Dragons edge out Kodiaks in shootout win

    It doesn’t get much closer.
    The Drumheller Dragons were on the road last night in Camrose to take on the Kodiaks in their den.
    Both teams fought hard and in the end it was a shootout that decided the victor. The Dragons edged out the Kodiaks for a 3-2 win, their seventh in a row.
    The first period ended in a scoreless stalemate. It was until halfway through the second period when the Kodiaks got on top with a power play goal, after the Dragons were a man down due to a high sticking penalty.
    The Dragons offense finally broke through the Kodiaks defence with 10 minutes left in the game. Colton Vanucci, off of Mitchell Gartner and Christopher Rauckman, tied the game up. Seven minutes later, Rauckman, with an assist from Ryan Aasman, gave the Dragons a 2-1 lead.
    The Kodiaks, desperate to tie the game, fought back. The Dragons defence tried to fend of the Kodiaks, but couldn’t keep them from scoring and tieing the game up with less than a minute of play left.
    The game went through a scoreless overtime period and had to be settled in a shootout.
    Dakota Zaharicuk was up first for the Dragons and snuck the puck by Kodiaks goalie Matthew Gibney. The Kodiaks retaliated with a goal of their own.
    Four shooters from the Dragons and Kodiaks were denied before Stephen Doane sent the puck in for a Dragons goal. The Kodiaks had one more chance to come back, but Adam Beukeboom stopped them cold.
    The win is the seventh in a row for the Dragons. The team is currently in fourth place in the southern division and only 3 points behind the second place Okotoks Oilers.
    The Dragons are back at home for the next few games. Tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. the boys will be taking on the Whitecourt Wolverines. The following afternoon, at 2 p.m., the Kodiaks will be in town for a rematch.

Stephen Doane (pictured here versus the Calgary Canucks earlier this month) saved he day for the Drumheller Dragons, scoring the final shootout goal for a 3-2 win over the Camrose Kodiaks. Doane is one of the Dragons top scorers, with 10 so far this season.

Dragons scorch competition

    The Drumheller Dragons are red hot right now. The team has expanded its winning streak to six games.
    The Dragons hit the road last Friday in Okotoks. The boys showed they were a team to be reckoned with, winning 4-1 in a hard hitting game.
    Bloom, unassisted, opened the scoring for the Dragons on the power play after the Oilers incurred a hooking penalty. Jamieson, with the assists going to Tanner Kissick, and Brennan Baxandall, scored the second goal of the night.
    The Oilers mustered a goal while the Dragons were shorthanded following a blow to the head penalty.
    The Dragons kept pouring on the offense and scored twice more. Vanucci, from Shayne Gwinner and Ryan Aasman, got the third goal of the night in the final minute of the second period. Hunter Mills, off of Gartner, scored the fourth goal of the night for the Dragons half way through the third.
    The Dragons continued their winning streak on Saturday when they hosted the Calgary Mustangs in front of a packed Drumheller Arena. The Dragons won 3-1.
    The momentum started early for the Dragons when Bloom, off of Baxandall, scored shorthanded after Brad Deagle was called for slashing.
    Baxandall followed up with a goal of his own minutes later, with help from Christopher Rauckman and Tyler Kerner.
    The Mustangs pushed back with a power play goal half way through the third. In the final minute of the game, down by a goal, the Mustangs pulled their goalie in a bid to tie the game up.
    Baxandall put the game out of reach for the Mustangs with an empty net goal with three seconds left in the game.
    Baxandall is having the strongest season of his AJHL career. In only 24 games played this year, Baxandall has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points.. Last season, in 51 games, he had 6 goals and 17 assists for 23 points.
    Saturday’s win gives the Dragons a six game winning streak and a record of 13-12-1. They are now in fourth place in the southern division with 27 points.
    Only a week ago, the team was sitting in last place of the southern division.
    The Dragons will be battling to continue their rise up the standings tonight on the road against the Camrose Kodiaks, who are ahead of the Dragons by 3 points in the standings.
    The Dragons will return home on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to host the Whitecourt Wolverines. The following afternoon, at 2 p.m., the Kodiaks will come to the Dragons den.