The Drumheller Dragons greeted the Olds Grizzlies in their first game back from the holidays. The Grizzlies went on a rampage, defeating the Dragons 5-1.
     The Grizzlies took the lead early at 4:35 into the first period scoring a controversial goal. It was thought that the Grizzlies may have used their hands to bat the puck into the Dragons net. After the officials discussed the matter it was determined that the player had batted the puck down and used his stick to get the puck past Braden Gamble.
    The Grizzlies increased their lead by another goal five minutes later.
    The Dragons put pressure on the Grizzlies, but the puck could not find the net until Brennan Baxandall, off of Brodie Jamieson and Sam Lawson, put of shot through traffic and past Grizzlies goalie Ethan Jemieff.
    The two rivals fought hard in the second period, but at 14:57 the Grizzlies got the upper hand and scored their third goal. The Grizzlies soon followed with two more before the second period was done.
    When the third period commenced, the Dragons brought in backup goaltender Christopher Wray, who was able to stop all of the shots that went his way.
    The Dragons return to the Drumheller Memorial Arena tonight to face the Calgary Canucks. The Canucks are coming off a loss as well and are only four points ahead of the Dragons.
    “We had a really good practice this morning all about competing and work ethic,” said head coach Barry Wolff. “The Canucks are a team that’s in our reach, we need to bear down and win that game.”
    Barry Pozzo will be presenting his yearly Off-Ice Official of the Year Award just prior to puck drop and the action will then start at 7:30 p.m.

    While the spectre of head injuries and concussions hangs over sport now more than any other time, it has become all too real to a young Drumheller hockey player working his way onto the international stage.
    inSide Drumheller has reported the rise of Tyler Stahl in his hockey career. He has gone from starting in FunTeam to working his way up to being a sixth round pick for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010.
    He was in the best condition of his career when he started this season playing for the Victoria Royals, but in this fourth game of the season, he was knocked to the ice. Since then his hockey dream has been put on hold as he deals with concussion symptoms.
    Tyler, the 19-year-old defenseman holds no resentment to the player. The shot came in the third period in a road game versus Prince George. It was ruled a head shot.
    Tyler has had a concussion before, but this was something different.
    He continued with the team on the road trip, but didn’t play. Rather than flying home, he was driven.
    Since then he has begun a long process of healing, and this healing involves a whole lot of nothing.  He is seeing his doctor about once every two days. His symptoms include headaches and sensitivity to noise.
    The awareness of concussions in sports has never been as visible as Sidney Crosby struggling with his recovery. As the game changes, so do the injuries.
    “The game is faster and the higher speed creates harder contact,” sad Stahl.
     He acknowledges how important his recovery is and admits even without his doctor’s guidance he would be treating his recovery seriously. He has seen players get back on the ice before they are ready.
    “I saw a guy who got one of his first ones (concussions) recently, and he played the next game. I would have done that four years ago too, but I have learned a lot about it the last couple years,” he said. “There are guys in the NHL for 10 years who now have headaches every day of their lives.”
    He has made progress, the headaches are fewer, and he has been cleared for some light workouts, although this is day to day.
    “The main thing for me now is getting back into shape, I’ve been sitting on the couch for at least two months doing nothing. I can’t even go to the rink and hang out (because of noise),” said Tyler.
    Tyler was drafted by the Hurricanes in 2010, and this may be his year to sign a professional contract.
    “When you are drafted, they hold your rights for two years usually, and then wait until your second year to sign you. Other wise you are back to being a free agent, and anyone can talk to you,” said Tyler.
    If a player is signed, they will go to the next season’s training camp, and then be assigned to a team. That could be with the NHL team, the AHL or back to junior.
    Tyler said he has been in contact with Carolina and they have been monitoring his situation and says they are pretty positive.
    For now, it is a matter of waiting and healing for Tyler.