Copperheads earn split in first weekend games of 2025

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

The New Year kicked off with a pair of weekend games for the Coaldale Copperheads, as teams were back on the ice for Heritage Junior Hockey League play.

As the calendar flipped to 2025, the Copperheads earned a split with a 6-3 loss on the road on Saturday against the Rocky Rams and a 6-2 Sunday home win over the Ponoka Stampeders.

Saturday’s game got off on the wrong foot as the Rams scored twice in the first, as a shorthanded tally really put Coaldale in a hole.

Griffin McCulloch tried to dig his team out with a second-period goal to make it 2-1, as John Vanden Elzen and Ryan Holm drew helpers, but the middle frame ended with two more Rams tallies, as Rocky skated to the locker room with a 4-1 lead after 40.

McCulloch, this time on a goal assisted by Holm and Caden Heins, made it 4-2 with a powerplay snipe, before Heins cut the lead to one, on a goal assisted by Brandon Creighton.

That was as close as the Copperheads would get, as the Rams scored two more goals to close out the game.

Rocky outshot Coaldale 37-27 in a spirited affair that saw the Copperheads amass 81 penalty minutes. Rocky picked up 65 PIMs.

Brylin Noble made 31 saves in goal for Coaldale.

The Copperheads flipped the script on Sunday, as Coaldale and Ponoka battled to a 1-1 draw after 20, before the home side broke things open.

Eric Price scored his first HJHL goal in the first, assisted by Heins and Landon Howg, before the Copperheads exploded for four in the second. Nolan Price picked up a goal, assisted by Heins and Heath Hansen, while Koden Lazar also put one in the net, as Nolan Price drew the assist. Vanden Elzen also picked up a goal, as Heins and Lazar had the helpers, and Heins also added one of his own, assisted by Howg and Hansen.

Holm scored in the third to really put the game away, as Creighton drew the helper.

It was a dominating win to open the 2025 portion of the home schedule. Coaldale will look to build on that victory with another two-game weekend coming up, as the Copperheads visit Sylvan Lake on Friday and then travel to Red Deer on Saturday to face the Vipers.