Sports | DrumhellerMail

Titans prepare for post-season

    The senior Titans took on a top team last weekend as they prepare for the post-season.
   The Titans fell to the Winston Churchill Bulldogs last Saturday at home, with a score of 34-28. The Bulldogs remained ranked at third place at the Tier 3 level.
   For the Titans, this was the kind of workout they were looking for heading in to the post-season.
   “For the guys, even though it was a loss, it was still a victory for them because they got to see the character of their team,” said head coach Ken Fournier. “When the coaches were talking about scheduling an exhibition against a tougher team, you couldn’t dream up a better situation.”
     The Titans had a slow start. Three early fumbles early allowed the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. But the Titans continued to chip away. The Bulldogs still had a substantial lead, but Cody Gouin’s touchdown and following convert were able to cut the score to 21-34. Kyle Smith, whose performance during this game included a 90-yard return for a touchdown, picked off a pass and cut the score to 28-34 with his second touchdown.
   The Titans charge continued and they brought it back to their opponent’s 26-yard line with 33 seconds, but lost possession.
   Fournier said Smith put together a career game, and quarterback Steven Robertson stood strong in the pocket and lifted his passing game. Spencer Fournier was not only making yards on the run but on the pass as well, and the tight ends put together an amazing game.
   “I think we got the momentum in the second half. When you play teams you don’t usually see, you don’t know what kind of offense they are running, and you don’t know what to prepare for,” said Fournier.
   “They scored three right away. It was still a good match-up, but then we were battling the clock the rest of the game.”
   The Titans will be hosting the league finals this weekend against Canmore. This will be the third time Drumheller and Canmore have met on the field this season, and the Titans have swept the series. Coach Fournier said they cannot take Canmore lightly.
   “We have to focus on controlling the ball and keeping their offense off the field,” said Fournier. “They have just had two weeks to prepare for us. Their defense should be stronger against our offense. We have been preparing too, but I fully expect Canmore to come out with a new look offense.
   “They can play. A lot of our success against Canmore was turnovers that we capitalized on, so if they don’t make any mistakes they will be a lot tougher team to play than what the last score showed.”
   Game time is 1 p.m.

Senior Sabres playing strong

    The St. Anthony’s Sabres senior girls volleyball team is cruising through the season and meeting some success.
   The team was on the court last Wednesday to take on Hanna at home. On this occasion, the games were close, but they fell to the Hawk. However on the season they have split with the Hanna team.
   They have also found victory over Delia, but were beat out by Morrin.
     Assistant coach for the team Marie Hirsh said the team is getting better every game and learning.
   “They are improving,” said Hirsh.
   The team has a short bench, with only eight players, but the future looks bright for the team. With only three Grade 12 players graduating, and a junior high team with players coming up, competitive volleyball should continue.
   The team is in Bassano this weekend, and then heading to Vulcan the following weekend.

Raptors don Dragons colours

    Drumheller Minor Hockey is set to begin the season this weekend, and it looks like the association has a bright future.
   While the numbers at some of the upper levels has waned slightly, the incoming crop of newcomers is strong.
   “This year we have three novice teams, which is rare because usually we only have two, which is good,” said Minor Hockey president Norm Fournier. “Our tyke numbers are sitting at 24. We have two atom teams, but unfortunately in bantam and midget we are down to one team, which is unfortunate.”
   He said 14 potential players at the upper level either moved away or declined to play.
   “It made our numbers tough, which meant we had to release some players from bantam. That was really hard to do,” said Fournier.
   All the teams and coaches are in place, and the teams are “ready to roll” into the season.
   The teams will be sporting a new look on the ice. This year the association has adopted the Drumheller Dragons colours.
   Fournier said equipment manager Lisa Jacques has been instrumental in making the switch. The Dragons and team sponsors are supportive of the move. Sports Room Source for Sports has been busy putting the Raptor logos on the new jerseys.
   Rod Knelsen of the Dragons said many other communities with junior teams have done the same thing and it promotes pride.
   Fournier agrees.
   “Integrating the uniforms is awesome, the kids in Minor Hockey look up to the Dragons and doing this is huge,” said Fournier.
   One of the big changes to hockey all over is the new head contact rule.
   “It is going to be a big learning curve for everyone involved,” said Fournier. “Anything from the neck up is a no go this year and even an accidental knock to the head is a two minute penalty.
   "It is a good change, but it is going to be a tough growing change. Interpretation by the referees is going to be huge on this rule. Meaning some refs are going to go right to the letter of the law, and some are going to slack off on calling it. It is going to be tough for the coaches to accept what is being called.”
   “Obviously for the kids’ safety it is definitely imperative that we go this route,” said Fournier.
   The Sports Room Source for Sports continues to be supportive of the Stopconcussions.com program and is continuing to do free helmet fittings. Hockey players can bring their helmets, wherever they bought them, and have them properly fitted. They are also advocating using mouth guards, and will not turn any hockey player away who does not have the means to purchase one.
   The Sports Room is continuing with its merits program. They have the Three Star program, in cooperation with Bauer for atom to bantam players. The coaches pick the stars and the players collect points and can compete with players across the country.
   They also have their Supersport program for beginners to novice. Each player will be picked as a Supersport; it could be for sportsmanship, or meeting achievement goals. They will be rewarded with a gift bag. This program is a partnership with Sports Room, Bauer and Sherwood. Local sponsors have also contributed to the prizes.

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