After two wins this past week, the Drumheller Dragons are poised to overtake the Canmore Eagles in the standings and secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Dragons were in Calgary to face the Mustangs on Thursday, January 19, hoping to build upon their win against the Calgary Canucks two days prior.
Unfortunately, the Dragons couldn’t rein in the Mustangs, and lost 5-1.
The Mustangs got to the scoreboard first, but Sam Lawson, with help from Tye Hand and Ryan Bloom, was able to tie the game up for the Dragons two minutes later. The teams went to the first intermission with a 1-1 tie.
A boarding penalty for Logan Scevior proved to be damaging, as the Mustangs were able to take advantage and get a 2-1 lead at 4:44 into the second period.
The Dragons slipped further behind when Tye Hand was called for interference and Bryton Mills incurred a charging penalty. The Mustangs scored another goal against the short handed Dragons.
The Mustangs pulled ahead even further, scoring two goals late in the game.
“We had our chances to win that game, so the guys are definitely working hard to win,” said head coach Barry Wolff.
The Dragons returned home to face the St. Albert Steel two nights later on Saturday, January 21. The Steel rusted under the Dragons onslaught and the Dragons won 4-0, their first shut out this season.
The Dragons came out fast and hard hitting which paid off at 14:10 into the first period when Josh McKissock took advantage of a scramble around the Steel net and snapped the puck in.
A mere 43 seconds later, Giovanni Bombini on a breakaway and using some tricky moves snuck the puck into the Steel net for the Dragons second goal.
The Dragons continued to pressure the Steel throughout the second period. Josh McKissock scored his second goal of the night with help from Brody Robinson and Kenton Levesque at 19:00 into the second period.
The Dragons fourth and final goal of the game was scored by Sam Lawson, assisted by Ryan Bloom and Josh Kluck, on a powerplay courtesy of a Steel hooking penalty.
The win puts the Dragons closer to a spot in the playoffs. The Dragons are currently tied at 29 points with the Canmore Eagles. However, the Dragons are still behind, because they have one more loss than the Eagles. The Dragons need to string together more wins to get ahead.
Those wins will have to come on the road against the Dragons southern division rivals. Starting on Thursday, January 26, the Dragons will play against the Calgary Mustangs, Calgary Canucks, and the Olds Grizzlys. The Dragons will not return to play at home until February 7.
“We’re taking it one game at time. There isn’t a team on the schedule we can’t beat,” said Wolff. “We just need to play consistently and continue to get better every day.”
