Another solid performance by the Drumheller Dragons saw them take down Olds Tuesday night 3-2.
    The Dragons hosted the Grizzlys on November 29. This was only the second time this season the teams have met, last time with the Grizzlys taking a lop-sided 6-2 win. This time the Dragons had the powerplay clicking.
    “I thought that both teams played well and especially both goalies. It was great to see the powerplay get on track as it has not helped us much this season despite our hard work at it,” said head coach Brian Curran.
    The Dragons’ momentum came right from the get go. With a Grizzly in the penalty box, Jordan Taupert opened the scoring just two minutes in. Bradley Stonnell increased the lead 2:41 in the second period, again on the powerplay. Then eight minutes later the Grizzlys found the net to end the period 2-1 Dragons.
    In the third period, Andrew Kartusch put the Dragons up 3-1, and with a one-man advantage.  The Grizzlys made it a look little more respectable with a late goal as the Dragons won 3-2. The Dragons were 3-5 on the powerplay.
    Curran gives credit to the goaltending.  Andrew Henderson for Olds stopped 35 shots and Dragons’ Hunter Virostek saved 31.
    “Olds had the better of the chances in the first period and Virostek played great keeping the lead for us. In the second, the Grizzlys goalie did his job holding us to only two goals and in the third period, again they both played well,” said Curran. “I can’t speak for Olds but I thought both teams played well and it was a very entertaining game. We needed the boys to play as a team and they did.”

    The Dragons had a tough two-game home-stand over the weekend, first falling to the Camrose Kodiaks on Friday night, and then the Olds Grizzlys on Saturday.
    This came after a successful road trip where they faced some of the top teams around.
    “We came back more than just confident from the north. I think we came back after such a great trip where we played two of the top teams in the country, thinking we were going to walk into our building and walk away with it,” said Curran.  
    On Friday night, November 18, the Dragons were tied at one after the first period versus the Kodiaks, thanks to a goal from Brayden Nicholetts. However, a shorthanded goal early in the second period put the Kodiaks back up by two. Andrew Kartusch answered back on the power play, but the Kodiaks scored the winner with 1:04 left in the second. In the third period, the Kodiaks added a shorthanded goal to put it out of reach, and then an empty netter with 30 seconds to make it 5-2.
    “The Camrose game was not great but it wasn’t bad; two short-handed goals killed us,” said Curran.
    For the first time this season, the Dragons faced the Olds Grizzlys on Saturday night, and four minutes in, a power play goal put them on the defensive.  Just 28 seconds later Markus Boguslavsky tied it up for the Dragons. However, the Grizzlys finished the period up 3-1. Evan Tschumi scored midway through the second period to make it 3-2 but that was as close as they would get as Olds went on to a 6-2 victory.
    “In the first period, I thought we outplayed them, but in the second and third, mentally they need to be a lot stronger and pay attention to the little details,” said Curran. “We had a great crowd that night, it would have been good to come out with tons of energy, but we didn’t see that.”
    “The reality is that if we go out and give it everything we got and lose, I can take it.”
    While it was a tough weekend, Coach Curran in encouraged by the direction the team has been heading.
    “You don’t like to see this at home, but when it comes down to it, I knew this team was going to go through some ups and downs. But also, if someone had said we would be .500 at this time of year after 24 games, I would have taken that all day long. But now my expectations have gone up higher.”
    This Saturday, November 26, the Dragons hosts the Canmore Eagles.