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Last updateWed, 05 Feb 2025 3pm

Special Olympics Alpine Skiers wrap up season

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This season involved the team’s competition athletes participating in a regular low-key season focussing on dryland and on-snow training on an off-competition year.
Three Drumheller athletes, Mitchell Pennington, Brian James and Jay Dekeyser, participated in dryland training weekly at the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) from November 2023 to March 2024, prior to and during our on-snow training. The skiers completed two on-snow training days at the Nakiska Ski Resort on Saturday, February 3 and Saturday, March 9.
On the March 9 training at Nakiska, the day was cut short due to a major power outage that shut down chairlifts, and the main Lodge facilities which forced the team to cut short its training and head home early.
“Nakiska was kind enough to credit our day’s lift cost for a day next season. Kudos to them for their understanding of that event. We were fortunate to have positive weather and great snow conditions at the resort this year. We were scheduled for an original first on-snow development day in January but were delayed due to extreme cold temperatures,” said coach Martin McSween.
Competitive skier, Brian Tabor, from Olds completed on-snow training with the team this year at Nakiska Ski Resort with support from volunteer coach Murray Elliott. Coaches saw marked improvement in all the athletes’ skill development in preparation for next year’s ski season with a potential Qualifier for Special Olympics Alberta Winter Provincials in 2027.
Competition athletes are Brian Tabor-Olds, Mitchell Pennington, Jay Dekeyser and newcomer Brian James-Drumheller. Brian James has been a developing athlete now ready for competition.
The team met for a last dryland training on Thursday, March 14 at the BCF and met for a season wind-up supper at Bernie and the Boys restaurant in Drumheller.
The team received great community support, including from Doug Lubinski and staff of Western GM Drumheller who sponsored a vehicle for transportation to Nakiska from Drumheller, Karen Mengersen of Special Olympics Olds and Special Olympics Alberta Staff for behind-the-scenes support and encouragement, Nakiska Ski Resort and Molly Faulkner of group sales and the rental services staff,staff at the BCF for their kind support, Murray Elliott for on-snow coaching, lodge support, and transporting our Olds athlete, and of course the athlete’s families and residential support staff.


Dragons prep for post season

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The Dragons are in the stages of preparation for the postseason as the play-in round continues.
The AJHL this season was dealt a shock with the defection of five teams to the BCHL. To move forward with the postseason, the AJHL redesigned its playoff format, with the top five teams earning a spot in the playoffs, while the remaining six playoff in individual five-game series. The winner of each series will fill out spots 6-8 to complete the bracket.
At the end of the regular season, the Whitecourt Wolverines captured the league championship. The Dragons battled to the end but landed in fifth place, four points behind the fourth-place Bonnyville Pontiacs.
The play-in round began on March 7. The Grande Prairie Storm is facing off against the Olds Grizzlys, the Canmore Eagles are taking on the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and the Camrose Kodiaks are taking on the Drayton Valley Thunder.
Round One of the Inter Pipeline Cup AJHL Playoffs will begin the weekend of March 15th-17th and will be a best-of-seven series, with the top seed playing the lowest remaining seed. This means the Dragons will be taking on the Pontiac in the first round. Games one and two will be held in Bonnyville on March 15 and March 16, respectively.
The Dragons will be back on home ice on Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. for Game 3, and Wednesday, March 20, for Game 4.

Raptors fall in triple overtime heartbreaker

It was as close as it could possibly get as the Kneehill Chiefs and the Drumheller Raptors U18 battled it out for the league championship over the weekend.
The Drumheller React/ DT Fire Protection Raptors hosted game one of the two-game total points series at the Drumheller Memorial Arena on Friday, March 8. Hundreds came out to cheer on the Raptors as they jumped out to a a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Chiefs settled into their game and pushed hard in the second period, going up 3-1. Drumheller clawed back but couldn’t close the gap, falling 4-3. Gavin Olsen, Kerric Chambers and Ryder Hems tallied the goals for the Raptors.
This put the Raptors at a one-goal deficit going into Game 2 in Trochu on Sunday afternoon.
The Raptors went up by a goal again in the first period, but by the end of the third it was tied at three. The Raptors played hard and at the end of regulation time, were up 4-3. This means the two teams were tied at seven goals apiece. Chambers had two goals, and Kayden Bitz and Kegan Regis each contributed one.
Overtime ensues, in fact, triple overtime.
“We technically won 4-3 and tied it up for overtime,” said coach Stephen Fournier. “We had a couple of powerplays in overtime, they had a couple of powerplays, and we killed them off.”
In the third overtime, the Raptors got a penalty a minute and a half in and killed it off.
“As soon as we killed it off, it was just a flutter-puck they threw in at the net from the blue line, and it deflected off of one of our guys and caught our goalie coming the other way.”
This ends a very successful season for the U18 Raptors. They were defending champions going into the season. This result was as close as a game could possibly get.
“The kids played awesome there was nothing else you could ask for. They left everything on the ice,” said Fournier. “Kneehill was a great team, and to take them to triple overtime, especially in their barn, down a goal to start with. It’s a feat of its own.”
He is also grateful for the community support of the Raptors on their playoff drive. He also sees the growth of the Drumheller Minor Hockey program.
“Kids are wanting it more, we are getting the outside coaching, and it is helping a lot. It is getting nice to have hockey coming back in Drumheller like it was when I played.”IMG 1844


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