The Dragons are where they want to be, playing great hockey, winning games, and back on top in the Rogers Wireless South.
The Dragons claimed the division’s top seat this week. After an 8-0-0 streak with two overtime losses, morale, discipline and energy are all up.
“We’re on a roll right now so guys are holding each other accountable, and we’re holding them accountable. They are coming to the rink every day having fun,” said assistant coach Jason Hegberg. “They are expecting to win every time they step on the ice.”
This week saw the Dragons win all six points made available to them playing the Okotoks Oilers, Drayton Valley Thunder and the Canmore Eagles respectively at home. Again the tough Dragons offense put in 14 goals over the three games, but this time they held their opponents to just six.
On Tuesday, October 14 the Oilers were in the Dragons’ Den, and opened the scoring on the powerplay after a scoreless period. Trevor Smyth tied the game to end the second period. Okotoks got the jump on the Dragons and went up 2-1, but less than a minute later Jeff Young tied the game again. Five minutes later Okotoks went up 3-2, but then Drumheller went on a tear. Erik Slemp scored his first of the game on the powerplay, and then two minutes later Smyth put the Dragons up 4-3. Robert Nocera and Scott Kennedy each dropped a puck into an empty net to end the game 6-3.
The Dragons had a goalie to beat on Friday night (October 17) when they took on the Drayton Valley Thunder. Drayton Valley led after the first period, but at the 13-minute mark of the second, Patrick Bartoshyk tied up the score. Four minutes into the third period Justin Morello scored the winner. The Dragons outshot the Thunder 34-26.
On Saturday night, again the opposition scored the first goal of the game, but Bartoshyk evened the score with the Canmore Eagles before the first period was up. Justin Faryna got the Dragons’ momentum going in the second with a short-handed goal only 1:55 into the first period. Two minutes later he followed it up with a powerplay goal. Cam Lamoureux scored with nine minutes left in the period, putting the Dragons up 4-2 after two.
Five minutes into the third period Trent Colberg put the game way out of reach, and then Young scored short-handed. Final Score: Dragons 6; Eagles 2.
Hegberg says the team has a great pool of talent to rely on, but it still needs to work on the back end.
“First and foremost we have a very talented hockey club, that’s a no brainer. It’s cliché, you can have all the talent in the world, but if you are not on the same page, then things don’t work. Right now we’re getting there, but we’re not there yet?” said Hegberg. “We got enough talent to win hockey games by scoring a whole bunch of goals, but we’re still not where we want to be defensively, but we are definitely making huge strides.”
He says the team has even more potential.
“We’re in first place, and that is where we want to be. Coming from a coach’s standpoint and the players standpoint, we still think we are better than what we have shown, defense is where we need to get better and the guys know that.”
The Dragons are on the road until Wednesday, October 29 when they take on the Olds Grizzlys at home.
Dragons on a smoking streak
The Dragons are where they want to be, playing great hockey, winning games, and back on top in the Rogers Wireless South.
The Dragons claimed the division’s top seat this week. After an 8-0-0 streak with two overtime losses, morale, discipline and energy are all up.
“We’re on a roll right now so guys are holding each other accountable, and we’re holding them accountable. They are coming to the rink every day having fun,” said assistant coach Jason Hegberg. “They are expecting to win every time they step on the ice.”
This week saw the Dragons win all six points made available to them playing the Okotoks Oilers, Drayton Valley Thunder and the Canmore Eagles respectively at home. Again the tough Dragons offense put in 14 goals over the three games, but this time they held their opponents to just six.
On Tuesday, October 14 the Oilers were in the Dragons’ Den, and opened the scoring on the powerplay after a scoreless period. Trevor Smyth tied the game to end the second period. Okotoks got the jump on the Dragons and went up 2-1, but less than a minute later Jeff Young tied the game again. Five minutes later Okotoks went up 3-2, but then Drumheller went on a tear. Erik Slemp scored his first of the game on the powerplay, and then two minutes later Smyth put the Dragons up 4-3. Robert Nocera and Scott Kennedy each dropped a puck into an empty net to end the game 6-3.
The Dragons had a goalie to beat on Friday night (October 17) when they took on the Drayton Valley Thunder. Drayton Valley led after the first period, but at the 13-minute mark of the second, Patrick Bartoshyk tied up the score. Four minutes into the third period Justin Morello scored the winner. The Dragons outshot the Thunder 34-26.
On Saturday night, again the opposition scored the first goal of the game, but Bartoshyk evened the score with the Canmore Eagles before the first period was up. Justin Faryna got the Dragons’ momentum going in the second with a short-handed goal only 1:55 into the first period. Two minutes later he followed it up with a powerplay goal. Cam Lamoureux scored with nine minutes left in the period, putting the Dragons up 4-2 after two.
Five minutes into the third period Trent Colberg put the game way out of reach, and then Young scored short-handed. Final Score: Dragons 6; Eagles 2.
Hegberg says the team has a great pool of talent to rely on, but it still needs to work on the back end.
“First and foremost we have a very talented hockey club, that’s a no brainer. It’s cliché, you can have all the talent in the world, but if you are not on the same page, then things don’t work. Right now we’re getting there, but we’re not there yet?” said Hegberg. “We got enough talent to win hockey games by scoring a whole bunch of goals, but we’re still not where we want to be defensively, but we are definitely making huge strides.”
He says the team has even more potential.
“We’re in first place, and that is where we want to be. Coming from a coach’s standpoint and the players standpoint, we still think we are better than what we have shown, defense is where we need to get better and the guys know that.”
The Dragons are on the road until Wednesday, October 29 when they take on the Olds Grizzlys at home.
