Season comes to an end for Copperheads after loss in game three

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

The season has come to a heartbreaking end for the Coaldale Copperheads.

Sunday night in Strathmore, the Copperheads fell in overtime in game three of a playoff series that started off with promise for the underdog Coaldale squad.

Coaldale took game one Friday in Strathmore and dropped Saturday’s home contest, which set up a winner-take-all game Sunday in Strathmore.

The Copperheads battled to the finish in game three, but Strathmore came out on top with a 4-3 overtime victory.

Strathmore took an early 2-0 lead in the game before Coaldale responded with a Rylan Bruns goal, assisted by Drew Contstant and Adam Kennedy.

Tristan MIller tied the game on a goal assisted by Derrien Tonin and Nolan Price, before Strathmore took the lead again and held a 3-2 advantage after 40.

Contstant tied it again with a third-period goal, as Bruns and Tonin drew the helpers.

But Coaldale’s dream for a first-round upset ended in overtime, as Cole Walker’s goal sent Strathmore to the second round.

Friday’s 4-2 victory by the Copperheads set the stage for a potential upset, as Krishan Shocker opened the scoring on a goal assisted by Price and Tonin. Peyton Twigg made it 2-0 on a marker assisted by Price and Caden Heins.

After a Strathmore goal made it 2-1 in the second, Riley Potts scored a goal to make it 3-1, assisted by Brandon Creighton and Richard Loo.

Strathmore made it a tight game with an early goal in the third before Koden Lazar’s goal, assisted by Kennedy and Constant, put the game away.

Strathmore forced game three with Saturday’s 3-1 win over Coaldale.

Lazar opened the scoring and had Coaldale up 1-0 after one on a goal assisted by Constant.

After a scoreless second, Strathmore scored three unanswered goals to put the game on ice.

The season is now over for a Copperheads team that finished 13-20-5 in the regular season, while Strathmore, which finished 18-18-2, moves on to the next round.