For the first Time since 1975, a Drumheller team is headed to the AJHL final. Tonight the Dragons are in Spruce Grove to take on the Saints in Game 1 of the championship series.
The stage is set and the Dragons are ready for their curtain call this Friday in Spruce Grove.
The Saints won their series versus the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Tuesday night setting up a championship series to remember. Coach Brian Curran said no matter who they ended up facing, they were going to be a strong team.
“They (the Spruce Grove Saints) are the best team in the AJHL this year, there are a lot of things they do well, they are very well coached and systematic and have some great youth on their team and are working very hard,” said Curran in his assessment of the Saints.
The Saints concluded the regular season with an incredible 47 wins, but were pushed to seven games in the playoffs versus the Sherwood Park Crusaders and then the Oil Barons.
“They came back from 3-1 (versus Fort McMurray), so that shows the character they have on their team,” said Curran.
“Their powerplay is strong and they have a good penalty kill. There’s a reason teams like Fort McMurray, Spruce Grove and Brooks are at the top all the time. They are good, period. They get some good players and the program is good.”
To be successful, the Dragons have to do what they do best. This season the two teams have met twice, and on both occasions, the Saints prevailed.
“The long story short, we are going to have to play our game, we can’t play another way. They’re going to be a tough opponent and I think if both teams play their best hockey, it is going to be one heck of a series,” said Curran.
In Drumheller, a trip to the AJHL final goes back to the 1974-1975 Drumheller Falcons, when they faced the Spruce Grove Mets, a team coached by Doug Messier and featured Mark’s older brother Paul.
Curran said the Dragons’ success would help the organization build.
“Our hope is we are going to be successful. We have been successful to this point, but we have a few more places to go and that will give us some notoriety, and players will want to come here to play. That is how programs are built,” he said.
Playoffs start tonight for the Dragons as they head to Spruce grove for Game one at 7:30 p.m. Game two is on Saturday.
The teams will be back in Drumheller for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday.
