The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
League record improves to 4-2
Granted, it wasn’t the toughest competition the Gunnison Blades U-19 girls’ hockey team will face but they did what needed to be done, rattling off back-to-back shutout wins over Mountain State Girls Hockey League (MSGHL) opponent Ft. Collins this past weekend.
The wins were needed to rejuvenate the Crested Butte/Gunnison squad after suffering a couple of flat showings against Aspen the week prior.
Coach Tony Lambert knew their opponent would be soft. As a result, he and the coaching staff used the games to have their team focus on improving specific aspects of their game.
“We worked on passing the puck and cycling the puck deep behind the net,” says Lambert.
The Blades scored a combined 22 goals over two games against Ft. Collins. Ali McGuire led the way in the opening 12-0 win on Saturday, December 8, scoring twice and assisting on five other goals. Marissa Lambert knocked in four goals and Sydney Archuleta joined in with a hat trick effort. Madison Lambert, Marisa Danos and Ashley Crittendon scored one apiece and Hailey Pike assisted on three goals.
The Blades showed little signs of slowing down in their second game against Ft. Collins, skating to a 10-0 shutout on Sunday, December 9.
Once again McGuire was on fire with four goals and four assists.
Overall, Lambert was pleased with all aspects of the Blades play over the weekend and started to see a new aspect of their game shine through.
“I’m just happy with every game—we seem to get better with each game we play,” says Lambert. “I’m psyched with the team bonding and their imagination on the ice.”
The Blades host perennial MSGHL powerhouse Steamboat Springs in Gunnison this weekend with games at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 15 and 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, December 16.
“The match-up is going to be good,” says Lambert. “They’ve got four really good players and a lot of really good talent. The key is that we stay healthy, bring our game and not play their game.”
