Copperheads bounce back from tough Saturday loss with huge win on Sunday

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

The Coaldale Copperheads rebounded from a tough overtime loss on Saturday and skated away with a huge win on Sunday.

Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Okotoks Bisons was a tough pill to swallow, as the Copperheads used a Caden Heins goal in the third period to force extra time. Brinley Degenstein and Griffin McCulloch had the assists on the goal that tied the score at three, as Coaldale fought back against the South Division’s top team.

It was the second time the Copperheads drew even in the game, as Okotoks took a 2-0 lead in the second period before Ryan Holm’s unassisted goal made it 2-1. Rylan Bruns tied the game on a marker assisted by Peyton Twigg and Brogan Booth.

But Okotoks would take the lead with a late goal in the second period, with only 35 seconds left on the clock.

Coaldale could only muster three shots in the third period but secured a point with the goal from Heins. In the end, a Scott Brown goal in overtime, his 17th of the year, ended Coaldale’s hopes for an upset.

Okotoks outshot Coaldale 39-16 in the contest and went 0/5 on the powerplay. Coaldale was ¼ with the man advantage.

Nixon Ordway made 35 saves in net for the Copperheads.

Coaldle quickly flushed that OT loss and skated to a 7-2 win on Sunday over the Strathmore Wheat Kings.

Despite the lopsided score, Strathmore carried the play early and led 1-0 after the first, as the Wheat Kings also held a 15-4 advantage on the shot clock.

Two Copperheads powerplay goals to start the second put Coaldale up 2-1, as Koden Lazar got his team on the board with a goal assisted by Heins and McCulloch. Kobe Fujita made it 2-1 on a marker set up by Heins and Bruns.

Strathmore tied the game midway through the second, as it looked like another game was going to come down to the wire for Coaldale.

But the third belonged to the Copperheads, as five unanswered goals put the game on ice. Twigg kicked off the festivities with a goal assisted by Nathan Verloop and Bill Houenagnon. Brogan Booth made it 4-2, as Verloopand Houenagnon drew assists on that goal as well. Lazar’s goal from McCulloch made it 5-2, before Twigg connected on a Verloop feed to make it 6-2. The dominant final 20 minutes ended for Coaldale with a Verloop goal, assistedby Houenagnon and Adam Kennedy.

In the end, the Copperheads fired 41 shots on goal and gave up 36, as Kaiden Fulton was solid in goal.

Coaldale now finishes up the month of January with a Saturday game at home against Cochrane at 8 p.m. followed by a Sunday contest on the road in Medicine Hat.

The Copperheads sit in third in the South with 44 points and a 21-8-2 record.