The Drumheller Minor Hockey Raptors have been racking up the wins over the past two weekends, with several of the teams in position to take control of their respective divisions.
The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget tier 3 Raptors are poised to rise through the standings in their league after a crucial 7-5 win over Airdrie on Sunday, November 25.
However, the following weekend the team was dealt a setback, losing 4-1 in Cremona.
Coaches are hopeful the win will be a stepping stone to the top of the standings. The Midgets are currently in sixth place in their league.
“We’re still working on getting used to each other and playing as a team. Once we get on the same playing field, we’ll be an excellent team,” said assistant coach Nick Schinnour. “All the other teams have played three to five games more than us. Once we catch up, I think we’ll be one of the top teams in the standings.”
The Boston Pizza/Western Chev Bantam tier 3 Raptors continued their undefeated streak at home against Cochrane on Saturday, winning 6-3. A week later, they continued the momentum and won 5-1 at home over Chestermere.
The Bantams are currently in second place in their league and are one point behind the league leader. They have an advantage having played two fewer games.
The NGC Pee Wee tier 2 Raptors continue to dominate their league after winning 5-2 at home against Oyen on November 23 and 6-1 in Medicine Hat the following day. On Saturday they followed up with a 11-4 victory in Indus.
The Pee Wee 2 team is currently sitting at 12 points, double that of their closest competition.
The Hi-Way 9 Pee Wee tier 5 Raptors finished their weekend with a 5-5 tie at home on November 24 against Strathmore and an 8-6 win against Indus the following afternoon.
The team was recently moved up from tier 6 and welcomes the competition.
“I think the season’s going to work out pretty good. We were re-tiered to tier 5...it’s going to make it a little more competitive, get the kids ready for next year, and keep pushing the kids to get better,” said coach Mark Coultes.
The Encana Atom tier 3 Raptors had a tough weekend, losing 5-1 against both Canmore and Oyen. The team was coming off a 4-3 win over Strathmore the previous weekend.
The Yavis Atom tier 6 Raptors began their weekend with a 8-5 win over Brooks on Saturday, but lost 5-2 against High County the next morning.
The Yavis Raptors are currently in third place in their league.
The McDonald’s tier 3 Novice Raptors had a busy, but successful two weeks. On November 24 they hosted Cochrane and won 7-3. The following day they defeated Blackie 8-2. They then continued to dominate with a 6-2 win over Hanna on Saturday.
The wins give the team seven points in their league, placing them in fourth. However, the top teams have played between two to four more games, meaning the Raptors are poised to climb the standings.
The Canalta Novice tier 6 Raptors are currently sitting in second place in their league after suffering two tough losses against Beiseker and Chestermere over the past two weekends.
The teams will head back on the ice this weekend, leaving only two more weeks before the teams take a break for the holidays.
