Drumheller had a chance to be a part of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship coming up in Alberta this winter.
    The main stumbling block - ice time.
     The prestigious international tournament will be hosted in Calgary and Edmonton through December and January and features the top international junior hockey talent. Organizers were looking at one of the teams coming to Drumheller for camps leading up to the tournament, but with a single ice sheet in the valley, the community was not able to accommodate it.
    “Drumheller was a group we talked to about hosting a World Junior Training Camp,” said Kevin Webster, manager of event operations for Hockey Canada. “It was a decision they had to make locally based on their groups and we totally understand that. It is not easy in some of these communities getting the ice time they need with their current groups.”
    He said one international teams could have used Drumheller as a site for its preparation camp.
    He said this is a model they often use, and it is valuable to the participating communities.
    “It is great. They (communities) wouldn’t normally have a team like that touch down in their communities. We did it in Saskatchewan and Ottawa and those communities really bought in to housing the teams for a bit,” he said.
    “It is good for the team, the community gets behind them, and there is a little bit of fanfare before they head off before the event.”
    He also indicated there is an economic impact for the communities that participate.
    Webster said they worked with the Drumheller Dragons on the possibility.
    “They were great to work with. In the end it wasn’t that they didn’t want to do it, it just didn’t happen,” said Webster.
    Brooke Christianson of the Drumheller Dragons sees the World Juniors as a lost opportunity.
    “I don’t think it’s a secret that prime ice time in Drumheller is hard to come by, the saddest part of it and the part that I think some people don’t realize is that because of that,  Drumheller  is not considered as a possibility for large tournaments or events like this that would bring many dollars into our town and this is a missed opportunity for Drumheller,” said Christianson. “Our staff were all very excited about hosting the world junior camp. I think about how excited all of the kids would have been to meet the players and see this level of hockey played right here in town. I remember when I was a kid and the world juniors came to Hanna for an exhibition game, at that age, it seemed like the biggest thing that ever happened, it was awesome.”
    Webster said Hockey Canada would be announcing shortly where the team camps and exhibition games will be located during the tournament.

    The Senior Titans are on top of the league, and are looking forward to playing in the league championship, and maybe beyond.
    The Titans finished the regular season by handing Canmore a 43-0 drubbing. They started strong on the road last Saturday, and never looked back.
    “The passing game was going and the running game was going and the defence is getting stronger every week,” said head coach Ken Fournier. “They (Canmore) had four yards rushing and nine yards passing in the first half.”
    He adds the team pulled five interceptions out of the sky.
    Fournier said Kyle Smith was invaluable on special teams and defence. Dale Poulsen was also a standout on defence.
    The offensive duo of Braden Shriven and Spencer Fournier were again hot. Scriven scored one touchdown, while Spencer had four.
    “Braden chews up the yards, and Spencer reaps the rewards,” said Fournier.
    Quarterback Steven Robertson was making good decisions and moving the ball.
    Alex Cliché was also a standout on special teams.
    “He made one kid think twice about ever going on the field again,” said Fournier. “But he makes plays like that and gets the team pumped up, and sometimes that’s all it takes is that one big play,” said Fournier. 
    The Titans are now 6-2, and 4-1 in league play. They are ranked fourth in the province.
    Fournier explains because of how the tier system works, the first game of playoffs will be the league championships. They will be seeing Canmore this Saturday at home for the title.
    Because there will only be one round of league playoffs, if the Titans are successful in beating Canmore this Saturday, there will be a layoff before provincials begin. This will be helpful to let the team heal, scout potential teams, and maybe have a chance to scrimmage with tougher teams to prepare.
    “It is nicer to have those closer battles. Down the road, if we win the championship, we’ll have two weeks before provincials so we will be scheduling exhibition games against stronger opponents to prepare,” said Fournier.
    “This is a great opportunity to focus.”
    The Titans will be on the field at DVSS for the league championship this Saturday at 2 p.m.