The rivalry between the Coaldale Copperheads and Medicine Hat Cubs is already deep-rooted, but when they met for preseason games after an extra-long off-season, the intensity was off the charts.
“We had a lot of time to practise, so we got our systems down… and then we got into exhibition last week, after like two months of practising,” said Copperheads forward Jason Creighton.
“There was a lot of built-up tension, and the games got intense already. You don’t usually see that in exhibition.”
Head coach and general manager Doug Paisley is in his first season with the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) club, and says despite being familiar with the league, he was surprised by the pace in the two-game exhibition series.
“That first period of that first game back was extremely intense and fast and physical,” Paisley said. “I think the boys were really excited because it had been over a month of practising and it does get old.”
The Copperheads won both exhibition games against the Cubs, with a 5-4 overtime victory in Medicine Hat followed by a 6-4 win on home ice.
After the ramped-up intensity of the two mean-nothing games, now the Copperheads and Cubs will play games that count towards the HJHL standings, opening the regular season with four-straight games in two weeks against each other.
“I don’t know what to expect — no one really does,” Creighton said. “Playing the same team over and over again, it will feel like the playoffs the whole season.”
Creighton’s teammate Brandyn Howg says he expects the physicality to be amplified.
“By the third or fourth game, there’s going to be some fights — maybe, we’ll see,” Howg said with a laugh.
Paisley says he has high expectations of his team this season, despite a young roster with limited experience playing in a historically tough Junior-B league.
With a lot of other high-level hockey on pause — such as the Western Hockey League (WHL), which is set to begin on Jan. 8 — Paisley says his team feels lucky to be playing.
The Copperheads are proving to be a hot ticket in southern Alberta, with limited spots for fans at the home opener already sold out.
“I’ve had a lot of people asking about it, a lot of interest from maybe groups that would be steering towards the Hurricanes of maybe Junior-A,” Paisley said. “We’re in a unique situation, and we’re fortunate to be able to play.”
Paisley says the games are limited to 150 people in the building, including players and coaches on both teams, officials, volunteers and arena staff, which leaves 80-85 tickets for fans.
The Copperheads are hoping to have livestreaming up and running when the puck drops for their first game of the season on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Coaldale Sportsplex.