Sports | DrumhellerMail

Titans trample Canmore

   The senior Titans continue their march through season, this time trampling Bow Valley School of Canmore.
   The senior Titan held their home opener last Saturday against Canmore in league play. The result left little doubt as to what team is holding the balance of power in the league. The Titans led the way, tripling Canmore’s output in the 57-19 win.
   “We had great success everywhere today,” said head coach Ken Fournier.
   He said Canmore was stopping their bread and butter handoffs, but the Titans were able to adapt.
   “We were able to get the ball to our slot back Gage Berdahl and he probably had 150 yards,” said Fournier.
   He also said quarterback Steven Roberson had some impressive carries. Josh Weeteringen had two touchdowns and Spencer Fournier had three touchdowns, making 10 already this season.
   “Our offence looked great. Being able to pass the ball really opens up what we can do going down the field, and having everything working, right from our linemen to the slot back is key to us moving the ball and keeping teams guessing what we are doing,” said Fournier.
   Canmore was able to put a few points on the board, and part of that was defensive lapses.
   “Early in the game we were caught watching, it is not an excuse, but it was an eye opener for our guys. It was the perfect situation for us to battle back,” said Fournier.
   He was also not happy about a late kick return in the fourth quarter that went uncontested.
   “Those are things that no coach likes. You do not like to see a return for a touchdown. If a guy is untouched and he just runs down the sideline, there’s something wrong,” said Fournier.
   “I think by that point in the game they were playing a little over confident because we were up by three or four touchdowns and we let Canmore sneak back in a bit.”
   Another aspect of the game was discipline. Untimely penalties hurt the Titans.
   “Defense took some really bad ones and that allowed them to continue their drives,” said Fournier.
   He said Bow Valley was able to extend two of their scoring drivers because of penalties.
   The team has their hands full this Friday as they travel to one of southern Alberta’s football hotbeds. They will be taking on the Cardston Cougars under the lights.
   “The excitement around that game is they have a really unique environment on their game nights,” said Fournier. “It is probably one of the best places to play in Alberta, they love their ball down there. When the coaches were planning, it was our choice to go there because we want to play in front of a big crowd in a hostile environment. If we do go to provincials this year we want to have that big game under our belt so we aren’t shell-shocked going to someone else’s house.”

Opening weekend a draw for Dragons

   The regular season of the AJHL is officially underway. The Drumheller Dragons clashed with the Calgary Canucks in two games this past weekend.
   On Friday evening the Dragons hosted the Canucks and were narrowly defeated by a score of 3-2. The next evening the Dragons got their revenge and winning their second game of the season 4-3.
   After one weekend, the Dragons are sitting with a 1-1 record.
   The Drumheller Memorial Arena was packed on Friday for the home opener. Fans were eager to see what the new Dragons had to offer. When the puck dropped it was apparent a new team was on the ice.
   Compared to last year the Dragons were faster and more aggressive. Head coach and general manager Brian Curran, felt there was room for improvement.
   “I thought for a home opener it was great to see that many people out. I thought it was an entertaining game for the fans, but I wasn’t happy with the game,” said Curran. “I thought we played great in spurts. It wasn’t systems, it was the execution. There were some players that had a really good game, but as a group of 20 I thought we had to be much better.”
   The Dragons took the lead early with two goals from Dakota Zaharichuk and Brodie Jamieson in the opening minutes of the second period.
   However, the Canucks fought back and tied the game up four minutes into the third on a short handed goal. With only five minutes left in the game, the Canucks took the lead.
   The Dragons couldn’t capitalize on seven power play opportunities.
   “There was about 20 to 25 minutes where we played good hockey, but there were times it became a one-on-one show,” said Curran.
   The next evening in Calgary would prove to be a better outing for the Dragons.
   The Canucks got off to a two goal lead early in the game, but the Dragons fought back and tied things up by the end of the first period thanks to goals from Tyler Kerner and Mitchell Cook.
   “In the first five minutes, we were down two nothing, but the boys came right back. In the second period we had great control of the puck and tempo,” said Curran.
   In the third period the Dragons capitalized on two power plays, giving them a two goal lead. The Canucks retaliated with a goal in the dying minute of the game, but the Dragons held on for their first win of the season.
   “We controlled a lot of the game and we didn’t throw the puck away as much, and we executed on a couple power plays. Even before the two power play goals I think we had a lot of opportunities and the boys showed a lot of character,” said Curran.
   Another factor Curran credited as playing a big role in the games was goaltending.
   “You can’t go wrong with [Christopher] Wray, he gave us every opportunity to win on Friday night. He made some big saves,” said Curran. “They [had some great opportunities to score], but Wray shut them down.”
   The Dragons return to action on Friday, September 14, in the Drumheller Memorial Arena to face the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
   The Dragons will be working on the basics over the next week. Curran will be using the time to refine the team, coming closer to a final roster.
“The transformation doesn’t take weeks, it takes months. I feel we’ll have a really strong team come Christmas,” said Curran. “There’s no shape or form of this team solidified yet. We have a good test in the next couple weeks to see what players want to be here”

Bantam Titans open season Saturday at home

    The action starts Saturday as the Bantam Titans open their season at home.
   The Bantam Titans are on the gridiron at 3 p.m. this Saturday at DVSS field where they host Rocky Mountain House, a formidable opponent.
   “They went to the tier 3 final last year,” said head coach Paul Redmond. “They played on the other side of the draw…they finished in fourth or fifth. They had a pretty good team last year.”
   The Bantam Titans are no shrugs either. While they have lost a few players, they still have a strong core.
   “I didn’t lose too much,” said Redmond. “We have a couple big running backs, so I think we’ll do all right.”
   He adds, some of the new players are also strong and he will have a few Grade 7 players starting.
   The team is moving toward a strong season. They are back in the Central Alberta Football League and there is plenty of competition, with about a dozen teams. Redmond expects that because of their strong season last year, they will be matched up against tougher teams.
   “If we can get through this team (Rocky Mountain House) I think we’ll have a pretty good record. They set us up pretty tough this year, we have to play three of the top five teams from last year,” said Redmond.
   On September 15 the Titans are again at home to host Springbank, and on September 22 they travel to Red Deer to play Lindsey Thurber.
   While looking strong, their bench is a little shorter than coach Redmond would like it. Currently he has about 22 players, but would like to see about 30 dressed. Interested players can go to www.titansfootball.ca for more information or to download a registration form.

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