Battle for second place heats up as Copperheads take down Cubs

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

It was an up-and-down weekend for the Coaldale Copperheads, as the team attempts to climb the standings.

Friday started with a thud for the Copperheads, as Okotoks was not a gracious host, as the Bisons skated to a 4-1 win on home ice.

Okotoks led 2-0 after 20 minutes as the Bisons came out of the gate quickly and outshot the Copperheads 24-6 in the opening frame.

The second period was just as lopsided, as Okotoks held a 15-3 advantage on the shot clock. But Brogan Booth’s powerplay goal, assisted by Nolan Price and Caden Heins, made it a 2-1 game, before Okotoks restored the two-goal lead and made it 3-1 heading into the third.

The Bisons fired 20 more shots on Coaldale’s goal in the third period, and could only beat Copperheads goaltender Kaiden Fulton one time.

Okotoks ended the contest with a 59-15 advantage in shots, as the Bisons went one for four on the powerplay. Coaldale scored once with the man advantage, as the Copperheads ended play with two powerplays.

The script flipped on Saturday as Coaldale hosted the Medicine Hat Cubs, and left the home crowd happy after a 7-4 win.

Koden Lazar got the party started with a goal only 3:30 into the game, set up by Nathan Verloop and Drew Constant. Peyton Twigg made it 2-0 on a goal assisted by Bill Houenagnon, before Brinley Degenstein extended the lead to 3-0 on a goal assisted by Twigg and Caden Heins.

The Cubs scored with 1:10 left in the first to cut the lead to 3-1.

But Lazar made it 4-1 with a powerplay goal early in the second, set up by Verloop. That goal was quickly matched only moments later by the Cubs, as the score stood at 4-2.

The teams traded goals to end the period, as Rylan Bruns made it 5-2, with Coaldale’s third powerplay marker of the game, before the Hat made it 5-3 late in the frame.

A Cubs powerplay goal in the third made it 5-4 but in the end, a comeback was not in the works for the visitors, as Twigg made it 6-4 on a goal assisted by Heins and Degenstein.

Degenstein then put the finishing touch on the game with an empty-net goals, as Twigg drew the helper.

Coaldale shot the lights out in the contest and scored six goals on Medicine Hat’s goaltender on only 18 shots, while Nixon Ordway made 26 saves in the Coaldale net for the win.

This weekend, the Copperheads will travel to High River on Friday to take on the Flyers, before Coaldale prepares to host the Strathmore Wheatland Kings on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Coaldale continues to sit in third place in the South Division with 48 points, tied with Medicine Hat, The Cubs do have two games in hand.