Copperheads begin regular season with 1-0-1 weekend

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

It was an undefeated opening weekend for the Coaldale Copperheads in Heritage Junior Hockey League play.

Coaldale opened the 2024/2025 regular season on Saturday with a huge 6-1 win over the Cochrane Generals.

Caden Heins scored the first goal of the season for the Copperheads, as his first-period tally, assisted by Brinley Degenstein and Griffin McCulloch, set the tone for a long evening for Cochrane.

In the second period, Nolan Price made it 2-0 on a goal assisted by Heins and McCulloch. Then, Bill Houenagnon made it 3-0 on a goal set up by Koden Lazar and Nathan Verloop.

Before the period was up, Cochrane scored to make it 3-1 but in the end, that was the only ray of light for the Generals.

Degenstein put Coaldale up 4-1 with his goal in the third, assisted by John Vanden Elzen. Kobe Fujita’s goal really put the contest away, as the fifth goal was set up by Verloop and Vanden Elzen. Heins put the icing on the cake with the sixth goal, assisted by McCulloch.

Joseph Rolfson took the win in goal, as he made 20 saves.

On Sunday, Coaldale fell 3-2 in a shootout to Medicine Hat.

The Cubs scored first in the contest before Riley Preachuk converted a Verloop pass on a two on one to tie the game.

After Medicine Hat regained the lead, Heins tied the contest, as Degenstein and Brett Hudey drew helpers.

Overtime would solve nothing, as Medicine Hat scored twice in the shootout to skate away with the win.

This weekend, Coaldale will travel to Carstairs on Saturday to take on the Bisons. On Sunday, the Copperheads will host Three Hills for a 7 p.m. game.