Copperheads lose on the road and win at home

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

It was another weekend of .500 hockey for the Coaldale Copperheads in Heritage Junior Hockey League play.

Friday, the Copperheads fell 3-1 to the Wheatland Kings in a game played on the road, while Saturday’s 4-3 win over Airdrie on home ice helped even out the action.

The game against Wheatland came down to the final 20 minutes, where the Kings finally went ahead in the contest with a goal with only 34 seconds left on the clock. Wheatland added an empty netter with three seconds left.

The Kings led 1-0 after 20 before Brandon Creighton scored on the powerplay in the second to tie things up. Griffin McCulloch and Nathan Verloop had the assists.

In the end, Wheatland held a 31-27 advantage in shots, as the home side also went 0-4 on the powerplay. Coaldale scored one goal on its four man advantages.

Brylin Noble made 27 saves in net for Coaldale.

Against Airdrie, Coaldale fell behind 1-0 before Creighton tied things up on a goal assisted by Verloop and Caden Heins. Airdrie scored again before the period was up, and held a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.

Verloop tied things up on a goal assisted by Kaden Lazar, before John Vanden Elzen scored on the powerplay, from Heins and Verloop.

Airdrie scored with 56 seconds left to tie things up, as the teams went into the third, tied at three.

Heins went on to score the lone goal of the final period, assisted by Verloop and Vanden Elzen, as Coaldale skated to the win.

The Copperheads finished with 24 shots on goal to Airdrie’s 33, as Coaldale went 2-3 on the powerplay and Airdrie was shut out in all six of its extra-man opportunities.

Noble made 30 saves and picked up the win.

As the holiday season approaches, Coaldale is set to take on Okotoks on the road on Friday. The team returns home on Saturday for an 8 p.m. contest against High River.