Sports | DrumhellerMail

Dragons finish opening weekend undefeated

The Dragons were breathing fire to open the season, winning their first two games and outscoring their opponents 15-4.

The Dragons opened the regular season on Friday, September 14 in the Dragon's Den in front of 1,224 fans. First order of business was the Brooks Bandits. While the Dragons dropped two in a row to the Bandits during the preseason, on Friday night the let loose with 11 goals and led the whole game.

“Our guys showed up and played hard and got the results they deserved,” said head coach Kevin Hasselberg.

Kaden Hanas opened the scoring just three minutes in on Friday versus the Bandits, followed by Shane Ott on the powerplay. The Bandits scored with about six minutes left in the first period, but Jordan Taupert put the Dragons up 3-1 to end the first period.

The second period was all Drumheller as Braden Nicholetts, Scott Truman, Bradley Stonnell and Brady Risk pushed the Dragons’ lead to 7-1. Brooks opened the scoring in the third period, but the Dragons did not relent as Adam Heindel, Brett Edwards and Roc Truman all scored. Taupert scored his second, as the Dragons went on to an 11-3 victory.

The Dragons were 100 per cent on the power play.

“Obviously early in the year you just want to find how you are going to develop chemistry within your lines and I think that stood out for me. You could really start seeing some lines start to gel and work well together,” said Hasselberg.

The Dragons continued to dominate Saturday night as they headed to Camrose to take on the Kodiaks. The Dragons outshot the Kodiaks in the first period 15-5, but it took until the 16-minute mark to get on the scoreboard as Brady Risk found the net unassisted. After a scoreless second period, Alex Rotundo put the Dragons up 2-0. Camrose answered back, but Aiden Yakimchuk and Shane Ott each scored as the Dragons won 4-1.

Rookie Shane Ott was named the fist 2018-2019 Canalta Hotel Player of the Week posting 2 goals and five assists to lead all players with seven points.

The Dragons have a busy week. Tuesday night they hosted the Canmore Eagles, results not available at to press time. On Friday they are back in Brooks for a rematch, and then on Saturday, they head to Okotoks to take on the Oilers.

“We want to get better. I think the quality of teams in the south division this year is really going to challenge teams to be at their best all the time. We are going to see a lot of that this week,” said Hasselberg.

Boyko shines in preseason for Tri-City Americans

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A Drumheller youngster is turning heads in the hockey world as he works for a spot on the roster of the Tri-City Americans.

The Mail reported that goalie Talyn Boyko was picked up by the Tri-City Americans in the second round of 2017 Bantam Draft. Just 14 at the time, he played in a couple of exhibition games but continued his hockey and education at the Pursuit of Excellence Academy in Kelowna.

Fast forward to this season, now 15, he has seen action in preseason and it appears he may have a shot at a spot on the squad. On his first outing of the season versus the Everett Silvertips on August 31, he stopped 45 shots including three saves in a four-round shootout for the win.

He also started in a preseason game versus the Vancouver Giants on September 2. He stopped 25 out of 27 shots before the game went to a shootout. There he stopped all four shots.

In two games he has stopped 70 of 75 shots.

He is still hoping to get a spot on the roster this season, and his father, Kelly Boyko, says Talyn has made the move to Washington and is now living with a billet.

“He is really fortunate to be in Kennewick around such great management and a great team and community, we are really grateful he has been drafted there,” said Kelly. He adds he has had the opportunity to meet and play with great players, including some from the NHL.

The Americans still have a few preseason games before their season begins on September 22. The final roster has not been released.

Local wins MVP in start-up pro volleyball league

A former Drumheller resident was named MVP of an upstart professional volleyball league in Calgary.

Andrea Price, who was a star on the Drumheller Composite High School girls volleyball team during her time there, earned the honour this season for her play in the ONE Volleyball Calgary league. Her team, JVC Reign, went 5-1 in the regular season and pushed into the semi-finals in late July.

The ONE Volleyball league expanded into Calgary for 2018 after starting up in Toronto in 2017 and currently has four women’s and four men’s teams.

“It’s really helping the volleyball community because if you want to play volleyball outside of university, you have to go to Europe and sign a contract. It’s a pretty big commitment to make that life choice. It’s been cool to be a part of the first step of (the league) and see it start to grow.”

Price previously played for both the Mount Royal University Cougars and the University of Calgary Dinos during her university career, an outside hitter known for her high kill numbers on the court.

She studied social work in university but found her path in life when she began working a chiropractic clinic a few years ago. She recently moved to Toronto to enroll at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in the Doctor of Chiropractic program there, the only English-speaking school in Canada offering the program.

“I’m passionate about health and it is a good fit for me personally,” she says.

Due to her studies, Price is unsure if she’ll be participating in the volleyball league in Toronto when their season starts next summer.

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