Dragons Battle to the End
The Drumheller Dragons started 2016 off on the road this past weekend playing in Camrose and Calgary. The Dragons would split the games but continue to show heart and battle.
The first game on the new year would be against the Kodiaks, always a solid competitor. Camrose would take the game 5-1 however the score would be misleading; this was not an easy game for the Kodiaks with the Dragons keeping the pressure on until the final buzzer.
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First period saw a very evenly matched game but late in the period Camrose would score to make it a 1-0 and take the lead into the locker room.
In the second period Drumheller would once again have some good scoring opportunities but the story in this period would be special teams. As the Dragons struggled getting their power play on track the Kodiaks did a great job of taking away Drumheller shooting lanes and the game would go 0-6 on the PP. The Kodiaks would also capitalize on both theirs power plays in the second and would take a 3-0 lead at the end of the period.
Camrose would take advantage of a bad change in the neutral zone early in the third and take a 4-0 lead but the Dragons would not give up and minutes later Levi Wunder would score to make it 4-1. Drumheller had a great chance to make it 4-2 but Jacob Schofield was robbed and that was the end of their comeback as the Dragons would take a gamble and a turnover would end up giving Camrose a break away and the game would end 5-1.
Coach Curran,” I personally thought the score did not indicate the way we played. We were fast and a lot of good scoring chances. We made a few bad mistakes and against a team like Camrose they will make you pay. The boys never gave up and played hard till the final buzzer. That kind of effort will win games minus a few of those costly mistakes.”
DRAGONS POWER PLAY GOES FOUR FOR FIVE
The Drumheller Dragons who went 0 for 6 the night before in Camrose got it back on track enroute to a 6-3 victory over the Calgary Canucks at the Max Bell arena in an afternoon contest.
It’s clear the Dragons know where they stand and that every game for the remainder of the season will be crucial if they are to get back in the race in the South. After losing to Camrose the night before this game was a must win for the Dragons and in the first period they came out strong with several scoring opportunities and were able to capitalize on one closing the period with a 1-0 lead on a power play goal by Matt Muzyka.
Second period action saw the Dragons continue to pressure and Ryan Chynoweth would score to make it 2-0. However Canucks captain Chandler Irvin had a big night and would score the next 2 goals for the Canucks and tie the game at two. Drumheller would take the lead again as Braeden Salverda would score however Irvin would score his third goal of the night to tie the game at three.
Third period goals by Matt Muzyka and Evan Rochowiak would make it 5-3 giving the Dragons some breathing room. The Canucks would pull their goalie and Scott Ivey would add an empty net goal that would lock in their victory and the Dragons would skate away with a much needed win, 6-3.
Coach Curran,” Every game and every point you can get is so important at this time of year, I thought we played very well at times and our power play was clicking which was nice to see. Calgary has improved so much this season and I know going into their building you must be prepared or it will be a long night. We didn't play our best in the second but we picked it up in the third and got the 2 points we needed”
Next game will be played in Hanna on Tuesday, January 5 at 7pm vs the Canmore Eagles.
