Sports | DrumhellerMail

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.

Kidsport makes sports a reality for children in need

    Minor sports play a huge role in the lives of many children in communities the world over. It is a place to play a sport you love, meet friends, and, most importantly, have fun.
   However, for some families, signing their children up for a minor sport is just not financially possible.
   That’s where the Kidsport program comes in. Kidsport raises and donates money so that kids, regardless of finances, can participate in a minor sport.
   “We put out roughly $8,000 to between 60 and 80 kids each year. Last year in Alberta, there was $1.3 million handed out to over 6,000 kids,” said Dave Watson, chair of the Drumheller Kidsport program. “It helps a lot of families.”
   In Drumheller, Kidsport gives roughly $300 per child per year to area families. The amount can be used to sign up kids for minor sports.
   However, the program does consider activities that aren’t necessarily minor sports. In the past Kidsport has helped out with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and sending kids to Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, swimming lessons, dance class, and a couple hockey and basketball camps.
   “It’s not a huge amount of money for each family, but we help a lot of families,” said Watson. “It’s based on a family’s income. We try to get the money to those who need it most.”
   In the near future, Watson hopes Kidsport can also help give kids in need access to the town’s cutting edge fitness and recreation facility.
   “We are looking into how we can be associated and work with the Badlands Community Facility. It’s in the works this fall,” said Watson.
   Kidsport is in need of board members to help out with the worthy cause.
   Anyone interested in the program, joining the board, or donating, but who can’t attend the expo, can contact Watson at 403-820-4100.
   “As long as we get kids out and get them physical, we’ve hit our goal,” said Watson.

The Drumheller Kidsport program hopes to partner with the Badlands Community Facility so that all children can enjoy what the new fitness facility has to offer. Kidsport is continuing its efforts to help children and families afford participating in minor sports. Last year the program handed out roughly $8,000 to families in the area, with roughly $300 to each.

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