Drumheller Dragons
Thanks for a great season: Bandits end Dragons playoff run
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- Published on Saturday, 23 March 2013 13:27
- Written by Michael James | © DrumhellerMail.com
The Drumheller Dragons have hung up their skates on their playoff series and their season after a difficult final game against the Brooks Bandits.
On Friday, March 22, the Dragons headed to Brooks for game five of their second round playoff series against the Bandits after staving off defeat several nights before with a huge game four win at home. In game four the Dragons were firing all cylinders, but the Bandits came out in full force for game five, winning decisively 7-0.
The Bandits let loose their onslaught early. By the end of the first period, the score was 5-0 for the Bandits and they added two more by the end of the second. The Dragons and were able to generate a few scoring opportunities, but couldn’t get past the solid goaltending of Bandits goalie Michael Frederick. The Dragons kept the Bandits scoreless in the third period, but couldn’t make any offensive headway.
The loss means the Dragons’ season is now over.
Overall, it was a huge year for the Dragons. The team rose from a lacklustre 2011-12 season, where the team barely squeaked into the playoffs, to a being strong contender throughout the 2012-13 season under the leadership of head coach and general manager Brian Curran, who joined the team in March 2012.
The season started out slow, but by November, the Dragons were establishing themselves as a team to watch and went on a huge eight game winning streak. At the end of the regular season, they earned a definitive fourth place finish in the AJHL southern division (insert wins, losses, points).
The Dragons went on to sweep a hard fought series against the Canmore Eagles in the first round of the AJHL playoffs and in their series against the Bandits, won game four, their first win against Canada’s top Junior A team all season.
Several of the Dragons were also recognized by the league this year. Ryan Bloom, Mitchell Gartner, and Harrison Hendrix were each named Players of the Week. Captain Brennan Baxandall was nominated for league MVP and Gartner for the top defenceman of the year.
Sadly, Drumheller will be saying goodbye a few Dragons this year. Baxandall, who has played his entire Junior A career with the Dragons, Ryan Aasman, Brad Deagle, Gartner Harrison Hendrix, Brodie Jamieson, and Bryton Mills turned 20-years-old this season and therefore are no longer eligible to play at the Junior level.
However, despite the loss, there are quite a few Dragons left who have a bright junior career ahead of them.
Look out for the Dragons to come back next fall, ready for another great season of Junior A hockey action.
Dragons keep playoff drive alive
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- Published on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 10:31
- Written by Michael James | © DrumhellerMail.com
The Drumheller Dragons have rekindled their playoff hopes after winning 3-2 in overtime over the Brooks Bandits on Tuesday night.
The game was a do-or-die situation for the Dragons. If they had lost, it would have meant an end to their season.
The Drumheller Memorial Arena was packed once again and the energy in the building was palpable.
In the previous three games, the Bandits had struck first, but in game four the Dragons set the tone of the game early on, keeping the play in the Bandits.
The Dragons would gain a 1-0 lead at 12:09 into the first and while shorthanded. Bryton Mills charged from the Dragons end and stuff the puck in behind Bandits goalie Michael Frederick.
Brodie Jamieson would increase the lead to 2-0 2:24 into the second period. However, two minutes later the Bandits would score one of their own to make the game 2-1.
The Dragons held on to the lead for the remainder of the period, managing to contain the explosive offensive potential of the Bandits.
Bryton Mills had a monster game on Tuesday night, scoring the opening and game-winning goals, earning one assist, delivering a series of punishing hits to the Bandits, and earned a much-deserved player of the game.
In the third, the Bandits began to wear down the Dragons and gave Dragons goalie Adam Beukeboom more work than he had seen in the previous two periods.
The Dragons kept the lead until 14:15 into the third when, Shane Pilling, off a face-off in the Dragons end, sent the puck past Beukeboom. The game was tied at 2.
The Bandits, renewed from the goal, continued to pour on the pressure and the final two minutes of the third were played almost exclusively in the Dragons zone.
After a short intermission, the game headed to overtime. The Dragons came out fired up.
Their hard work paid off at 4:25 into overtime, when Bryton Mills sent a blistering shot through traffic to the back of the Bandits net.
The stands erupted with cheers as the Dragons kept their playoff drive alive.
The fifth game of the series will be held in Brooks on Thursday night.
Tonight do-or-die for Dragons
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- Published on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 12:55
- Written by Michael James | © DrumhellerMail.com
The Drumheller Dragons were victims of a brutal mugging at the hands of the Brooks Bandits in the second round of the AJHL playoffs.
In the first three games of the series, the Bandits skated away with commanding victories. The second round started On Friday, March 15, in Brooks, where the Bandits took a 5-1 win over the Dragons.
The Bandits set the tone for the game early, scoring their first goal of the night 15 seconds into the game and followed up with three more goals throughout the remainder of the first period and the second.
The Dragons fought hard and generated quite a few chances, but couldn’t penetrate the solid goal tending of Michael Frederick until Ryan Bloom found an open seam and scored the Dragons only goal of the night while shorthanded at 10:56 into the third.
The Bandits capped the game with their fifth goal with three minutes left.
The Dragons and Bandits remained in Brooks for game two the following night.
The game started off fairly even between the two teams, but the Dragons ran into trouble 10 minutes in when RJ Reed opened the scoring for the Bandits. Within two minutes, the Bandits followed up with two more goals to make the game 3-0 heading into the first intermission.
Things continued to spiral out of control for the Dragons and their stalwart goalie, Adam Beukeboom was pulled. Etienne Roy filled in, but couldn’t hold the Bandits back either, giving up three goals in the first five minutes of the second period. Beukeboom then returned to net after taking some time to regroup.
Mitchell Gartner scored soon after while on the powerplay, signaling the Dragons were not done yet. The Dragons fought back and Mtichell Cook gave the Dragons their second of the night at 17:31 into the second.
The Dragons were playing with new life and in the first three minutes of the third period, Colton Vannucci and Duncan Pernai racked up three more goals for the Dragons.
The Bandits, reeling from the onslaught, pulled Frederick and were on their heels for the remainder of the period. The Dragons couldn’t get the sixth goal they needed to tie things up. In the final minute they pulled Beukeboom, but the Bandits managed to seal the win with an empty net goal to make it 7-5.
Game three was brought to a packed Drumheller Memorial Arena on Monday, March 18.
Hunter Mills (right) sneaks the puck by Bandits goalie Michael Frederick during game three of the Dragons second round playoff series.
The Dragons began the game all fired up and took it to the Bandits, outplaying and shooting them in the first. However, it was the Bandits who struck first on the scoreboard at 10:40 while on the powerplay. The two teams headed to the first intermission with the Bandits up 1-0.
The game got away from the Dragons in the second. A string of penalties would see the Dragons short-handed for most of the period. The Bandits capitalized, scoring three more goals for a 4-0 game heading into the third.
The Dragons, their frustration showing, took it to the Bandits hard in the third, getting a number of punishing hits.
The Bandits kept up the pressure, and snuck the puck by Beukeboom eight minutes in for their fifth goal.
The Dragons would score one for pride 11:21 into the third while on the powerplay. Hunter Mills, his first of the playoffs, found a loose puck in front of the Bandits net and sent it by an out of position Frederick.
The Bandits would skate away with a 5-1 win and a 3-0 stranglehold on the series.
The two teams met for game four tonight at the Drumheller Memorial Arena. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
