Sports | DrumhellerMail

Bantam Titans attend U16 provincial games camp

TitansLogo

The Bantam Titans are making noise in the off-season with five players attending the U16 provincial camp in Calgary.
Noah Lowther, Josh Unland, Cole Suntjens, Rylan Masson and Zach Moar attended the U16 Provincial Camp. Bantam Coach Brad Iverson explains this for the Alberta Summer Games. He says there will be two teams in Southern Alberta and two in Northern Alberta, which will play in a tournament for the Alberta Summer Games. Those players from those teams have the opportunity to try out for the provincial U16 team.
“The U16 provincial team will then play other provinces,” said Iverson.
He explains the camp is a great opportunity for the players to learn more about football, learn more skills from other coaches, and also an opportunity to see how they stack up.
“It’s a great experience. They get to be in a camp with players whoare some of the best in the province and see how they measure up, and I am sure they will measure up just fine,” he said.
He adds it helps the players get seen, especially if they are planning on pursuing a football future.
“These camps help them get a little exposure. Even though they are still young, it shows them other programs if they choose to carry on to university, they are kind of getting on the radar with those people,” said Iverson. “Drumheller might get overlooked a little bit. You certainly get a chance at these camps as opposed to being in Calgary or Edmonton where the universities are, the players tend to be more on the radar.”
The spring season is not far off. Registration for spring football for Peewee and Bantam is open and can be completed online. The link is on the Drumheller Titans’ Facebook page. Equipment handout is on April 29, from 11 a.m. -12:20 p.m. for Bantam and 12:30-2 p.m. for Peewee.

Dragons wrap season in Game 7, Blackfalds advance

It was a season for the ages, but sadly the Dragons’ playoff hopes were dashed on Tuesday night, April 4 in Blackfalds in Game Seven.
The Dragons finished the regular season in third place in the AJHL Viterra South with a 33-21-4-2 record. They dispatched Canmore in six games and went on to face the Bulldogs. They had the early upper hand going up 3-1, but momentum shifted as Blackfalds scrapped for a Game Seven.
On Tuesday Night, Blackfalds led 1-0 after one period. Connor Poffenroth to tie it up in the second, but the Bulldogs added two more. Blackfalds added one more in the third before Coy Poghin scored one for the Dragons unassisted, 17 seconds later. Blackfalds capped it off with 2:24 left in the game to win 5-2.
“Despite falling just short of the AJHL South Division Final, the Drumheller Dragons saw a community rally around them like no other. Between packed crowds at the Memorial Arena, a self-named student section called the “Rink Rats”, and police escorts out of town for the team bus, it was a tremendous season full of memorable moments. A special thank you goes out to the community of Drumheller for their tremendous support all season long!” the Dragons noted on their website at the conclusion of the season.
“We would also like to congratulate all of the Dragons’ graduating 20-year-old players on outstanding junior careers. They brought valuable leadership and experience to the team and played critical roles in the success of this organization all season long. These players include Sam Simard, Ty Whitford, Ben Christian, Garrett Fuller, Noah Danielson and Caleb Willms. We wish them all the best moving forward in their careers!
Outside of the Drumheller Memorial Arena, the Dragons had success in helping players reach their goals to further their careers and education.
Players from this year’s squad heading on to post-secondary programs include Easton Adrian (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Ty Daneault (Merrimack College), Vann Yuhas (Merrimack College), Coy Pighin (Colorado College), Kai Matthew (University of Denver), and Noah Danielson (University of Western Ontario).

Dragons battle through playoffs

The fate of the Dragons’ season was on the line last night, however, it was decided after press time.
What is known is it has been an exciting second round playoff series between the Drumheller Dragons and the Blackfalds Bulldogs.
The Dragons returned home from Blackfalds on Tuesday night, March 28 with a split for Game 3. Ty Daneault didn’t waste any time and scored 1:11 into the game. Kai Matthew added one more and the Dragons led 2-0 after one. The Bulldogs tied it up less than seven minutes into the second period before Daneault scored his second of the game. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs tied it up to end the second.
The Dragons had some great chances in the third period. At the midway point, the Bulldogs were dealt a too many men on the ice penalty, and Dylan Glinski scored the powerplay winner. Ty Whitford added an empty netter to win 5-3.
On Wednesday, March 29, the Dragons Den was rocking again. Caleb Willms opened the scoring and Daneault followed it up to lead 2-0 after the first period. Vann Yuhas scored early in the second, but Blackfalds made their way onto the scoreboard. Ryan Henderson scored his second of the playoffs to put the Dragons up 4-1 after two periods.
The Bulldogs scored two in the third period to make it interesting. Yuhas put it out of reach with less than a minute left on the empty net.
The Dragons led the series three games to one and had a chance to win it on Friday, March 31. The Bulldogs set the pace, scoring just 31 seconds in. Ty Whitford added one to end the first period tied. In the second, Blackfalds went on a tear and scored five unanswered goals to take a 6-1 lead after two. Easton Adrian scored in the third but the Bulldogs added two more goals to take the 8-2 win and force a Game 6.
The teams were back in Drumheller Sunday evening, April 2. Blackfalds got the jump early and went up by two goals. Sam Simard scored with less than two minutes left to end the first period trailing 2-1. Yuhas tied it up in the second, but Blackfalds came back in the third with two goals. Ty Whitford added one, but that was as much as the Dragons could muster and lost 4-3.
Game 7 was Tuesday, April 4. Results were not available at press time. The winner of this game goes on to play the Brooks Bandits in the South final who topped Okotoks in six games.

More Articles ...