-1 with a 5.31 GAA in 19 games. Other netminders included Stan Matwijiw, Jamey Organ and Joe Bonvie. Bonvie and Geutens saw action in the playoffs. The leading scorer on defense was ex-Spirt and Bulldog Stephane Brochu, who had 12 goals and 49 points in 60 games. 

     Part of the reason for the team's struggles on defense was likely killing off power plays. Flint again

led the Colonial League in penalty minutes, piling up 2,275 minutes this year. Left winger Todd Humphrey piled up a career high 357 minutes in 61 games. Kerr was next with 284 minutes, while defenseman Kevin Barrett was the other player with at least 250 PIM, finishing with 254. Ken Blum racked up 164 minutes in his first season in the league, while defenseman Ken Spangler (another ex-Spirit and Bulldog) had 135 in 55 games. Four other players had at least 100 minutes.

     Only the Brantford Smoke were eliminated from the postseason, so the Generals were playoff bound for the second-straight year. Their opponent would be the Saginaw Wheels, who moved from Chatham during the summer of 1994. This was the first time Flint and Saginaw met in a playoff series since 1987-88, when the Flint Spirits swept the Saginaw Hawks to advance to the Turner Cup Finals. This time, the Wheels downed the Generals in six games, taking the last two games by a combined score of 9-4 and outscoring the Generals 27-23 in the six games. Saginaw would then fall to the eventual Colonial Cup Champion Thunder Bay Senators in five games in the semifinals.

     This program is an even 100 pages, larger than last year's edition, and loaded with even more ads. Flint's affiliates from the previous year returned, and the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL were added. The usual items are included: a welcome letter from team owner Dr. Shukairy, bios on the coaching staff, opponent profiles and articles about the sport. 

     I went to a few Generals games this season, but this program is from a game between the Generals and Saginaw Wheels. In front of a sellout crowd of 4,421, the Generals downed the Wheels, 7-3. Vern Geutens was in goal for Flint, while Saginaw countered with Kevin Butt.  Joe Bonvie is the cover player for the roster insert that night. This was his only season in Flint and one of only two in the Colonial League. During the 1994-95 season, Bonvie played with the ECHL's Columbus Chill and the IHL's Indianapolis Ice. Joe would be claimed by the expansion Madison Monsters for the 1995-96 season.

     Here's Saginaw's roster that night. Several players, along with the coaching staff, were holdovers from Chatham's 1994 finals run. The best player on the Wheels, IMO, was Jamey Hicks. Hicks previously played for the Brantford Smoke, winning the 1992-93 Colonial Cup. He was a dependable forward, scoring 42 goals and 102 points in 62 games. I was hoping that he would return to Saginaw when the team was renamed (again) the Saginaw Gears, but it never happened. Lee Giffen was a former Penguins prospect that played 19 games over two seasons in Pittsburgh in the mid-1980s, and won the 1989 Turner Cup in Muskegon. He also played for the 1989-90 Flint Spirits. Jim Ritchie was another solid player for Saginaw that year. Jim was a Chatham native who played for the Wheels from 1992-96. He was a 30-goal scorer this year, and scored 41 in 1993-94. And then there's Kevin Butt, one of the better goaltenders in the early years of the Colonial Hockey League. Butt played the majority of his career in this league and helped lead St. Thomas and Chatham to the Colonial Cup Finals. He came back to Saginaw in 1997-98 and 1998-99, playing 41 games for the Lumber Kings and one for the Gears, before retiring.

     And here's the Generals roster. This game was later in the season, as both Mark Gowans and Ryan Douglas, the net minders to the start the year, were long gone by then. Geutens got the nod in goal and had a pretty good game. He didn't have too bad of a season, considering the Generals were rather porous on offense. This was his only season in the CoHL, and last season in hockey. Jeff Whittle made his debut in Flint this season. He was one of the better players the Generals had in their early years, a dependable 20-30 goal-scorer who wasn't afraid to mix it up. Jeff just missed winning the Colonial Cup in 1996, as he was traded to Utica for defenseman Jamie Hearn. He came back next season and also played several games for the IHL's Detroit Vipers. Ken Spangler and Stephane Brochu, along with Brett MacDonald, were the only players to have played for the Flint Spirits, Flint Bulldogs and the second version of the Flint Generals. Peter Horachek played for the original Flint Generals and won the 1984 Turner Cup, then later returned to Flint as player/assistant coach with the 1989 Flint Spirits. Keith Whitmore played for three Michigan-based Colonial League teams: the Generals, Detroit Falcons and Saginaw Lumber Kings. Several players on both of these rosters would play in the Roller Hockey International.

     Local advertisements include Kessel Food Markets ("We're With You!), WSMH FOX 66, Walli's Restaurants, Superior Pontiac Cadillac, King Par Skate Shop and WCRZ Cars 108 (107.9 FM).

Aftermath: Peter Horachek would be fired after the 1994-95 season, replaced by Robbie Nichols. Horachek would go on to a long career as an assistant coach in the NHL, including two interim coaching stints in Florida and Toronto.  The Generals would become the primary affiliate of the IHL's Detroit Vipers for the 1995-96 season, which would see the team dominate the Colonial League with a 51-18-5 record and win their first Colonial Cup championship.

Reference:

Colonial Hockey League Statistics: 1994-95, from hockeydb.com