The AJHL playoffs, which the Drumheller Dragons fought so hard to earn a place in, are over for the Dragons. On Monday night, the Okotoks Oilers sent the Dragons to the off season.
    The Oilers, the second place team in the AJHL southern division at the close of the regular season, defeated the Dragons in three straight games.
    The Dragons had started their post season on Friday, February 24 in Okotoks. The Dragons lost 3-2.
    The two teams exchanged goals and by the middle of the third period, after a goal by Sam Lawson, the game was tied. Unfortunately, a tripping penalty by Kenton Levesque, gave the Oilers the edge and they scored their third and game winning goal.
    The next night the battle resumed.
    The Dragons got on the scoreboard first, thanks to Josh Kluck, and held a 1-0 lead until the Oilers got a powerplay goal mid way through the second period.
    At 1:47 into the third, the Oilers took the lead, but Kluck scored his second of the night and sent the game to overtime.
    It was a minute into overtime when the Dragons were dealt a heartbreaking loss and fell behind in the series 2-0.
     Then came Monday night, a chance to use the energy of the Drumheller crowd to get a vital win and keep the series alive.
    The Dragons were on the defensive in the first period. The Dragons had difficulty getting the puck out of their zone and couldn’t penetrate the thick Oilers defence. The Oilers poured the shots on Braden Gamble and out-shot the Dragons a staggering 51-18. Gamble had a workload that would have been difficult for even the most experienced goalie.
    The Dragons woes were exacerbated by penalties that resulted in the Oilers scoring two powerplay goals in the first period.
    When the Dragons came out for the second period, the team looked more determined to take the puck to the net.
    Co-captain Kevin McMillan led by example and scored the first Dragons goal with help from Sam Lawson and Ryan Bloom.
    The Oilers were aggressive all night and the Dragons were having difficulty with interceptions and handling the puck. A turnover mid ice, while the Dragons were on a powerplay, cost the Dragons dearly. The Oilers scored a short-handed, moral boosting, goal.
    The Dragons still fought hard. Levesque charged the Oilers net and caught their goalie off guard, swiped the puck, and scored the Dragons second goal of the night at 15:56 into the second period.
    By the end of the second, The Oilers had scored another goal and the teams went to the second intermission with the Oilers leading 4-2.
    With twenty minutes remaining, it was do or die. The Dragons never gave up and kept fighting harder as the clock wound down.
    Bryton Mills, with an assist from Brodie Jamieson and Giovanni Bombini, scored the Dragons third goal at 7:02 into the third. With just under 13 minutes left, the Oilers lead did not seem so insurmountable.
    Then, at 12:59 into the third, with 7 minutes remaining, Justin Cintas threw a punch that may have changed the game entirely. Cintas, taking exception to an Oiler roughing Levesque, attempted to fight the offending Oiler. It took two referees to pull him off.
    The result was 2 minutes for instigating, 5 minutes for fighting, and 10 minutes for misconduct. The Dragons, with 7:01 minutes left, suddenly had to kill a five minute penalty and, on top of that, score the tieing goal.
    The Dragons were on their heels during the penalty kill. A couple chances were narrowly missed. The Dragons were desperate to score and the Oilers desperate to stop them.
    In the dying seconds, the Dragons made a gamble and pulled Gamble out the net. The extra attacker was sorely needed. The play backfired and the Oilers scored their fifth goal, on an empty net, with only 18 seconds left in the game.
    Soon after, the horn sounded and the game, series, and season were over for the Dragons.
    The team gathered around Gamble, the stalwart goalie and home star, and consoled one another. They then shook hands with the victors and gave a salute to the fans who have watched them throughout the season.
    Then, the Dragons slipped quietly into the dressing room, with only the distant next season to look forward to.

    It was not the way the Drumheller Dragons wanted to end the regular season, leaving their playoff fate in the hands of another team.
    Things could not have been closer, but the Canmore Eagles failed to surpass the Dragons in the standings, meaing the Dragons are headed to the AJHL playoffs to compete for the Enerflex Cup.
    Last week was tense for the Dragons.
    The Dragons had a chance on Thursday, February 16, to control their playoff future when they faced the Okotoks Oilers for their final game of the season. The Dragons were beaten 4-1.
    It was a must win situation for the Dragons. Before the game, the Dragons were three points ahead of the Canmore Eagles. The Dragons had one game left, whereas the Eagles had two.
    Three points by the Eagles was all it would take to send the Dragons to the off season early.
    In their final game, the Dragons could not hold back the tide of Oilers. In the first period, Dragons missed opportunities, gave away interceptions, and struggled to keep the puck in the offensive zone.
    The Oilers flooded Braden Gamble, goalie for the Dragons, with 21 shots in the first period alone. Gamble could not hold back the deluge and by the end of the first period the Oilers were ahead by a daunting three goals.
    “We definitely had a slow start, being down 3-0. We battled back, but it was too little, too late,” said head coach Barry Wolff. “They were confident and prepared, but it was almost a nervous start.”
    After using the first intermission to regroup, the Dragons showed a renewed resolve to take the puck to the Oilers net.
    “I told them we had forty minutes left and no matter what happened in the first we had a chance to win,” said Wolff.
    Unfortunately, the Dragons managed to beat the Oilers goaltender only once on a goal by Sam Lawson.
    The loss meant that the Eagles were in charge. The same night the Eagles defeated the Olds Grizzlys in overtime. The gap between the Dragons and Eagles was a mere one point.
    On February 17 the Eagles faced the Calgary Canucks for their final game of the season. Even one point would have sent the Eagles to the playoffs  instead of the Dragons.
    “We were all huge Calgary Canucks fans,” said Wolff.
    When it came to game time, the Eagles couldn’t keep up the momentum and lost 3-1 to the Canucks, which means the Dragons are going to the playoffs.
    The Dragons will be facing the Okotoks Oilers in round one, starting on February 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Okotoks. Game two will again be in Okotoks the next night.
    The playoffs come to Drumheller on Monday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m.