Copperheads have a rough Thanksgiving weekend

Sunny South photo by Nikki Jamieson

By Cole Parkinson
Sunny South News

With three games on tap during Thanksgiving weekend, the Coaldale Copperheads were hoping to make their way up the standings in the Heritage Junior ‘B’ Hockey League Southern Division.

On Saturday night, the Snakes welcomed in the Mountainview Colts for an 8 p.m. puck drop. The Colts would score two early in the period to take a 2-0 lead. Just after ten minutes into the period, Riley Potts would cut the lead to one with Koden Lazar and Kale Amundrud drawing assists. No other goals would be scored before the end of the period, and the Colts took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

The second period started similarly as the Colts would score a power play goal just over four minutes into the period to extend their lead to two once again. At the 9:01 minute mark, the Copperheads would find another goal from Brogan Booth as Bryton Drinnan and Brandon Creighton found the scoresheet with assists. Right before the end of the period though, the Colts would once again find the back of the net and take a 4-2 lead into the final frame.

The third period once again saw the Colts break the ice as they potted a pair of goals to make it a 6-2 game. Coaldale would answer back as Booth scored his second of the game with Krishan Stocker and Adam Kennedy drawing assists. Just over a minute later, Mountainview would score their seventh of the game and the buzzer would sound as the Colts took home a 7-3 win.

Aidan Low got the start in net for the Copperheads and made 30 saves on 37 shots. The Copperheads would manage 22 shots in the game. The Snakes went 1-10 on the power play, but allowed four goals on 13 chances on the penalty kill.

In hopes of ending the weekend 1-1, the Copperheads had a matchup against the Rocky Rams on Sunday afternoon. After the midway point of the first period, the Rams potted a goal to take a 1-0 lead and they would expand on that with just over a minute to go in the period.

After falling down 2-0 in the opening frame, the Copperheads came out firing in the second as Booth continued his scoring streak with a power play goal while Amundrud and Lazar had assists. Despite getting back into the game, the Rams were undeterred as they answered back five minutes later to make it a 3-1 game. With a power play opportunity just minutes later, the Copperheads would find the back of the net as Sean Burns fired one past the Rams’ netminder. Halverson and Graedon Woodward would draw assists and the Copperheads would enter the final intermission down by one.

Like in the second period, the Copperheads would find the back of the net early in the third as Booth had his second of the game with Stocker and Halverson getting the assists. Neither team would find the back of the net past the midway point of the period, but the Rams had a power play opportunity with under five minutes to play in the game. Unfortunately for the Snakes, the Rams would capitalize on their chance and it would be all that Rocky would need as the game ended 4-3.

The Copperheads would end the game 2-6 on the power play and 2-3 on the penalty kill. The Snakes outshot Rocky 39-22 as Cort Castonguay would make 18 saves in the Coaldale net.

After the weekend, the Copperheads see themselves tied for fifth place in the Southern Division with a 3-4 record and six points. Another two-pack of games is coming this weekend for Coaldale as they head to Airdrie on Friday night to take on the Techmation Thunder for an 8 p.m. game. On Saturday night, the team comes back home as the Three Hills Thrashers come to town for an 8 p.m. puck drop.