Copperheads pick up a trio of points

The Coaldale Copperheads took three of four points to kick off the 2018 portion of their Heritage Junior Hockey League season.

The Copperheads headed to Cochrane to face the Generals and prevailed with a 5-2 win, but fell just shy of the second point Saturday night with a 43 overtime loss to the Strathmore Wheatland Kings at the Coaldale Sportsplex.

The win and overtime loss up the Copperheads record to 15-9-2 and keeps them in fourth place in a tight Southern Division, one back of the Generals (16-11-1), two points behind the Okotoks Bisons (16-8-2) and three back of the first place High River Flyers (16-10-3).

In Friday’s win in Cochrane, the Copperheads struck for four third period goals — including three in the final 3:52 — to erase a 2-1 deficit after two periods.

Riese Nevil gave Coaldale a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, but the Generals scored twice in the second period for a 2-1 lead.

But the visitors rallied in the third and Copperhead Sam Paskuski got it started at the 6:19 mark.

Isiah Day Chief scored what stood up as the game winner with 3:52 remaining before Paskuski added his second of the game on the power play with 2:10 to go to make it 4-2.

Gavin Burns added the other Coaldale goal with a little under one minute to go, while Copperheads goaltender Andrew Suriano made 23 saves in the winning cause.

Day Chief and Nevil each had an assist for two points for the Copperheads and Logan Middleton chipped in with two assists.

In Coaldale Saturday night, the Copperheads and Wheatland Kings traded goals through regulation time before Strathmore ended it 3:39 into overtime.

Jayden Bexte, Calvin Swanson and Burns were the Copperheads goal scorers. Suriano made 20 saves in the overtime loss.