Written by Coach Curran
The Drumheller Dragons played a home-and-home series this week against the second place Okotoks Oilers, losing the first game 4-2 Tuesday night in Okotoks and then returning home Wednesday night with a big 3-0 win.
Tuesday in Okotoks – Power Play Beats Dragons
On Tuesday night the Oilers scored three powerplay goals to get the 4-2 win. The Dragons penalty kill has been very good lately but on this night the Dragons struggled to find the answer. We did make the game close on goals by Jordan Taupert and Cody Young to trail by one in the third period, but with less than 6 minutes left the Oilers' powerplay struck again to give them a 4-2 lead and the eventual win.
For some reason we came out slow in the first period and let the Oilers dictate the pace. However it was good to see us fight back in the second and third periods. We had our chances in the third and certainly pushed the pace. The Oilers are a very good club and as a team we need to find that 60-minute game. We have addressed this with the players and it's always been our goal to improve every day.
Wednesday in Drumheller – Dragons Shut Out Oilers in Rematch
The rematch on Wednesday night was a very solid and entertaining game, ending in a 3-0 shutout victory for the Dragons. Goal scorers were Chad Hurtubise and Nate Keeley (2).
I can't speak for the Oilers but I thought it was a very entertaining and fast-paced game with both teams having their chances. Both goalies played strong but Dane Dow on his birthday was given a nice present by earning a shut out. I thought we all played hard and when we broke down, Dane made some key saves for us. I was happy with the overall game and although we made some mistakes it wasn't due to lack of effort. We need to keep pushing for consistency each night and hold each one of us accountable for our performances.
Photo by Broken Curfew Photography