Copperheads drop a pair of weekend HJHL games

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

It was a tough weekend for the Coaldale Copperheads in Heritage Junior Hockey League play. 

The team went 0-2, as a Friday road loss in Cochrane was compounded by a Saturday home defeat at the hands of Okotoks. 

In Cochrane, Coaldale fell 4-3 to the Generals, despite a good first 20 minutes from the Copperheads. 

After Cochrane went up 1-0, Caden Heins tied things up, on a goal assisted by Nathan Verloop and Ryan Holm. Just over three minutes later Holm scored to make it 2-1, as Koden Lazar and Brandon Creighton had the assists. 

In the second, Heins made it 3-1, as Verloop and John Vanden Elzen had the helpers. 

But before the middle frame was up, the Generals added two to tie the game and in the third, the Generals capitalized again to steal a 4-3 comeback win. 

Cochrane outshot Coaldale 32-24, and the Generals also struck once on the powerplay. Coaldale could not convert on any of its six man advantages. 

Joseph Rolfson took the loss in the net, as he made 28 saves. 

Saturday at home, Coaldale fell 6-4 to the Okotoks Bisons, as the home side once again had a solid first period. The Copperheads opened the scoring on a Riley Preachuk goal, assisted by Creighton and Holm.

Okotoks tied things up and before the period was up, Vanden Elzen made it 2-1. Heins and Griffin McCulloch. 

Coaldale looked to be on cruise control early in the second, as Lucas Alexander made it 3-1 on a goal assisted by McCulloch and Heath Hansen, and Verloop made it 4-1. Heins and McCulloch had helpers on that goal. 

But the three-goal lead did not hold, as Okotoks scored two goals late in the second – one with 1:39 left in the frame and another with only 33 seconds left, as the Bisons capitalized on a powerplay. 

Okotoks owned the third, as the Bisons tied things up and then went ahead on another man advantage. An empty-net goal with 35 seconds left put the game on ice. 

The Bisons scored three times on six powerplays, while Coaldale scored one powerplay goal on seven attempts.

Okotoks led on the shot clock by a count of 50-25, as Brylin Noble made 44 saves to keep Coaldale in the contest. 

As December rolls around, Coaldale is set to visit Strathmore Friday for a date with the Wheatland Kings. Saturday will see the Copperheads host Airdrie for an 8 p.m. game.