Cobras begin CAHL playoffs

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Sunny South News

By Cole Parkinson
Sunny South News

This past weekend saw the Coaldale Cobras begin their playoff rounds as the Central Alberta Hockey League heads towards the end.

U11 Tier 3

It was a first-round matchup against the Vauxhall Sabres for the U11 Tier 3 Cobras this past weekend.

Saturday morning saw Game 1 go in Coaldale with the home team winning with a decisive 10-2 win. Nova Mulder had a goal and three assists, Travis Jackson had a hat trick, Nixon Noble and River Pollard had two goals and an assist each, Adam Klassen and Rudy Wojszel had a goal and an assist each, and Alistair Poettcker and Kaelan Hoffman had an assist each. Elliot Hass got the start in net for the Cobras and the netminder made 22 saves on 24 shots.

The teams returned to Vauxhall for Game 2 on Sunday afternoon and both teams found the back of the net at rapid paces. When all was said and done though, the Cobras had gained a 14-9 victory, which clinched the series. Pollard had four goals and three assists while Jackson had a hat trick and four assists. Noble had two goals and three assists, Mulder had a goal and three assists, Wojszel had two goals and an assist, Jake Waggener had a goal and an assist, Dominic Di-Loreto had a single goal, and Poettcker, Hoffman, and Klassen each chipped in with an assist. Hass was back between the pipes, making 19 saves on 28 shots.

With the first-round victory, the Cobras advance to the semi-final where they will face Bow Island/Foremost.

U11 Tier 6

The U11 Tier 6 Cobras had a hugely successful first round of CAHL playoffs.

In the first round, the team matched up against Chestermere with Game 1 seeing the Cobras on the road. The Cobras came out firing on the road as they took home a 6-1 win. Jackson Batkin had a hat trick for the Cobras with Roman Howg potting two goals, and Foster Hurt sniping a single. Emmett Conrad and Drake Labelle each had an assist. Mira Anderson was stellar between the pipes as the netminder made 19 saves on 20 shots.

The second game back at home saw a similar result as the Cobras gained a big lead and held on for an 8-2 win. Batkin had another two goals for the Cobras while Paxton Wiebe, Howg, and Dylan Yackulic had a goal and assist each, Conrad, Labelle, and Avery Gudmundson had a goal each, and Ryan Scriven-Hirsche and Emerson Conrad had an assist each. Peyton Rowley got the start for the Cobras.

Next up for the U11 Tier 6 Cobras is the semi-final which will see the Cobras take on Redcliff.

U13

The first round of the U13 playoffs saw the Cobras take on Pincher Creek.

Game 1 saw the Cobras hit the road and plenty of goals were scored in Pincher Creek on Saturday afternoon. When the buzzer rang out at the end of the third period, teams saw a 7-7 tie, so they went to overtime. Both teams wouldn’t let each other get the upper hand as the first two overtimes went scoreless. In the third overtime, Coaldale final broke the tie with Makenna Malm potting the game-winner and the Cobras had a big 8-7 upset over the home team. Ryker Orsten had two goals and two assists, Ryley Kauenhowen and William Thompson had two goals and an assist each, Malm had the game-winner and an assist, Zoey Caron had a single goal, and Beckett Hurt, Payden Whipple, Tucker Newberry, and Kashtyn Megyes had an assist each. Colton Peters was the starting goalie for Coaldale and made 58 saves on 65 shots.

Sunday saw a similar game with tons of goals and another trip to overtime. After a knockdown drag-out fight in the first game, the teams once again went to extra time but this time, Pincher Creek would sneak out an 8-7 victory in the first OT. Thompson had two goals and an assist, Orsten had a goal and two assists, Caleb Burton had a pair of goals, Kauenhowen had a goal and an assist, and Newberry had one goal. Brant L’Hirondelle got the start for Coaldale and the netminder made 37 saves on 45 shots.

No game time has been set for Game 3 as of Monday morning.

U15

The first round for the U15 went about as good as it could have as the Cobras rolled in two straight games against Lethbridge Red.

Game 1 saw the teams play in Coaldale and the Cobras were more than ready as they skated to a 17-4 victory. Dalton Damen had two goals and five assists, Jonah Hass had a hat trick and two assists, Lane Broderson had two goals and three assists, Layne Kyle and Abby Galbraith had a hat trick each, Gage Lyckman had a goal and two assists, Killian Erick had three assists, Kaede Wakefield had two goals, Kenneth Galbraith had a pair of assists, Jackson Stone had a single goal, and Hudson Adams, Marco Burnett, Carsen Roy, and Logan Van Der Leest all had an assist. Van Der Leest was the starting netminder, making 27 saves on 31 shots.

Sunday saw the teams return to Lethbridge for Game 2, and while the Cobras didn’t score as many goals as they did in Game 1, they still skated to a 7-3 win and a series win. Damen had a hat trick and an assist, Galbraith had a goal and two assists, Hass had two goals, Broderson had a goal and an assist, and Stone had a single assist. Dakota Hurst got the start in net for the Cobras.

With a round one win, the Cobras head to the semi-final where they will take on Pincher Creek.

U18

The U18 Cobras got their playoffs started this past weekend with a single game as they take on Kainai.

The Cobras were all business as they took a 10-1 win at home in Game 1. Gage Lyckman had a pair of goals and two assists, Josten Bousfield and Drayton Broderson had a goal and three assists each Tyler Wiebe had a goal and two assists, Noah Olinek and Kaiden Damen had a goal and assist each, Max Davis, Nolan Klassen, and Hector Peralta-Lopez had a goal each, and Kyle Harrington and Donovan Malm had an assist each. Brenden Duda was the starting netminder for the Cobras and the goalie was sensational making 33 saves on 34 shots.

Game 2 is set for this Saturday afternoon in Kainai at 3 p.m. A potential Game 3 would go in Coaldale on Sunday at 4:15 p.m.