A short time before the Titans took the field to play Bow Valley from Canmore in the Big Sky League Championship, the Canmore coach may have inadvertently given the Titans a little more motivation.
    The coaching staff decided to install their own upright pads to the post at their end zone and this didn’t sit well with the players, the coaches… even the bantam players. Collectively they chanted “not on our house.”
    “That set the pace, the gloves were off,” said coach Ken Fournier.
    The Titans are now back-to-back champions in the Big Sky Conference after tearing down Canmore with a score of 55-7.
The Titans jumped to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Canmore’s touchdown came in the first, but by half time Drumheller was leading 25-7.
    The onslaught continued in the second half, with the Titans scoring at will.
    “Offensively that was one of the best games we ever played, and for all areas. It wasn’t just our best running game or just our best passing game, it was the best balanced game we ever had,” said coach Ken Fournier.
    Defensively they were successful and even introduced a new set, apt to play against Canmore’s strengths.

    “It was great time for us to use it because Canmore likes to pass the ball and this defense is designed to keep the ball in front of you,” said Fournier.
    Kordell Sykes and Chase Kostelecky were stalwarts on defense for the Titans and collectively, virtually no pass went uncontested.
    The only thing that seemed to hold the team back was penalties.  One estimate heard at the game was they lost 235 yards on penalties. Coach Fournier said they expected the calls because they were playing aggressively.
    “I thought the guys handled themselves pretty well, but there were a few I wouldn’t have liked. You are going to get the odd pass interference and hit on the quarterback, but our guys responded pretty well.  When you play an aggressive style of defense we expect those things,” he said.
    The team is now heading into the provincial quarterfinals and is hosting Pincher Creek this Saturday. They saw them last year in the post season and they know what to expect. In fact, it is a version of the Titans’ own offense.
    “They have been scouting us for a few years and been recording our offences,” said Fournier. “Rasmussen has this close to heart because it is his offence and he is going to make sure we make a statement that the double wing offense is ours. We do have a very powerful offense whether it is running or passing, and we look to use all of our weapons.”
    This season the Titans had a diverse experience playing some very tough teams along the way. Fournier says this will help them in the post season.
    “We’ve played in a couple close games, and our guys understand how the ball, the time and clock move in those tight games and they are well prepared for a lot of tight situations and are relaxed about it,” said Fournier. 
    If the Titans get through Pincher Creek they will play the winner of Claresholm and Ardrossan for the semifinal. The final will be played out in Edmonton.
    Game time is at 1:30 p.m.  and it is a special weekend as the bantams are also playing in the South Final versus Medicine Hat. The bantam’s  time is 11 a.m.

    It’s been a busy two weekends for the teams of Drumheller Minor Hockey, with the teams looking to keep the momentum of their strong opening weekends going.
    Many of the teams are currently in some of the top spots in their respective tiers following two weekends of intense competition.
    The McDonalds Novice Tier 3 Raptors have racked up several wins over the past two weekends. On Saturday, November 3, the team took a 4-2 win over Olds, then turned around and won 6-4 over Airdrie in an exhibition game the same day.
    The following day, the team tied 7-7 against Redcliff.
    “The kids had a great positioning weekend and worked very hard to get those wins,” said head coach Kit Clark. “They’re doing excellent.”
    The Canalta Novice Tier 6 team is coming off the weekend with a 4-4 tie against Crossfield. The team is currently tied for first place in their tier.
    The previous weekend saw the team up against some tougher opponents during a couple of games against higher-tier teams.
    “We won our first two games [of the season] pretty easy, then we had to do a couple tiering games and we got smoked. Basically, we had to play a couple teams in the tier above us, in Tier 5,” said head coach Phil McClusky. “Yesterday we had a game against Crossfield, which is in our own tier, and we tied 4-4. The kids did quite good. It’s been a fun start to the year.”
    The Yavis Atom Tier 3 Raptors are coming off a loss on the road in Crossfield this past Sunday. The weekend before saw the team win at home against Redcliff 4-2 and a 2-9 loss against Cochrane. The team is currently four points shy of first place in a tight tier.
    “We’ve played a couple teams that are much stronger than us and a couple that are on par with us. The kids are buying into our system, they’re practicing hard, and improving every game,” said head coach Tony Pliva.
    The Encana Atom Tier 6 team had a tough weekend on the road, losing against Strathmore on Saturday and a narrow 6-5 against Chestermere the following day.  The team is holding onto third place in their tier thanks to a strong opening weekend.
    The NGC Pee Wee Tier 2 Raptors are currently tied for first place in their tier thanks to two big wins. On October 27 and 28, the team took Indus to task 7-1 and then defeated Brooks 8-5.
    The following weekend, the team was on the road in Kneehill County, but couldn’t keep the momentum going, losing 3-7.
    The Hi-Way 9 Pee-Wee Tier 6 team has been dominating their tier so far this season. October 27 and 28 saw the team win 7-4 and 4-1 over Okotoks Green and Chestermere, respectively. The team is currently in a solid first place in their tier.
    The Boston Pizza/Western Chev Bantam Tier 4 is a mere two points from first place in their tier. On Saturday, they shut out Oyen 4-0.
    The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Tier 3 team has had a strong couple of weekends. On October 27, the team prevailed 8-5 over Claresholm. They followed up their success with a 4-2 win over Okotoks last Friday. However, on Saturday in Brooks, the team suffered a 2-12 defeat.
    For more information about Drumheller Minor Hockey, visit www.drumhellerminorhockey.com.

Tanner Couturier fires a bullet at the Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors game against Claresholm on October 28. The team is currently 3-2 so far in their season and will be heading to Cremona on Saturday in a bid to rack up another win.