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Dragons rebound with win over Oilers

    After a rough week for the Drumheller Dragons, it looks like the tide has turned.
   On Wednesday night, the Dragons hosted their division rivals, the Okotoks Oilers, where the Dragons demolished the Oilers by a score of 6-3.
   The game started off with a lot of end-to-end play. As soon as one team would get into the offensive zone, the puck would be sent back out.
   That changed when Brodie Jamieson gave the Dragons their first goal of the night off a pass from Harrison Hendrix during a two-on-one situation. From then on, the Dragons played with a renewed fire and began to assert their dominance in the Oilers zone.
   The Oilers managed to tie the game up late in the first, sending both teams to the locker room with a 1-1 tie.
   The Dragons wasted no time getting the upper hand again. Two minutes in to the second, relative newcomer to the team, 16 year old Tristan Thompson gave the Dragons a 2-1 lead.
   Late in the second, the Dragons were down a man after a brawl between Dragons captain Brennan Baxandall and Oiler Tariq Hammond. However, being shorthanded did not stop Jamieson from scoring his second goal of the night.
   Cavin Leth would give the Dragons a 4-1 lead early in the third, but the Oilers mounted a small comeback when they scored two power play goals after Hunter Mills was sent away for elbowing, Leth for roughing after the whistle, and Brad Deagle for tripping.
   The Oilers were beginning to catch up, but their hopes were crushed when, only seconds after their most recent goal, Stephen Doane scored the Dragons fifth goal. Colton Vannucci would put the game out of reach with 25 seconds left in the goal when he score the Dragons sixth goal while on the power play.
   It was a crucial game for the Dragons. In their prior three games, the Dragons were defeated and dropped further behind in the Oilers in the standings. The Canmore Eagles have also been on fire as of late are four points from overtaking the Dragons.
   With a month to go before the AJHL playoffs begin, the Dragons are in position to earn a spot. However, their position and who they will face could be reshaped drastically in February.
   The Dragons will be back on the ice on Saturday for a rematch against the Oilers in Okotoks.

Brodie Jamieson was named the Dragons player of the game when they took on the Okotoks Oilers on Wednesday night. Jamieson scored two of the Dragons six goals, one of which was the first of the night.

Dragons drop three in a row

   The Drumheller Dragons are regrouping after being defeated in three straight games last week.
   In their most recent game, on Friday, the Dragons suffered a brutal mugging at the hands of the Brooks Bandits, losing 5-2. So far this season, the Dragons have yet to win over the Bandits.
   The Bandits wasted no time asserting their dominance as the top team in the AJHL. The game had barely begun before the Bandits stuffed the puck behind Dragons goalie Etienne Roy for a 1-0 lead.
   From there, tempers ran high between the two teams. At 2:47 into the game, a brawl broke out between the Dragons and Bandits, with Tristan Reimer and Mitchell Gartner representing the Dragons. Soon after, Brodie Jamieson was put away for slashing and Brennan Baxandall for roughing.
   The Bandits lead did not last long. After the fighting had ceased, Dragons points leader Ryan Bloom, with an assist from Colton Vannucci and Christopher Rauckman, tied the game up.
   The two teams headed back to their dressing rooms locked in a 1-1 tie.
   When the second period opened, a roughing penalty by Bandit Anthony Paskaruk, gave the Dragons the edge they needed. While on the ensuing power play, Dakota Zaharichuk, off a pass from Ryan Aasman, gave the Dragons a 2-1 lead over the Bandits, which was the first time they have led the Bandits all season.
   Unfortunately the lead would only last a few minutes before the Bandits took the reins of the game. At 8:38 in the second, the Bandits tied the game up and then scored again less than a minute later.
   The game wasn’t out of reach yet and the Dragons headed into the intermission only down by one.
   The Bandits did not relent, however, and increased their lead by two in the opening few minutes of the third. Their lead was again shored up after Mitchell Cook was put away for holding, leaving the Dragons short-handed. The Bandits took advantage of the situation and scored their fifth and final goal of the night.
   The loss, the third in a row, leaves the Dragons in fourth place of the AJHL southern division with 50 points. They will be looking to catch up to the third place Okotoks Oilers tonight at home, when they host the Oilers.

Dragon named Player of the Week

    Another Dragon is being recognized by the AJHL. Mitchell Gartner joins fellow Dragon Ryan Bloom as one of the Canalta Players of the Week.
   Between January 13 and 19, Gartner earned four goals and eight points in four games. He scored the game winning goals versus the Calgary Mustangs on January 14 and the Camrose Kodiaks on January 18. In addition, Gartner was named the Pro Hockey Life Player of the Game on January 14, 18, and 19.
   This is Gartner’s first season with the Dragons and third in the AJHL. So far this season, he is third among the Dragons point leaders and fifth among AJHL defencemen.
   In addition to the impressive statistics he’s been racking up, Gartner brings much more the table.
   “He put up a lot of points in only a few games. He certainly is very deserving of it. I’ve coached Mitchell for a few years. He brings an element to the game we certainly need,” said Brian Curran, head coach and general manager of the Dragons. “He brings things to the table other than points. He has an attitude on the ice we need. He plays with no fear.”
   Teammate Ryan Bloom was the first Dragon to be selected for the Player of the Week award, earning the title for the week of December 10.

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