The Drumheller Minor Hockey Novice Raptors combined their efforts this past weekend to host their own novice tournament. The tournament was a huge success, raising money for the teams and pitting the Raptors against some tough teams in a fun, non-competitive atmosphere.
Nine teams, from Beaumont, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Okotoks, Stettler, and Strathmore braved the highways to play. All three Raptors teams played in the tournament as well. The action started on Friday, January 20 and games were held in the Drumheller Memorial and Morrin Arenas.
The Canalta Raptors had a rough start to the tournament on Saturday morning, facing a tough Stettler squad.
“We played Stettler on Saturday morning,” said head coach Curt Notland. “It was a little bit of a whooping there.”
However, the Canalta Raptors regrouped and won 8-3 against Medicine Hat later that afternoon. The next day against Strathmore, the Canalta Raptors won 3-0.
“We played tier 5 teams, which is where we thought we should’ve been anyway. We play tier 4 in the league and getting beat more than we’re winning. I thought we played teams that were more of our calibre. Everybody played well and each kid stepped up at different times,” said Notland.
The McDonalds Raptors had a strong showing at the tournament.
The McDonalds Raptors started their weekend on Saturday morning against the Okotoks Icehawks and won 8-2.
Several hours later, the McDonalds Raptors were back on the ice and trounced the Beaumeont Blackhawks 16-4.
A tough match followed the next morning as the Okotoks Hitmen avenged the Icehawks and handed the McDonald’s Raptors their only loss of the tournament.
The last Drumheller team to participate was the DMHA Raptors, who normally play in a lower tier. The tournament was a chance to test themselves against tougher opponents.
The DMHA Raptors started the tournament with a 6-4 victory against the Calgary Lightning Bolts. Unfortunately, the DMHA Raptors lost their next two games.
However, for the team, who is accustomed to winning in their league games, the lessons learnt at the tournament will only make them better.
“We cheered on the other teams and for the kids it was a chance to watch the competition that they’ll be facing next year,” said head coach Tony Pliva. “It was great to see some really good teams.”
The tournament was also a chance to try some new things without risking their playoff spot in the league.
“One of the things we did in this tournament is we let different kids play goal. We have a regular goalie and he’s really good, but we decided to switch it up and have some fun,” said Pliva.
As for who won the tournament, there is no clear winner.
“It was a fun tournament. There was no real winner of it all and everybody got medals,” said Notland.
The tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and generosity of the volunteers.
“It was a success. Everything ran smoothly and we raised a lot of money for the teams,” said Pliva. “The amount of volunteer hours of the parents who made it a success is outstanding.”