The U18 Drumheller React/ DT Fire Raptors were perfect at their home tournament through the round-robin and came out on top in the final.
The Raptors hosted their home tournament from January 20 to 22. They invited teams from Bashaw, Okotoks, Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, and Brooks.
On Friday night, the Raptors opened the tournament versus Red Deer and walked away with a 5-3 win.
They kept up their solid play, taking on Brooks on Saturday morning. Again, they stood strong winning 7-0. This put them up against Okotoks, where they won 7-1 and qualified for the Gold Medal game on Sunday.
The Raptors had even more hop in their step as they faced Red Deer again. This time they were able to shut them out, winning 5-0 and the trophy. Gavin Olsen was the player of the game.
“We played pretty well the first night against Red Deer on Friday, and came out awesome in the second game,” said coach Stephen Fournier. “We came out a little slower in our third game but kind of picked it up and played awesome the rest of the game.”
The goal differential told the story of the tournament, as the Raptors scored 24 goals and only allowed four the entire tournament.
“We’ve been really working on our defensive zone end. It was a struggle at the start, but we have really come together, and our goalies hold us in every game. It is good to see the kids win and see the emotion on their faces.”
The Raptors have been having a strong season and have a 3–2 record.
“We’ve been kind of up and down, but kind of found our rhythm after the new year,” said Fournier. “We are undefeated in the new year, so we hope to keep it going in the regular season.”