The Drumheller Memorial Arena will be packed this weekend. Teams from all over Alberta will be descending upon the Valley to battle in the most quintessentially Canadian way; a good old fashioned hockey tournament.
    Five teams, with roughly 100 players in total, from Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Picture Butte have signed up for the tournament,
    The tournament starts bright and early Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The final game will start at 12:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
    So far this season, the Raptors have been a powerhouse on the ice.
    “I have always felt for any team to be successful, it demands team bonding from coaches, players and parents. They must demonstrate the skill of being a team player and not be an individual player out there on the ice.  If they play individually, that’s when a team starts to slide. One has to continue to think  and demonstrate these abilities, as these are the strengths of a great team,” said Mary Hodge, manager of the Bantam Raptors.
    The team has also been tearing through provincials and are gearing up for the zone finals.
    “We will heading into the final round of provincials against Canmore to see who takes home the zone banner as well as to see who will  continue to the provincial tournament,” said Hodge.
    The Raptors are dominating the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL) Bantam Tier 3 division. Since moving up from the Tier 4 Bantam division in December, they have skyrocketed to first place, with 11 wins and 27 points.
    Their last three games have been tough, however, with a narrow 7-6 win over Chestermere two weeks ago and back-to-back ties this past weekend.
    Despite the recent setbacks, they’re confident they’ll give a good fight in the tournament and provincials.

    Minor hockey teams from all over Alberta are competing for the title of provincial champions. One of those teams is representing Drumheller in the provincial arena.
    The Tier 3 Midget Raptors, which have been having a strong season thus far, are getting ready to enter the second round of provincials, starting tomorrow.
    Their opponents are their division rivals from Canmore, who currently are in first place of the Central Alberta Hockey League Tier 3 Midget division.
    The Raptors breezed through the first round, but are expecting more resistance from Canmore.
    “I don’t think we can compare round 1 to 2, because it’s going to be a lot more difficult. We’ve played them before and they’re a difficult team to beat. So far, we’ve lost one and tied one against them and they’re the top team in our league,” said Nick Schinnour, assistant coach for the Raptors.
    The Raptors are a formidable force on the ice, but are often fighting against both their opponents and the penalty box.
    “I think if we stay out of the penalty box, we’d have an excellent team. The penalties are hurting us pretty bad. You can’t play short-handed all game,” said Schinnour. “They’re all pretty committed hockey players and want to win. They’re passionate at what they do and show it on the ice.”
    Provincial games are decided by who can score the most goals in two games. The first game will take place tonight in the Drumheller Memorial Arena at 7:15 p.m. The second game will be in Canmore.
    “They’re playing really well together now. It’s going to be a rough, tough game for sure. They’re a really good team,” said Schinnour. “We can skate with them and if we can stay out of the box, we can win it for sure.”