Sports | DrumhellerMail

AJHL releases 2016-2017 schedule

Drgons

While the sun blazes outside, hockey season is right around the corner.

The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) released the 2016-2017 AJHL Exhibition and Regular Season schedules. This means the Drumheller Dragons will be back on the ice before you know it.

AJHL Teams open Main Camp for the 2016-2017 Season starting on Friday, August 26, followed by the start of the Exhibition Season.

The Exhibition Season will begin on Wednesday, August 31. Opening weekend will feature 16 games.

The Dragons preseason will begin with tournament play. The Okotoks Oilers will be hosting a four-team tournament. The Dragons will play the Calgary Mustangs on Wednesday, on August 31 at 1:45 p.m. The first chance for home fans to see the Dragons on the ice at Drumheller Memorial Arena is Friday September 9 at 7:30 p.m. when they take on the Lloydminster Bobcats.

The regular season opener is Friday, September 16 on the road versus the Camrose Kodiaks. Their season home opener will not be until Friday September 23 when they host the Calgary Mustangs.

Six AJHL teams will begin the 2016-2017 season with a new Head Coach, two South Division teams and four North Division teams. Currently, the upcoming season would begin with 32 players on AJHL rosters that have already committed to a College / University for the 2017-2018 season and beyond. The total number of College commitments is expected to surpass 75 by the completion of the season.

Camrose will play host to the 10th Annual AJHL Showcase from September 29 – October 1. The Sherwood Park Crusaders will host the Spruce Grove Saints in a Pre-Showcase game on September 28. Showcase Scout Packages are now available through the AJHL website.

The 2016 AJHL Semi-Annual Meeting will take place in Red Deer on November 19. The newly formed Strategic Planning Committee will bring forth recommendations to the meeting regarding the league schedule, playoff format, championship structure, parity and overall future direction of the AJHL.

The World Junior A Challenge, a showcase of Canadian and International Junior A talent, is returning to Alberta for the second time in tournament history when the Bonnyville Pontiacs host the event December 11 – 17, 2016.

The AJHL will break for the holidays from December 22 - 29.The Canmore Eagles will take AJHL hockey to the town of Banff, Alberta for a third straight year on January 31, 2017 when they host the Drumheller Dragons. A number of satellite games are expected to be announced over the coming weeks in Alberta communities.

The Regular Season concludes after 480 games on Sunday, March 5, 2017.

The 2017 AJHL Gas Drive Playoffs will open on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The top team in each division will receive a first round bye. The Viterra AJHL South Division and Viterra AJHL North Division will playoff to determine a divisional champion at the conclusion of Round Three. The North Division Champion and the South Division Champion will then compete in the AJHL Gas Drive Cup Final.

The 2017 Western Canada Cup will be held from April 28 - May 7, 2017 in Penticton, BC.

The 2017 RBC Cup will take place from May 13 – 21 in Cobourg, ON.

A complete League Schedule is now available on the AJHL Website www.AJHL.ca.

U12 Vipers take home provincial silver medal

VipersU12

The Highway 9 U12 Vipers came home with a silver medal around their necks after competing in the “C” Division Alberta Softball Provincials on the weekend of Friday, July 15.

The girls played 5-0 going into the final round of provincials, falling to the Trochu White Soxs 16-1.

“We have been having trouble beating Trochu as it is over the years. They won provincials last year, so they were experienced. We didn’t go in expecting to get a medal , we just wanted the experience and we told them to do their best and put their best foot forward and they did,” said Coach Dale Telford.

The U12 girls are happy to have won silver.

“The girls were a little disappointed they didn’t get gold, but we reminded the girls that there were 10 teams that didn’t go home with anything, so they were grateful,” says Telford.

Most of the girls on the Vipers will be moving up to U14 next year. Telford is excited to see where they will go and proud of his team.

“The girls played well together, they were are all quick and were turning double plays, they had a couple of home runs, awesome catching, and awesome pitching. They just nailed it.”

U12 Vipers girls softball team prepares for provincials

U12Vipers

Drumheller’s U12 Vipers are up to bat at their first provincial tournament in Castor on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16.

The girls also just came off of a tournament last Sunday, July 10. The girls lost to Stettler 26-14 and won their second game against Lacombe 21-14.

“We like to think of last weekend as ‘practice provincials’ for the real thing. I think the girls may have been a little asleep in the morning, but really came together in our second game,” says coach Dale Telford.

The U12 Vipers are working on practicing batting and throwing accuracy this week to prepare for provincials.

“The girls really prosper in playing as a team. They all get along and are really quick when playing together. We had Kali Fournier come out and give the girls some tips on catching. We have been working on a little bit of everything this week,” says Telford.

With the provincials right around the corner, the Vipers are prepared to dominate on the diamond.

“The girls are very excited to be playing in provincials. From what I can see, not a lot of them are nervous, but it is hard to tell when dealing with 12 year old girls,” laughs Telford.

They play the Lacombe Matrixs on Friday, July 15 at 11:00 am in Castor.

More Articles ...