Copperheads continue winning streak over weekend

By Cole Parkinson
Sunny South News

The Coaldale Copperheads are on fire in the Heritage Junior “B” Hockey League.

Since the beginning of the month, the team has yet to lose a game and this past weekend, the Snakes had a pair of games.

On Friday night, they travelled to Lethbridge for a matchup against the Kainai Braves at Henderson Ice Centre. In complete domination, the Copperheads would extend their winning streak with a 9-1 win over the Braves.

Thomas Johnson and Brandon Creighton had unassisted markers in the first while Derrien Tonin scored a powerplay goal with assists from Johnson and Ryden Rempel, and Dylan Nevil would score the final goal in the first with assists from Jason Creighton and Koden Lazar. The Copperheads’ offence would continue to find the back of the net in the second period as Sean Burns, Kale Amundrud, and Johnson would score once again. Ethan Barrows and Tonin would also collect an assist each in the frame. Heading into the final period, the Copperheads were up 7-1. In the third, William Neudorf would put one past the Braves’ netminder with an assist from Matteo Caputo, while Tonin would score his second of the game with assists from Amundrud and Lazar to round out the scoring.

The Copperheads would outshoot the Braves 64-27 in the game, with Brendan Stewart making stops on all 18 shots he faced and Barrows stopping eight of nine. The Copperheads went 1-6 on the powerplay and were perfect on the penalty kill as they didn’t allow a goal on eight attempts.

With one win under their belt, they came home to the Snakepit on Saturday night for a date against the High River Flyers.

The Copperheads continued their offensive explosion that has been evident all November as they would skate to a 6-1 win to extend their winning streak to seven games.

The first period saw the Copperheads spend the majority of their time in the Flyers’ zone, but they went into the break with a 1-1 tie thanks to a Brandon Creighton marker with assists from Amundrud and Sean Burns. The levee would fully break in the second period as the Snakes once again continued to put tons of pressure on the Flyers goalie. Brogan Booth, Tristan Miller, and Jason Creighton would all find the back of the net to make it 4-1 heading into the final period. Johnson and Jason Creighton also collected assists in the period.

In the third, Brandon Creighton found the back of the net two more times to finish the game with a hat trick. Burns, Jason Creighton, and Miller also collected assists in the third. Overall, the Snakes would outshoot High River 48-14 with Barrows making 13 stops. The Copperheads converted once on the powerplay to go 1-2 and again were perfect killing penalties as they stopped both Flyers’ powerplays in the game.

After the weekend of play, the Copperheads sit tied for second in the Southern Division with Medicine Hat, each with 25 points. The Copperheads have a 12-6-1 record over 19 games.

This coming weekend, the Copperheads will be tested as they welcome in first place Okotoks Bisons on Saturday night at the Snakepit with an 8:30 p.m. puck drop. The Bisons are 17-1-1 with 35 points on the season and firmly sit in first place in the division. Last time the two met, the Bisons would win 7-4 in Coaldale.

On Sunday, Coaldale wraps up November with a road game against Strathmore with a 4:15 p.m. puck drop.

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