The Drumheller Dragons are bound for the second round of playoff action following a 3-0 series sweep over the Canmore Eagles.
On the evening of Thursday, March 7, the Dragons gave the Eagles a 4-0 thrashing. Two nights later, they won a hard fought 4-3 series final in Canmore.
Stephen Doane wasted no time getting the Dragons the lead with a huge breakaway goal 0:35 into the game.
From there, the Dragons kept up the pressure. Mitchell Cook put the Dragons up by two goals 15:56 into the first and Tyler Kerner followed up with the third goal of the night two minutes into the second period.
Afterwards, the momentum would shift back to the Eagles.
“I give them full credit for coming back. Usually when you’re down 3-0 it can be demoralizing. They really showed resilience,” said Brian Curran, head coach and general manager of the Dragons.
At 4:36, Harrison Hendrix was given two minutes for tripping and Baxandall joined him in the box 13 seconds later for cross-checking. The Eagles had another two man advantage.
This time it would pay off for the Eagles. The Dragons fought through a minute of 5 on 3 action, but Nils Moser managed to sneak the puck by Beukeboom for the Eagles first goal of the night.
Trey Phillips gave the Eagles their second goal a few minutes later and Alexander Bechtold tied the game up at 6:11 into the third.
The two teams fought back and forth, but couldn’t get the upper hand. The game would be decided in overtime.
Harrison Hendrix sent a shot at the Eagles net and picking up the rebound was Ryan Bloom who went top shelf on Ty Swabb for the series winning goal.
“We had great opportunities in the last 10 minutes, but Ryan Bloom deserved to win the game. He went to the net hard and got a shot away,” said Curran.
As of press time, the Dragons were awaiting confirmation on who they would play in the second round. Should the Olds Grizzlys prevail against the Okotoks Oilers, the Dragons will face the Camrose Kodiaks. If the Grizzlys lose, the Dragons go up against the Brooks Bandits.
For the games ahead, the Dragons must rein in the penalties.
“We need much more discipline, but a lot of our penalties were for hitting, which happens when you play a physical game,” said Curran. “But, we can’t afford to be down on a 5 on 3 against Brooks or Camorse.”
