Sports | DrumhellerMail

Dragons take 4-3 overtime win over Oil Barons Friday

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The Drumheller Dragons, after three weeks on the road, hosted the Fort McMurray Oil Barons Friday night at the Drumheller Memorial Arena. They didn’t stay home long though, heading back on the road to Calgary Saturday to face the Canucks for the second time in a week.

The Canucks stole the show Saturday, taking a 5-0 win over the Dragons.

Friday night was a repeat of the October 9 game in Fort McMurray, at least in regulation.

At 12:45 of the first period Matt Muzyka put the home team on the board but less than five minutes later, the Oil Barons’ Brett Edwards scored two back-to-back goals. Shortly after, the Dragons’ Levi Wunder scored his ninth of the season, unassisted, to tie the game at two each by the end of the first period.

With no scoring in the second period, Muzyka scored his second of the game to give the Dragons their second lead of the night 56 seconds into the third period. With less than five minutes left in the game, the Oil Barons’ Landon Welykholowa tied it once again to force an overtime period.

Just 21 seconds into the overtime period, newcomer Isaac Schacher scored for the Dragons to give the team their first win since facing the Grande Prairie Storm in the AJHL Showcase on October 3.

“Lets call it spade to spade, we’ve been playing some awful hockey. This really was a big step for us. There is so much more to go, but this is defiantly a better start. We just need to get on a little bit of a run the other way and start building that confidence. (The players) competed much better tonight since they have eight games, other than Grande Prairie, this is a much better effort. Slowly but surely they got it more tonight. When you start getting confidence and you start believing that things will work and just give it that extra every time you play then I think you’ll start seeing this team play and you won’t even recognize it by Christmas time,” Head Coach and General Manager Brian Curran said.

The Dragons will now travel to Spruce Grove tonight (Wednesday) to face the Saints at 7 p.m. before hosting the Calgary Canucks on Friday (October 23). Game time will be 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Arena. The team will then head to Olds to face the Grizzlys the next day.

Dragons’ Ryan Chynoweth named AJHL player of the week

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The Canalta Hotels Alberta Junior ‘A’ Hockey League (AJHL) Player of the Week is Ryan Chynoweth of the Drumheller Dragons. Chynoweth scored five goals and eight points in three games played from September 28 – October 4, 2015.

The impressive week included a game winning goal on September 28 versus the Calgary Mustangs, and a hat trick on October 1 during the Annual AJHL Showcase.

Chynoweth was selected as the Viterra AJHL Player of the Game in two of the three games last week.

Chynoweth of Cranbrook, British Columbia, is enjoying a five game point streak totalling 11 points. The 20 year old forward leads the Dragons in scoring and is tied for 4th in the AJHL Scoring Race with 14 points. This is Chynoweth’s first AJHL season.

The Dragons travel to Fort McMurray to face the Oil Barons tonight (Friday) before heading to Bonnyville to face the Pontiacs on Saturday night. The Dragons next home game is Friday, October 16 when they will host the Oil Barons. Game time at Memorial Arena will be 7:30 p.m.

Experience trumps youth on mound

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A tradition of more than 15 years continued in September with the Fall Ball Classic, and on the mound was more than 150 years of experience.

The Fall Ball Classic Slo-pitch tournament has become a Labour Day tradition. Originally played out at the Rosedale Diamond, it has grown over the years and now includes the Hoodoo Campground. Originally, there were eight teams, this year they hosted 16.

Tracy Symowoniuk and her family have been organizing the tournament for the last 12 years.

“We never had to ask teams to come back because they have always wanted in, because they had such a great time,” she said. “They were guaranteed five ball games, a steak supper, they were guaranteed camping and team challenges.”

Dating back to the original event, Tracy’s father Willie Samel, was an avid player but had not played in a number years. When they began brainstorming on how to celebrate the 15th annual event, they thought of putting together a legends team.

“It pulled together players from the previous 14 years onto one team to create this team,” she said.

There were players from Brooks, Carbon, and the former Outlaws team.

Willie Samel, now 81, was on the mound. Remie Defoor, who is 69, also pitched.

He (Willie) had been asking to pitch for years,” said Symowonuik. “He has not played for the last 10 years, we retired him at the age 70, but he didn’t take no for an answer.”

She adds he did not disappoint. “Dad pitched 8 KOs in his first game.”

Samel went on to pitch three games, and Remie pitched two. The team was 4-1.

“We would have been in the playoffs but our points for–and-against wasn’t the greatest. But to me, we won.”

In fact, there were three generations playing at the tournament. They included Willie and Tracy, Willie Samel Jr. and grandsons Joey Conroy and Treighton Samel. Remie was joined by his daughters Dodie and Wendy and grandchildren Christina and Nathan.

They presented Willie with a plaque and license plate for his efforts.

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