Two big wins for Copperheads as winter break starts

By Lethbridge Herald on December 22, 2022.

By Cole Parkinson

Southern Alberta Newspapers

Before Christmas break started, the Coaldale Copperheads were hopeful to add four points in the Heritage Junior ‘B’ Hockey League. The last weekend before the break came and the Snakes saw a pair of games on tap.

First up, the Copperheads welcomed in the Strathmore Wheatland Kings on Saturday night. Both teams were able to score a goal each in the first as Peyton Twigg got the Copperheads on the board as Griffin McCulloch had the assist. In the second period, the Snakes would score a pair of goals off the sticks of Caden Heins and Derrien Tonin. Twigg, Adam Kennedy, and Krishan Stocker also added an assist each. The Wheatland Kings would score near the halfway point of the period, and Coaldale would take a 3-2 lead into the final frame.

The third period was an offensive battle between the teams as both sides would score tons of goals. Coaldale would score the first two of the period as Brandon Creighton found the back of the net with Stocker and Kennedy drawing the assists. Nathan Verloop would extend the Copperhead lead a few minutes later. Strathmore would answer back near the end of the period shorthanded to make it a 5-3 game. Stocker would extend the lead once again with an unassisted goal and under three minutes to play. With only a minute left in the game, Strathmore would score a pair of goals, but the Snakes would hold on for a 6-5 win on home ice.

Aidan Low was the starting goalie for Coaldale and the netminder made 27 saves on 32 shots. The Copperheads would go 0-4 on the power play and 4-4 on the penalty kill. Coaldale would get outshot 32-29 in the game.

With one win on the board, the Copperheads looked to make it a 2-0 weekend when they hit the road to Three Hills on Sunday afternoon. The first was all Copperheads as they took a 2-0 lead. Stocker had a goal and an assist in the period while Kaden Booth had the other Copperhead goal, and Brogan Booth had a single assist.

The second period saw Three Hills get on the board, but the Copperheads would score another two goals as they took a 4-1 lead into the final frame. Sean Burns and Heins had the Copperhead goals while Drew Constant, McCulloch, Creighton, and Tristan Miller found the score sheet with an assist each.

The third period was all Copperheads yet again as the Snakes buried three straight goals en route to a 7-1 win. Burns, Brogan Booth, and Kennedy found the back of the net while Heins had a pair of assists in the period and Miller and Stocker had one each.