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Drumheller Titans advance to Alberta Bowl provincial final

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The Titans are the Tier IV South Champions, and are on their way to the Alberta Bowl.
The Titans have been having a stellar season, and it came to a head on Saturday in Lethbridge as they took on the Taber Rebels for the South Championship.
Knowing they would be up against a strong offensive team, the Titans settled in to a defensive battle behind leaders Hayden Jones and Teigan Sattler. The Titans showed intensity holding the Rebels to just 7 points, and capturing the 26-7 win.
Coach Ken Fournier said the Titans’ preparation paid off.
“We had an idea what our game plan was, and we executed it early in the game, and that’s what got us ahead,” said Fournier.
The Titans had a couple of injuries and an ejection however, which could have changed the tide.
“We had to overcome those, and the guys held on, the defence played strong. We had a lot of good plays all over the place. It was a good team win,” said Fournier.
The Team was bolstered by a strong turnout of Drumheller fans who trekked to Lethbridge to take in the final.
He notes they are not sure if the injured players will be ready for this week.
“For our guys who had never been there before, it was a big step for them to take. They did it with a strong performance on both sides of the ball, and they were forced to overcome some adversity,” said Fournier. “Taber had some moments in that game, they were really rallying to come back.”
With the win, the Titans are set to play the St. Paul Lions in the championship. St. Paul topped the perennially strong Ardrossan Bison 30-9.
The Titans have a good idea of what St.Paul is capable of.
“We actually played St.Paul in Week 2 this year. We won 24-13. We shook hands at the end, and the coaches said, ‘I hope to see you in the finals,” said Fournier. “There is a reason they are in the final. They beat some good teams to get here, and they are on a roll. They do a lot of different things well and have some big bodies that can move the ball on the ground, and they can move the ball in the air.”
“It’s going to be a good game. They are pretty strong on defence too, So I don’t think it will turn out to be a barn burner by any stretch, but you never know.”
The Alberta Bowl Tier IV Championship is on Friday, November 25 at 4 p.m. at Shouldice Park in Calgary.

Solid play earns Dragons two wins

The Dragons had an intense week topping the second-best team in the south and then besting Calgary in overtime.
The Dragons were at home on Friday, November 18 to take on the Okotoks Oilers. The Dragons came out firing and outshot the Oilers 13-6 in the first period Easton Adrian scored with less than four minutes left in the first and carried the Dragons with a score of 1-0 after one.

Okotoks scored 3:09 into the second but Sam Simard kept the Dragons ahead 2-1 after two. Coy Pighin put the Dragons up 3-1, but Okotoks answered back with a goal. It wasn’t enough as the Dragons went on to a 3-2 win over the Oilers who are in second place in the AJHL Vittera South.
The Dragons were on the road to close out the weekend and headed to Calgary to take on the Canucks on Saturday, November 19. The Dragons drew first blood as Tanner Dawkins scored on the powerplay. Calgary however evened it up to end the first, tied at one.
Calgary scored the lone goal in the second period, but Simard started the third on fire scoring at 1:58 and again at 3:11, to go up 3-2. With less than five minutes left, Calgary scored and forced overtime. Just 36 seconds into the extra time, Ty Daneault scored his 14th of the season to win the game.
The Dragons have a three-game homestand this week with a chance to make some gains in the south. On Tuesday, November 22, they host the Olds Grizzlys, Results not available at press time. On Friday, November 25, they play the Blackfalds Bulldogs, and wrap up the weekend on Saturday, against the Camrose Kodiaks.

Daneault named AJHL Player of the Week

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The Drumheller Dragons’ Ty Daneault is being recognized for a stellar week of hockey.
He earned the Pizza 73 AJHL Player of the Week. With six points (4G, 2A) in two games from October 31 to November 6, Daneault was also twice awarded as the Viterra AJHL Star of the Game.
Ty Daneault (Red Deer, AB) recorded his eighth goal of the season to open the scoring on November 4 versus Okotoks. On November 5, he scored a hat trick and added two assists in a 7-2 win over the Camrose Kodiaks.
The second year Dragon leads the team in scoring with 21 points (11G, 10A). The 2004-born forward is committed to Merrimack College (NCAA).

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