The Drayton Valley Thunder gave it their all this weekend, but saw mixed results despite their best efforts.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, they beat the Calgary Canucks 4-1 on home ice.
An easy-going first frame saw Calgary open the scoring at 5:20 for a 1-0 lead.
The Thunder’s Dryden Tomkow then scored his sixth goal of the season at 14:32 to tie it up to 1-1. He was assisted by Jack Sears and Jerrett Ross.
Drayton kept up the momentum in period two, with Damian Hill, assisted by Loughlan McMullan, scoring at 6:30.
Now at a 2-1 lead, it was about 10 minutes before the Thunder netted an insurance goal. At 14:10, Canuck Dreyton Aleman went to the box for hooking, putting Drayton on the powerplay. Taynton Lavender scored 10 seconds later, and Jack Sears and Dryden Tomkow got the helpers.
Heading into period three at 3-1 in the Thunder’s favour, both teams kept up strong defensive play until Drayton’s Will Jamieson pushed through on a powerplay at 10:38, making it 4-1. Dylan Snelgrove and Jerrett Ross assisted.
While that ended the scoring for the game and secured the Thunder’s 4-1 win, the action only picked up for the rest of the frame.
Calgary’s Riley Bracko, and local player Will Jamieson dropped the gloves at 13:35, earning major penalties for fighting and a game misconduct.
They were joined less than four minutes later by Canuck Nate Crashley and the Thunder’s Lukas Miller for the same offences.
The team spent much less time in the box the following day against the Devon Xtreme.
The Xtreme opened the scoring in period one for a quick 1-0 lead.
About eight minutes later, Devon’s Xander Schulte was dealt a charging minor, sending Drayton to the powerplay. The Thunder’s Damian Hill took advantage and tied it up to 1-1 about two minutes later, with assistance from Jack Sears and Taynton Lavender.
With 2:23 left in the frame, the Xtreme scored again to jump to a 2-1 lead.
Drayton pushed again early on in the second, and Loughlan McMullan, assisted by Jack Sears, brought the score to 2-2.
But the rest of the frame fell to Devon’s favour, with the team scoring again at 5:32, then nearly back-to-back at 19:43 and 19:58.
The Thunder headed into the third trailing behind the Xtreme’s 5-2 lead.
The Xtreme’s Brynn MacLean quickly went to the box for hooking, and Taynton Lavender took advantage of the power play 25 seconds later. Jack Sears and Caedem Emmett assisted in bringing the score to 5-3.
Lavender scored again at 11:17 with another powerplay goal, and Jack Sears and Dryden Tomkow got the helpers.
With 43 seconds left, an empty-netter by the Devon Xtreme secured their 6-4 win.
The Drayton Valley Thunder still rank fifth in the AJHL South Division with 11 points.
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