It’s been a busy two weeks for the various Raptor teams. The teams had a hard schedule and many are poised to make some serious headway into their respective playoffs.
    The DMHA Raptors have been dominating their tier. Against Chestermere on January 14 they won by a lopsided 14-2 and 9-3 the next day against a strong Siksika team. The wins ensure they are first in their tier.
    The Canalta Novice Raptors played on the road against Cochrane on January 15. The Canalta Raptors got the lead early but Cochrane managed to tie the game up by the end. The MacDonald’s Novice Raptors had a rough weekend on January 14 and 15, losing both of their games.
    The Novice teams hosted a tournament this past weekend. For more information, see the January 25 edition of The Drumheller Mail.
    The Yavis Atom Raptors have had some tough luck as of late, losing against High River on January 14 and tieing Indus on January 15. The game against Indus was especially heartbreaking. A potential game winning goal for the Raptors in the dying seconds was declared void, because the net had been knocked free.
    The Encana Atom Raptors had a huge weekend two weeks ago. On January 14 the team played Carstairs and handed them their first loss of the season. The next day the team tied a challenging Nanton team, who are currently one of the top teams in the league.
    “It was a really good and important weekend. We beat the team that hadn’t been beaten,” said head coach Jason Ewing.
    The win and tie sets up the Encana Raptors for a good spot in the playoffs, especially with an easier schedule ahead.
    The Hi-Way 9 Pee Wee Raptors participated in a tournament in Standard on January 14 to 15. After fighting their way to the finals, they finished in second place.
    The NGC Pee Wee Raptors are having a good season this year. This past weekend the team participated in a tournament in Medicine Hat and finished in first place.
    The NGC Pee Wee’s are off to a good start in provincials, winning 3-2 on January 24 over Indus. It was a close game, tied 0-0 at the start of the third period.
    “We’ve lost to these guys previously in league play, so this was a good boost for the team,” said Manager Christy Telford.
    The NGC Pee Wee’s had a rematch against Indus on January 26, but the results were not available at press time.
    The Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors have been on fire since the new year began. The team has registered four wins and one loss in the five games they have played so far.
    “We’ve been doing well, we’ve lost just one game since the new year. We’re starting to gel and come together,” said head coach Darren Toffan. “We look forward to the playoffs, and trying to win the kids a banner.”
    The Boston Pizza/Western Chevrolet Bantam Raptors have continued to gain momentum since their tournament at the beginning of January. In the past two weeks the Bantam Raptors have racked up another four wins and a tie.
    Provincials have just begun, with a few of the Raptors aiming to make an impact and hopefully come home as champions.
    For more information about Drumheller Minor Hockey and the many Raptors visit www.drumhellerminorhockey.com.

    The Drumheller Minor Hockey Novice Raptors combined their efforts this past weekend to host their own novice tournament. The tournament was a huge success, raising money for the teams and pitting the Raptors against some tough teams in a fun, non-competitive atmosphere.
    Nine teams, from Beaumont, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Okotoks, Stettler, and Strathmore braved the highways to play. All three Raptors teams played in the tournament as well. The action started on Friday, January 20 and games were held in the Drumheller Memorial and Morrin Arenas.
    The Canalta Raptors had a rough start to the tournament on Saturday morning, facing a tough Stettler squad.
    “We played Stettler on Saturday morning,” said head coach Curt Notland. “It was a little bit of a whooping there.”
    However, the Canalta Raptors regrouped and won 8-3 against Medicine Hat later that afternoon. The next day against Strathmore, the Canalta Raptors won 3-0.
    “We played tier 5 teams, which is where we thought we should’ve been anyway. We play tier 4 in the league and getting beat more than we’re winning. I thought we played teams that were more of our calibre. Everybody played well and each kid stepped up at different times,” said Notland.
    The McDonalds Raptors had a strong showing at the tournament.
    The McDonalds Raptors started their weekend on Saturday morning against the Okotoks Icehawks and won 8-2.
    Several hours later, the McDonalds Raptors were back on the ice and trounced the Beaumeont Blackhawks 16-4.
    A tough match followed the next morning as the Okotoks Hitmen avenged the Icehawks and handed the McDonald’s Raptors their only loss of the tournament.
    The last Drumheller team to participate was the DMHA Raptors, who normally play in a lower tier. The tournament was a chance to test themselves against tougher opponents.
    The DMHA Raptors started the tournament with a 6-4 victory against the Calgary Lightning Bolts. Unfortunately, the DMHA Raptors lost their next two games.
    However, for the team, who is accustomed to winning in their league games, the lessons learnt at the tournament will only make them better.
    “We cheered on the other teams and for the kids it was a chance to watch the competition that they’ll be facing next year,” said head coach Tony Pliva. “It was great to see some really good teams.”
    The tournament was also a chance to try some new things without risking their playoff spot in the league.
    “One of the things we did in this tournament is we let different kids play goal. We have a regular goalie and he’s really good, but we decided to switch it up and have some fun,” said Pliva.
    As for who won the tournament, there is no clear winner.
    “It was a fun tournament. There was no real winner of it all and everybody got medals,” said Notland.
    The tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and generosity of the volunteers.
    “It was a success. Everything ran smoothly and we raised a lot of money for the teams,” said Pliva. “The amount of volunteer hours of the parents who made it a success is outstanding.”