The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Our expectations are to make it to the Frozen Four”
There are some big holes to fill on the Crested Butte Wolfpack hockey team with the loss of their top defender Ben Frame and one of their all-time leading scorers, Sam Evans, to graduation.
Yet all is far from lost with their leading scorer from last season Ben Reaman returning to the fold, Montana Wiggins remaining in net and veteran Wolfpack players Ian Kelly, Dylan Curtiss and Liam Mortell anchoring the defense.
Furthermore, Collin Dill has stepped into a pivotal scoring role already this season and coach John Mortell has a big influx of young talent joining the team.
“The new class is great,” says Mortell. “Sam Reaman, Isaac Evans and Ian Dethloff came in and those guys are a power line.”
The Wolfpack had yet to practice together as a team before they headed to Vail for a tournament one week ago facing some stout I-70 corridor competition. It’s a recipe for disaster if results are what you are looking for, but with nothing to lose and everything to gain, Mortell saw it as a chance to get a glimpse of the big programs in the state.
“We went to gauge ourselves against the double-A teams, see where we stood,” says Mortell. “It was a learning experience.”
Despite losing all four games, Mortell was happy with the weekend overall.
“I realized that we have some exceptional hockey players and some who are going to get much better after what they saw in Vail,” says Mortell. “I was really happy with where we were and how motivated the guys were.”
The team finally got together for a practice last Saturday as they prepared for two more non-league match-ups against the Greeley Renegades on Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13.
“They play in the same league with those teams we played in Vail so I was expecting a hard hitting, offensive powerhouse,” says Mortell. “I used the practice to get ready for that and we had a great practice and I think it carried over into the game.”
The Wolfpack struck early in the first period on a goal from Dill but Greeley tied up eight minutes later and the team was primed to break it open with a two-man advantage the final three minutes of the first period.
The Wolfpack penalty kill was near flawless to keep the 1-1 tie but once they reached even strength in the second period, the Wolfpack fell off their game plan and Greeley mounted a surge.
The Wolfpack defense held off the Renegade attack and as frustration for Greeley mounted, so did the penalties and the Wolfpack found themselves with a two-man advantage with four minutes left in the second period.
They made quick work of the puck to set up a two-on-one, with Reaman leading the attack. Reaman dished the puck to Curtiss, who slipped past the lone Renegade defender to score for a 2-1 Wolfpack lead.
Reaman added a third Wolfpack goal in the waning seconds of the second period and Dill netted his second goal of the game for a 4-1 Crested Butte lead four minutes into the third period.
The Renegades struck one last time as a player came out of the penalty box to receive a pass and skate straight to the net but the Wolfpack defense held off any ensuing attacks and Reaman scored his second goal of the game to ice the 5-2 win.
“We were doing everything we wanted to do,” says Mortell. “I thought it was a great game. We need to keep our heads, though. We were taking some dumb retaliation penalties.”
The two teams met again on Sunday and penalties took the Wolfpack down. The Wolfpack played 24 of the 36 minutes of the game in a penalty kill situation, falling to the Renegades 4-2. Evans and Peter Bright provided the strikes for Crested Butte.
“Straight up, they couldn’t stay disciplined,” says Mortell. “I did learn a lot about our penalty kill so I guess I got that out of the game.”
The Wolfpack open league play this weekend as they head to Durango to face the Durango Steamers and a new team to the league out of Glenwood Springs.
Mortell has high expectations for his team and looks to start the road to the post-season on this opening weekend.
“Our expectations are to make it to the Frozen Four,” says Mortell. “I think these guys can take it, if we stay healthy.”
The Wolfpack will have their first home game at Big Mine Ice Arena on Saturday, January 7.
