Sports | DrumhellerMail

Puck drops on minor hockey season

    Last weekend, another exciting minor hockey season got underway. After a long summer and weeks of practice, the teams dropped the puck on what is assured to be another big year.
   “There have been a few games, but the older teams hadn’t played yet, so they were excited to play. There’s going to be some good hockey down at the arena,” said Jason James, vice president of the Drumheller Minor Hockey Association.
   Overall, enrollment in minor hockey has remained stable compared to last year. Roughly 150 kids, divided into ten teams, will be lacing up their skates for the Raptors.

The Drumheller Raptors hit the ice last weekend for their first regular season games. They are back at it this weekend as well. Over the next two weeks the games will determine in what tier each team is placed.

    The first couple weekends of the regular season will determine what tiers the teams will be placed.
   “This weekend is basically the onset of tiering, which helps get the teams in the right division. Our goal over the next couple weeks is to make sure the teams are slotted into their proper tier. It’s in the best interests of everyone to have the teams be competitive compared to each other,” said James.
   The Minor Hockey Association is hoping for another successful season after several teams earned league and provincial championships last season.
   James feels the Raptors’ success is due to the introduction of dry land training. Over the week, teams will head to the Badlands Community Facility to work on fitness and skills.
   “Our PeeWee team last year was phenomenal and a huge part of that was the fitness portion,” said James. “It can be hard to get ice time, so we can take things to the Facility and work on skills and cardio.”
   The Midget Raptors began their season last weekend with two close overtime losses to Medicine Hat and Vulcan. They look for their first win of the season on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Drumheller Memorial Arena.
     The Bantam Raptors opened their season with a big 4-0 win over Oyen last Friday. They play tonight at home at 7:15 p.m.
   The NGC PeeWee Raptors had a tough start to the season, losing to Lethbridge and Taber last weekend. They head to Medicine Hat on Saturday. The Hi-Way 9 PeeWee Raptors got off to a good start with two wins, 5-1 over Okotoks and 5-3 over Indus, last weekend. They’ll be looking to rack up another win on Saturday at 3 p.m. when they take on Strathmore in Hussar.
   The Yavis Atom Raptors had a tough start to their season, losing their first two games. They will be looking for their first win at home at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
     The Encana Atom Raptors had a 1-1 start to their season, winning 7-2 over Rockyford, but losing to Carstairs.
   The McDonald’s Novice Raptors will be looking for their first win of the season at home against Foothills on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Canalta Novice Raptors got two big wins to start their season, 16-1 in Brooks and 6-1 in Indus. They face Cremona at home on Saturday at 9 a.m.
   “It all comes together for the kids. They have fun and there’s a smile on their face; that’s what it’s about,” said James.

Titans battle into league championship

    The Senior Titans are on their way to Rangeland championship this Friday after seeking redemption versus a strong Crescent Heights last Friday night.
   This is the Titans’ first season playing in the Rangeland league. Any trepidation about allowing a Tier 4 team into the league has vanished as they compete for the top prize.
   “It was a good win for us, we played well on both sides of the ball and special teams played awesome,” said head coach Ken Fournier. “Everyone was playing hard.”

Spencer Fournier, 33 and Gage Berdahl, 11, had great games last Friday as the Titans defeated Crescent Heights in the Rangeland Semifinal. This Friday they take on Medicine Hat High for the championship.

    The Titans were firing on all cylinders last Friday. On offense, the players they expected to show up, were standouts. Spencer Fournier made a 70 yard return for a touchdown and Gage Berdahl made about 150 years on the ground receiving, Steven Robertson was on his game and Jakub St. Jean ran in a touchdown.
   On defense, regular stalwarts Alan Lister, Rhett Duggan and Tracker Robinson were strong.
   Last time these two teams met, Crescent Heights won by a single point.
   “This time we capitalized on turnovers and we didn’t stall our drives because of penalties,” said Fournier.
   “That was on the only team that beat us this year so that was a big weight off our back, and to get those negative thoughts out of our heads,” said Fournier.
   This means that the Titans will be taking on the Medicine Hat High Mohawks for the championship. Last time the two teams met, they tied. Coach Fournier said the team is healthy going in to the final.
   Fournier said it has been a good experience playing in the new league.
   “We are looking forward to a big game in Rangeland. This is the first time a Tier 4 team has been in Rangeland and we are doing really well. They (other teams) are not bitter about it, they are happy they have another strong team in the league, making it better for everybody,” said Fournier.
   Kickoff for the championship is at 7:30 p.m. at the Methanex Bowl in Medicine Hat.

Bantam Titans to face Red Deer Thursday

    The Bantam Titans are still in the mix this week as they play a Red Deer team in the Tier 3 playoffs.
     The Bantam have had a strong year and moved right up to Tier 2 going into the post season. Last Friday, they played Lacombe, the first place team in the northern division of the league. The Titans knew they were in tough, and Lacombe left the field with a 66-8 win.
   “You try to do the best you can,” said coach Ron Thornborough. “We have a few things to work on.”
   This is the first year with Thornborough as head coach. Despite a few lop-sided losses, he said the team is steadily learning the game and having fun. The team also went from Tier 4 to qualifying for Tier 2. This is a step up, but maybe a little too big of a step up.
   “You have to build to it. You learn and the boys learn and you keep getting better, so build on it,” he said. “ It has been a lot of fun, the kids had a blast, the coaches had a blast, there are a lot of positives. The winning will come later.”
     He expects the Red Deer team they play this coming Thursday will also be strong.

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