The Drumheller Dragons are getting off on the right foot this season. On Tuesday evening, the boys headed to grizzly territory and showed these Dragons have got some fire.
It was the first game of the exhibition season for the Dragons. They won 6-3 against their southern division rivals, the Olds Grizzlys. The Dragons let the puck fly, shooting 55 shots to the Grizzlys 24.
Head coach and general manager Brian Curran was encouraged by what he saw.
“I think the kids were a little nervous in the first period, but it was nice to see quite a bit of speed from the boys. They looked like they had a lot fun and they certainly deserved that game. It’s a great win for them. It should help their confidence. I was impressed by what they did. It’s a great start,” said Curran.
Dragons fell behind initially, but worked to tie the game and eventually add several more goals.
“I thought the kids worked hard for 60 minutes. Probably the most positive sign was when we tied the game up 3-3 and the boys stepped it up even more and got three more goals,” said Curran.
While winning the first game of the 2012/2013 season, the most important aspect of the game was being able to see the boys in action and parsing the roster down to the team that will start the regular season.
“It was a rookie game, but still for the success I put a lot of stock into it, because it’s camp and we’re trying to get things down to a certain number. It’s my players, my young guys, out there and there are decisions to make,” said Curran.
“There are a couple really young kids we’re sending back. We thought they deserved the opportunity to play the game, because they worked hard. We just felt, with the numbers we have now, it’s better for them to step back and we’ll look at them during the season. We’ll possibly affiliate them, because they did very well.”
The Dragons have just under a week until their next game. Until then, the Dragons are working hard to train, learn, and earn a spot on the final roster.
“That’s what we’re in training camp for; to get our systems in place and the guys in the shape I need them. We’ve got to work on defensive zone coverage, neutral zone, forecheck, power play, penalty kill, face off alignment, and 6 on 5’s. There’s a tonne of work to do,” said Curran.
One the changes saw the Dragons start in the gym at 6:45 a.m.
The Dragons will be at home on Wednesday, August 29, facing the Calgary Canucks. However, Curran and his squad are remaining focused on getting things right.
“We’re not even thinking about it right now. Right now, we’re thinking about getting ourselves where we need to be. Our goal is to make other teams understand when they step into the arena this year, it’s going to be like it was years ago. This is not a place you want to come in and play. We’ve got to get that attitude and atmosphere back,” said Curran.
“We’ve got show our community and our fans this team will be different. We could talk all day long, but at the end of the day we’ve got to show up and prove it on the ice and people have to come and see it fore themselves.”
The puck drops for the Dragons first home game of the season at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
