The Drumheller Raptors season is starting to wind down and by the end of February players will be hanging up their jerseys and skates for a long summer’s nap.
Before that happens, many of the Raptors have a chance to prove their mettle in provincial playoffs.
The Canalta Novice Raptors are working to climb the ranks and secure a spot in the playoffs.
The weekend didn’t start off well for the Canalta Raptors when they made the trek to High Country to face one of the toughest teams in their tier. The Canalta Raptors lost, but came back the next day at home with a 8-4 win over Fort MacLeod.
“It was a good win for the kids,” said head coach Curt Notland. “We’re making a run at playoffs. We’re in sixth position, fighting to make it to fourth.”
The McDonald’s Novice Raptors struggled over the weekend, losing their games in Banff on January 28 and Blackie the next day. The McDonald’s Raptors will be heading back to Banff on February 4 to get some payback.
The DMHA Raptors spent the weekend on the road. On January 28, the DMHA Raptors were in Strathmore and came out with a tie. The next day the team returned to their winning ways with a 5 to 4 victory over Siksika.
The DMHA Novice Raptors entered the weekend at the top of their tier and came through the weekend still in first place. They have a critical game on February 4 against Brooks, the current second place team.
The Yavis Atom Raptors had a tough loss this past weekend to High River. The team is looking forward to a tournament in Bowden this weekend, featuring teams from south-central Alberta. The tournament will give the Yavis Raptors a chance to play against teams outside of their league.
The Hi-Way 9 Pee Wee Raptors had several games this past week, two of which were provincials.
On January 28, the Hi-Way 9 Raptors played a regular season game against Cremona at home and won 7-4.
The NGC Pee Wee Raptors faced a setback in their race to playoffs. On January 27, the team hosted Strathmore and were defeated 5-2. The next afternoon, the NGC Raptors fought back from 5-0 to finish the game with a tie.
The NGC Raptors are holding on to a playoff spot.
“We’re hoping the other teams lose and we win our last three games to make it to the playoffs,” said manager Christy Telford.
The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors were busy last week, playing four games in four days.
On January 26, the Midget Raptors started provincials on the right foot with an 8-5 victory over Kneehill. The team continued the momentum the next day with an 8-0 win against Okotoks.
The Midget Raptors couldn’t keep the pace on January 29 when they faced Prairie High in Three Hills and lost 4-2. The team was dealt a 4-2 loss in their second provincial game the next day.
“It was pretty rough, the boys were tired,” explained Darren Toffan, head coach.
The win on January 26 puts the Midget Raptors through to the second round of provincials.
The Boston Pizza/Western Chevrolet Raptors were on the warpath last week. The team started things off on January 25 by demolishing Brooks in provincials by a staggering 17-2. The Bantam Raptors continued the rampage with a 14-1 win over Medicine Hat and an 8-4 victory over Claresholm on January 29.
The regular season for minor hockey is slowing down. However, the playoffs are heating up with a few of the Raptors ready to strike at the championships.
For more information about minor hockey and to keep track of the march to the playoffs, visit www.drumhellerminorhockey.com.
