It wasn’t quite how the Drumheller Dragons wanted to end the first half of their season.
On Thursday, December 20, The Dragons hosted the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in what turned into a tense game for players and fans alike.
The Dragons, though pouring shot after shot on the Oil Barons net, couldn’t find the back of the net. The Dragons skated into the holiday break with a 1-0 shootout loss.
For most of the game both teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate. Neither were many power play opportunities for either team in a relatively penalty free game.
After three periods of play, the teams went to a five minute over time period with a score of 0-0. The Dragons managed to send four shots at the Oil Barons net, but came up empty.
It was a goalies game and both were playing extremely well.
The game was eventually settled in a shootout.
The Oil Barons were up first and sent out Doug Jones, who had been a Dragon from 2009 to September of this year.
In what seemed to have been ripped from a Hollywood script, Jones scored the game winning goal against his former team. The three Dragons shooters that followed couldn’t penetrate the solid Oil Barons goaltending.
However, the Dragons head into the break with considerable momentum. Since November 11, the Dragons have won 12 of 17 games and have won three of their last five.
They are also poised to earn a spot in the playoffs this season. They are currently in fourth place in the AJHL southern division with 41 points and are only four points behind the second place Camrose Kodiaks.
The Dragons will return to action on January 2, when they head to Fort McMurray for a rematch against the Oil Barons. They will then return to Drumheller for their first home game on January 9 against the Okotoks Oilers.
