Copperheads on seven-game winning streak as solid play continues

By Garrett Simmons
Sunny South News

The Coaldale Copperheads are on a roll.

Another 2-0 weekend has given the Copperheads a seven-game winning streak, as Coaldale defeated the Red Deer Vipers 4-2 on Saturday and then dominated the Three Hills Thrashers on Sunday to the tune of 7-2.

Against Red Deer, the Copperheads fell behind 1-0 before Brandon Creighton tied it up late in the first, on a goal assisted by Griffin McCulloch and Brogan Booth.

Coaldale scored twice in the second, as Adam Kennedy put his team up 2-1. Peyton Twigg and Nathan Verloop drew assists. Caden Heins made it 3-1 on a marker assisted by Kenney and Bill Houenagon.

Nolan Price put the game out of reach with a third-period goal to make it 4-1, assisted by Booth and Creighton.

Kaiden Fulton picked up the win between the pipes, as he only had to make 19 saves. Coaldale directed 31 shots on Red Deer’s net, as the Copperheads went 0-2 on the powerplay. Coaldale’s penalty kill was a perfect six for six.

The team’s 7-2 win over Three Hills was not decided until the third, when Coaldale put up an impressive four goals, as the visitors outshot the Thrashers 24-6 in the final frame.

It was part of a 55-shot barrage for Coaldale, as the Copperheads actually trailed 1-0 in the first, before Heins tied it before the period was up. Rylan Bruns and Kade Degenstein had the assists.

Three Hills took another lead in the second before Nolan Price tied things up, as Houenagon and Joe Rolfson drew assists. Creighton made it 3-1 on a goal set up by Booth and Price.

Houenagon, on a goal assisted by Creighton and Price opened the floodgates in the third and made it 4-1, before Price scored soon after. Booth and Creighton had assists on that goal.

Price’s powerplay goal then put the game really out of reach, as Heins and McCulloch drew assists. Degenstein scored an unassisted goal to make it 7-2.

Rolfson picked up the win in goal for Coaldale, as the Copperheads improved to 11-3-1 on the season. Even with 23 points in 15 games, Coaldale still sits in fourth place in the South Division, as every team is over .500, with the exception of 7-8-1 High River. Okotoks is 13-1, Medicine Hat and Cochrane are both 12-2-1, as the South Division features five or the league’s best six teams.

Coaldale now aims to keep its perfect November record intact when the Copperheads host Sylvan Lake on Saturday at 8 p.m. The team travels to Cochrane on Sunday.

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