Grizzlys Drop Two To Drumheller
Jon Koch
Gazette News
The Olds Grizzlys became a little bit better acquainted with their Southern
Division rivals last week. The club squared off against the fourth place
Drumheller Dragons in a home-and-home series on Dec. 16 and 17 after
managing a 3-1 win at home against the Brooks Bandits on Dec. 14.
The win against the Bandits on Wednesday left the Grizzlys in sole
possession of first place in the South for the first time this season. With
the Bandit’s fortunes falling as of late, the high scoring Drumheller
Dragons are shaping up to be the Grizzlys biggest rival down the home
stretch.
Having lost Parker Burgess on Sunday in their game against the Calgary
Canucks with a broken jaw, an injury-riddled Grizzlys squad minus Burgess,
Dave Cowan and Curtis DeBruyn returned home to face the Bandits on Dec. 14.
The Grizzlys showed no ill effects, carrying the play for most of the game,
outshooting the Bandits 48-23. Coach Kevin Hasselberg attributed his clubs
victory to a strong all-around team effort.
“We owe a lot to each line for playing a role and doing well for us,” says
Hasselberg, adding that Cole Anderson also made a successful return to the
lineup in net against the Bandits, stopping all but one of Brooks’ 23 shots
on the evening.
Defenceman Ryan Hore had a big night against the Bandits, getting assists on
goals by Jordan Baker in the first, and Ryan Ekdahl in the second. Kyle
Dorowicz rounded out the scoring late in the second on a nifty effort in
alone against Brooks keeper Kyle Richter.
The win also gave the Grizzlys sole possession of first place in the South
Division as they headed into their next two games against the Drumheller
Dragons.
Over 800 fans were in attendance two nights later at the Drumheller
Memorial Arena to watch a Dragons squad that came ready to play, ending up
on the wrong end of a 3-2 score. Braden Desmet and Steve Hougen each had two
points in the team’s 3-2 loss, with Cole Anderson stopping 27 of 30 shots on
the night. The coach singled out Hougen for his hard work since joining the
Grizzlys.
“Steve Hougen worked hard,” says Hasselberg. “He just kept pushing and he
kept finishing his hits... he was first to the puck and that’s what we want
out of our guys.”
The next night, the two teams returned to Olds for a scrappy affair which
saw them combine for 21 opportunities on the powerplay (12 for Olds, and
nine for Drumheller).
According to Hasselberg, the frequent trips to the penalty box made it
difficult to establish any kind rhythm on the night.
“You couldn’t get any flow going in the game,” says Hasselberg. “There were
a lot of undisciplined penalties and a lot of penalties we weren’t sure
about. It was hard to get a line combination out there in the first 40
minutes of the hockey game.”
The Grizzlys were actually ahead 4-2 going into the third period, having
scored three powerplay goals in the second, including two from Dustin Moore.
However the team’s game fell apart after the second intermission, with
Drumheller scoring three unanswered goals in the final frame, including two
from Dion Knelsen to steal the victory and complete the home-and-home sweep.
“It was almost like getting into quicksand and not being able to pull
yourself out,” Hasselberg said about the third period collapse. “It was a
good learning experience for the guys, you’ve got to be able to face
adversity, and we weren’t able to rise to it.”
It also wasn’t the best night for Grizzlys goalkeeper Matthew Wong. Having
excelled in a series of one-goal performances earlier in the month, Wong let
in 5 goals on 18 shots against the Dragons.
Hasselberg says he felt Wong was playing a little deep in the net at times,
but that the goals against his goalkeeper weren’t weak efforts. The coach
thinks Drumheller must have done their homework prior to coming into the
game.
“[Drumheller] knew exactly where they wanted to shoot, so obviously their
players were rehearsed on their goaltenders,” Hasselberg added. “That’s what
we said about Jonathan Larose, we want to shoot high on him, and we weren’t
able to do that.”
Speaking of Larose, the Drumheller goaltender was the difference in both
ends of the home-and-home series according to Hasselberg. He stopped 29 of
31 shots against Olds on Friday, and followed up that performance the next
night stopping 30 of 34 shots.
“Bottom line Jonathan Larose has been unbelievable against us and we’ve got
to learn to score on him,” he added.
Hasselberg is excited about the rivalry developing between Olds and
Drumheller. With there being a good opportunity that these teams could meet
in the playoffs, the coach wants his team to make a statement in the team’s
final matchup against the Dragons on Jan.11, 2006 in Drumheller.
“We’ve got one more game with them to finish out the regular season,” says
Hasselberg. “They’ve got the edge on us now, so we really want to send a
message in that final game that we can play with the Drumheller Dragons.”
Adding to the Grizzlys injury woes, the club also lost Michael Penny,
Michael LeClair and Curtis VanGrinsven in the series against Drumheller.
The team’s next game is Dec. 20 in Canmore vs. the Eagles.
Germany Invades Olds On Dec. 23
Jon Koch
Gazette News
Achtung!
Olds residents looking for a little international delight in their hockey
can check out the German National Junior Select squad at the Olds Sportsplex
on Dec. 23. The under-18 hockey squad from Germany will be in town to take
on the Olds Grizzlys in a tune-up match prior to the Viking Cup hockey
tournament in Camrose, which is being held from Dec. 26, 2005 to Jan. 2,
2006.
Grizzlys coach Kevin Hasselberg knows “absolutely nothing” about this
particular German squad, however he expects his team to be free-wheeling
offensively in the face of a German squad that will likely be playing a
rough-and-tumble Canadian-style of hockey.
“Traditionally I think the Germans have played more of a defensive style, a
gritty, in-your-face style of hockey,” he added.
Faceoff time for the game will be 8pm on Dec. 23.
