Sports | DrumhellerMail

Girls Dynos net first win of new year

    The Drumheller Valley Secondary School Girls Dynos took a bite out of Trochu on Wednesday, February 1, winning their first game of 2012.
   The DVSS Girls Dynos basketball team had a rocky January, battling illness, injury, and some of the toughest teams in the league.
   On January 30, the Dynos were in Acme to face the first place Redmen, who are one of the strongest teams in the league. The Dynos lost 55-41, but the team staged a huge comeback effort in the fourth quarter.
   “In Acme, we were down in the beginning, but we came back and outplayed them in the fourth quarter,” said Ryan Hatch, head coach.
   Two nights later, the Dynos played their first home game since before the Christmas break against Trochu.
   The Dynos started the first quarter looking strong. By the end of the first, the Dynos were on top by two points.
   However, the team struggled in the second. Shots weren’t going in, the Dynos couldn’t get rebounds, or stop Trochu from gaining a 10 point lead by half time.
   “We have a slogan, don’t play down to their level, play up to our potential. When we sat down at half time, they knew what they had to do,” said Hatch.
   When it was time to get back on the court for the second half it was as if another team was playing.
   The Dynos were aggressive with the ball, getting plenty of rebounds and interceptions, and by the end of the game the Dynos had won 48-32.
   “It feels really good, especially for the home opener of 2012. That’s what won the game for us, everyone wanting to play the best that they could and they did,” said Hatch.
   The win puts the team in a dead heat with Trochu in the standings.
   The Dynos are looking ahead to another tough opponent against the Prairie Christian Academy in Three Hills. The academy is currently in second place.
   The Dynos have a strong defense, but with the offense beginning to gel, the team is not the same. “They’re going to be playing a different team than they saw last time,” assured Hatch.
   The action starts in DVSS at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, in the school gym.

Dynos fall in OT versus Redmen, bounce back against Trochu

    There is no love lost between the Acme Redmen and the DVSS Dynos and last Monday night the battle played out again.
   The Dynos topped the Redmen just a couple of weeks ago at their home tournament. On Monday, January 30 they met in Acme for league play.
   “The game was a repeat of the two teams’ first match up, going back and forth with either team unable to pull away,” said coach Jeff Messom.
   Down the stretch, Acme had a five-point advantage, and looked like they were pulling away. That was until Kyle Smith stepped up with some big shots, and even bigger free throws, to tie the game at 69 each.
   With three seconds left, the Dynos made a key defensive stop and gained possession for a chance to win. Acme’s tight defense didn’t let that happen, forcing overtime.
   In the extra minutes, the Redmen were able to put together some key offense while the Dynos struggled, and Acme went on to win 82-73.
   Smith had 26 points on 11 for 16 shooting, Jordan Britton had 15 points and Alex Cliche had 14 points and seven rebounds.
   League play for the Dynos continued Wednesday night as they hosted Trochu. It was a one sided affair as it took until the second quarter before Trochu made it on to the scoreboard. Jordan Britton led the way with 24 points on 66 per cent shooting the dynos defeated Trochu 91-20.

Rampaging Raptors racing towards playoffs

    The Drumheller Raptors season is starting to wind down and by the end of February players will be hanging up their jerseys and skates for a long summer’s nap.
   Before that happens, many of the Raptors have a chance to prove their mettle in provincial playoffs.
   The Canalta Novice Raptors are working to climb the ranks and secure a spot in the playoffs.
   The weekend didn’t start off well for the Canalta Raptors when they made the trek to High Country to face one of the toughest teams in their tier. The Canalta Raptors lost, but came back the next day at home with a 8-4 win over Fort MacLeod.
   “It was a good win for the kids,” said head coach Curt Notland. “We’re making a run at playoffs. We’re in sixth position, fighting to make it to fourth.”
   The McDonald’s Novice Raptors struggled over the weekend, losing their games in Banff on January 28 and Blackie the next day. The McDonald’s Raptors will be heading back to Banff on February 4 to get some payback.
   The DMHA Raptors spent the weekend on the road. On January 28, the DMHA Raptors were in Strathmore and came out with a tie. The next day the team returned to their winning ways with a 5 to 4 victory over Siksika.
   The DMHA Novice Raptors entered the weekend at the top of their tier and came through the weekend still in first place. They have a critical game on February 4 against Brooks, the current second place team.
   The Yavis Atom Raptors had a tough loss this past weekend to High River. The team is looking forward to a tournament in Bowden this weekend, featuring teams from south-central Alberta. The tournament will give the Yavis Raptors a chance to play against teams outside of their league.
   The Hi-Way 9 Pee Wee Raptors had several games this past week, two of which were provincials.
   On January 28, the Hi-Way 9 Raptors played a regular season game against Cremona at home and won 7-4.
   The NGC Pee Wee Raptors faced a setback in their race to playoffs. On January 27, the team hosted Strathmore and were defeated 5-2. The next afternoon, the NGC Raptors fought back from 5-0 to finish the game with a tie.
   The NGC Raptors are holding on to a playoff spot.
   “We’re hoping the other teams lose and we win our last three games to make it to the playoffs,” said manager Christy Telford.
   The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors were busy last week, playing four games in four days.
   On January 26, the Midget Raptors started provincials on the right foot with an 8-5 victory over Kneehill. The team continued the momentum the next day with an 8-0 win against Okotoks.
   The Midget Raptors couldn’t keep the pace on January 29 when they faced Prairie High in Three Hills and lost 4-2. The team was dealt a 4-2 loss in their second provincial game the next day.
   “It was pretty rough, the boys were tired,” explained Darren Toffan, head coach.
   The win on January 26 puts the Midget Raptors through to the second round of provincials.
   The Boston Pizza/Western Chevrolet Raptors were on the warpath last week. The team started things off on January 25 by demolishing Brooks in provincials by a staggering 17-2. The Bantam Raptors continued the rampage with a 14-1 win over Medicine Hat and an 8-4 victory over Claresholm on January 29.
   The regular season for minor hockey is slowing down. However, the playoffs are heating up with a few of the Raptors ready to strike at the championships.
   For more information about minor hockey and to keep track of the march to the playoffs, visit www.drumhellerminorhockey.com.

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