Sports | DrumhellerMail

Raptors finish third weekend of league play

    It’s been a busy two weekends for the teams of Drumheller Minor Hockey, with the teams looking to keep the momentum of their strong opening weekends going.
   Many of the teams are currently in some of the top spots in their respective tiers following two weekends of intense competition.
   The McDonalds Novice Tier 3 Raptors have racked up several wins over the past two weekends. On Saturday, November 3, the team took a 4-2 win over Olds, then turned around and won 6-4 over Airdrie in an exhibition game the same day.
   The following day, the team tied 7-7 against Redcliff.
   “The kids had a great positioning weekend and worked very hard to get those wins,” said head coach Kit Clark. “They’re doing excellent.”
   The Canalta Novice Tier 6 team is coming off the weekend with a 4-4 tie against Crossfield. The team is currently tied for first place in their tier.
   The previous weekend saw the team up against some tougher opponents during a couple of games against higher-tier teams.
   “We won our first two games [of the season] pretty easy, then we had to do a couple tiering games and we got smoked. Basically, we had to play a couple teams in the tier above us, in Tier 5,” said head coach Phil McClusky. “Yesterday we had a game against Crossfield, which is in our own tier, and we tied 4-4. The kids did quite good. It’s been a fun start to the year.”
   The Yavis Atom Tier 3 Raptors are coming off a loss on the road in Crossfield this past Sunday. The weekend before saw the team win at home against Redcliff 4-2 and a 2-9 loss against Cochrane. The team is currently four points shy of first place in a tight tier.
   “We’ve played a couple teams that are much stronger than us and a couple that are on par with us. The kids are buying into our system, they’re practicing hard, and improving every game,” said head coach Tony Pliva.
   The Encana Atom Tier 6 team had a tough weekend on the road, losing against Strathmore on Saturday and a narrow 6-5 against Chestermere the following day. The team is holding onto third place in their tier thanks to a strong opening weekend.
   The NGC Pee Wee Tier 2 Raptors are currently tied for first place in their tier thanks to two big wins. On October 27 and 28, the team took Indus to task 7-1 and then defeated Brooks 8-5.
   The following weekend, the team was on the road in Kneehill County, but couldn’t keep the momentum going, losing 3-7.
   The Hi-Way 9 Pee-Wee Tier 6 team has been dominating their tier so far this season. October 27 and 28 saw the team win 7-4 and 4-1 over Okotoks Green and Chestermere, respectively. The team is currently in a solid first place in their tier.
   The Boston Pizza/Western Chev Bantam Tier 4 is a mere two points from first place in their tier. On Saturday, they shut out Oyen 4-0.
   The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Tier 3 team has had a strong couple of weekends. On October 27, the team prevailed 8-5 over Claresholm. They followed up their success with a 4-2 win over Okotoks last Friday. However, on Saturday in Brooks, the team suffered a 2-12 defeat.
   For more information about Drumheller Minor Hockey, visit www.drumhellerminorhockey.com.

Tanner Couturier fires a bullet at the Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors game against Claresholm on October 28. The team is currently 3-2 so far in their season and will be heading to Cremona on Saturday in a bid to rack up another win.

Dynos get ready for regionals

    The end is almost nigh for volleyball season. In just over a week, teams from all over the province will start on the road to be crowned provincial champions.
   Starting on that road as well will be the Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) senior girls volleyball team, the Dynos.
   “We will be competing against other 2A teams in our region, including teams in our league like Three Hills and PCA [Prairie Christian Academy],” said Dawn Sullivan, head coach of the team.
   Three Hills and PCA boast tough squads, and the Dynos will be going up against teams from Hanna, Oyen, Siksika, and Beiseker - teams they haven’t seen before.
   To prepare for regionals, the Dynos have had a busy schedule of tournaments. This past weekend the team was in Olds, but was narrowly denied a spot in the quarter finals.
   “It came down to where we split a match with one of the teams. We had to beat them by three points, but we only beat them by two,” said Sullivan.
   To determine which teams move on, the number of matches won, games won, and points for and against are tabulated. The Dynos were shy by only a few points to make it into the quarter finals.
   However, the Dynos did prove to themselves they had what it took to go up against some of the toughest teams around.
   “We started a little slow at the tournament, but in our last match we managed to split a match against one of the better teams at the tournament,” said Sullivan.
   To get ready for regionals, the team will be concentrating on keeping their focus for an entire game. Sullivan feels the girls have what it takes to be up there with the best.
   “They’re still working, but it’s the lapses when they’re playing. The potential is there, we just have to put it together when we’re on the court,” said Sullivan.
   The Dynos will be in Strathmore this weekend for their last tournament until regionals. The team has been up against Strathmore before, but the other teams will be new to the Dynos.
   “We’re still working towards regionals and zones,” said Sullivan. “It’s crunch time.”

The DVSS Dynos senior girls volleyball team is coming off a close defeat in Olds this past weekend. The team will be heading to Strathmore this weekend for another tournament, then they will compete in regionals. The team includes (back, l-r) Brigitte Doolittle, Brenna Grieve, Raine McDougald, Bonnie Courtenay, Becky Gough, Allyson Campbell, Kendra Schmidt, Madison Colberg, Mikayla Britton, Shae-Lynn Skytt, (front) Shae Mirbach, coach Dawn Sullivan, Leah Neuman, and (missing) Zaynah Chomos.

Bantam Titans capture Tier 4 league title

    The Bantam Titans are the Tier 4 league champs and this puts them one step closer to provincials.
   The Bantam Titans battled the elements and the Spring Bank Phoenix last Saturday at home. They fought to the end and came home with a 28-14 win and home field advantage as they continue in the next round of playoffs.
   “Just getting there (to the provincials) is an accomplishment,” said head coach Paul Redmond.
   The Titans had a slow start and soon found they were trailing by two points at the half. Springbank kept the pressure up and scored early in the third quarter to go up 14-6.
   “We battled back,” said Redmond. “We seem to be a second half team this year.”
   Redmond said this was a success on both sides of the ball. Aden Enns was able to find the end zone twice as did quarterback Mitch Ostergard. The defense held Springbank scoreless through most of the last two quarters of the game.
   A healthy crowd of fans came out to cheer on the Bantam team despite the chilly weather and snow-covered fields Saturday afternoon.
   The Titans have a few bumps and bruises, but managed to come away from Saturday’s win, relatively unscathed. They will have a week to heal even more before they host the provincial Tier 4 semifinal. They will be playing the top team from the Southern Alberta League. Redmond says there is a good chance that Medicine Hat could make it back to the playoffs.
   “Hopefully we can get everyone healed up and hopefully the weather clears a bit,” said Redmond.
   He adds they are confident they can do well.
   “I think we can compete well with this team, we just have to play a really good game,” said Redmond. “Limit our mistakes and if we can get a couple breaks here and there we can beat them.”

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