Hockey action in Lethbridge County

This Saturday is going to be one of the top games of the HJHL being played at 8:30 p.m. in Coaldale.
First place Blackfalds from the north is set to play the first place of the south, the Coaldale Copperheads. The only other time these teams met this season, in Blackfalds, it was quite the entertaining game with the Copperheads winning in a shootout.
This home game will be the last regular season game, reminding fans this is the final opportunity game to use season tickets. The Copperheads, currently with stats 30-6-1, will have a bye the first round of playoffs.
Second round is roughly scheduled to be held between Feb 17-28 and the Snakes will have home advantage. Playoff admission will be cash only at the door. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for youth (7-17).
This past weekend marked a highlight on Friday night with a win on the road against Okotoks. Saturday night, the coaching staff strategically chose healthy scratches using their top scoring line to sit out in order to protect and save them for the Blackfalds match up.
The remaining team worked hard, without the C-line, ending with a nail biter 5-4 loss to the High River Flyers. Winter hit us again on a cold Saturday morning, fortunately the Coaldale Cobras didn’t have far to travel.
Hosting the Picture Butte Blades, Coaldale won the game with a score of 12-8.
Coaldale hat tricks went to #4 Lane Kyle and #6 Kayden Mellafont. Other Coaldale goals went to #5 Teal’c Widmer (1), #13 Mason Noble (1), #8 Shaun Traber (2), #10 Marco Burnett (1) and #2 Karter VanBuuren (1).
Assists for this game went to Karter VanBuuren, Foster Robison, Kayden Mellafont, Kade VanBuuren, Caitlin McDonald, Mason Noble and Shain Traber.
The Picture Butte Elks Novice Blades hosted three games this past weekend.
Friday night the Irvine Bulldogs came on strong and Cam Hillaby worked hard to save a lot of shots on net.
The score was 6-1 for the Bulldogs, going into the third.
Picture Butte finally stepped up their game and scored three more goals in the final eight minutes of play in the third but it wasn’t enough.
Irvine went home with the win, 9-4.
Riley Hillaby contributed three and Braxton Hanna had a beautiful assist to Luka Rudelich.
Kaden Groonenboom strapped on the pads and put them to work for the Saturday game against the Raymond 2 Ice.
Picture Butte had a comfortable lead of 10-6 towards the end of the third, but within the last three minutes of play in the third, Raymond scored three goals and brought the scoreboard to 9-10 and just about took away the victory from the Blades.
The Hillaby boys and Hanna had some goals and assists, Connor O’Donnell got a goal and Leland Gellrich and Rhett Serfas got an assist.
The skates got laced up for one last game against the Kainai Chiefs on Sunday.
The Blades had a cushion built at the end of the first period with a five-point spread. The Blades could not get any in the net in the second.
Things turned worse in the third and the Chiefs started scoring and pulled ahead on the scoreboard.
With one minute of play left in the third, a penalty for Kainai and the scoreboard reading 10-9 for the Chiefs, Butte called a timeout and pulled their goalie.
The stands were tense, as Butte battled the Chiefs six against four but the battle couldn’t be won and Kainai added another to the scoreboard and took the win, 11-9.
O’Donnell got a hat trick, Riley scored two and Kyler Stroeve and Carsen Konynenbelt contributed one. Hanna had one and three assists while Gellrich scored one and got an assist Rayann Campmans also got an assist.
The Blades travel to Foremost and Kainai for games this weekend.