Wolfpack headed for state tournament

Seals third seed in final weekend of play

The Crested Butte Wolfpack hockey team won three of their last four regular season games and will be headed to the Midget Major A state tournament this weekend as the number three seed.
Qualifying for the state tournament was, for the most part, a done deal for the Crested Butte Wolfpack hockey team coming into the final week of the regular season. The top four teams from the league advance and with four games left to play, the Wolfpack were sitting in third place.
Granted, had they lost all of their final four games, they may have been bumped but that would involve a complete self-destruction on the part of the Wolfpack.
Instead, what they were really playing for was third place to seal the third seed in the post-season. That would set them up to play Littleton in the first round and thus avoid facing the overpowering Arapahoe Warriors until the championship game.
“It was a big deal for us to hold that third-place spot,” says coach John Mortell. “That way, if we can beat Littleton we can get some of those big city butterflies out of our stomach, before we play Arapahoe.”
They opened the final four-game run cruising to a 6-1 win over the Gunnison Blades on Thursday, February 20. The Wolfpack put together a balanced attack scoring two goals each period with six different players lighting the lamp.
With that rivalry put to bed for the season, the Wolfpack faced their final challenge of the season Saturday and Sunday, February 22-23 with three games against the Glenwood Springs Grizzlies.
Heading into the weekend, the Wolfpack was sitting in third place with the Grizzlies nipping at their heels in fourth. As a result, the weekend would determine who would secure the coveted third seed.
The two teams had not faced each other all season and the Grizzlies were a bit of a mystery to the Wolfpack.
“They were a question mark,” says Mortell. “I talked to some other coaches about them and I was definitely nervous about playing that team.”
Glenwood likes to have players sneak in behind their opponent’s defensemen, looking for the quick one-pass breakaway.
“We call it a cherry-picking offense,” says Mortell. “It’s hard to defend against because you can lose track of that guy.”
Glenwood struggled to initiate their strategy early in the game as the Wolfpack dominated play the opening five minutes. The strong opening by the Wolfpack paid off during a powerplay as Dakota Wiggins battled for the puck in the corner and fed Sam Reaman in the slot for the 1-0 lead.
As the period progressed, the Grizzlies gained steam scoring off a breakaway in the ninth minute and then taking a 2-1 lead in the 12th minute of the first period.
The Wolfpack regained momentum in the second period and continued to press into the Grizzlies’ zone. Late in the second period Ian Dethloff found Reaman open in the slot and Reaman scored to tie the game 2-2 heading into the third period.
Glenwood retook the lead early in the third and held on to finish the Wolfpack off 3-2, pulling ever-closer to the coveted third seed spot.
The two teams met again that evening and Glenwood found early success with the long pass behind the Crested Butte defense to take a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game.
The Wolfpack regrouped to dominate the rest of the first period, scoring two goals in the final three minutes of the first. Reaman slipped free up the boards for a two-on-one and kept the puck to stuff it into the upper corner to tie the game. Two minutes later, Josh Melnick picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and pushed it wide to Isaac Evans. Evans dodged a bone-crushing hit and skated to net to pick the near post for a 2-1 Wolfpack lead.
The Wolfpack built on their lead early in the second period as Reaman scored on a wrap-around and the Wolfpack defense, anchored by goalie Montana Wiggins, did the rest for the remainder of the period.
“Montana was on—he’s on fire,” says Mortell.
The Grizzlies had a chance to pull closer, setting up for a powerplay goal but the Wolfpack penalty kill closed off any clear shots at net. Wiggins then came up with a flurry of big saves down the stretch to hold the two-goal lead heading into the third period.
Cognizant of Glenwood’s game plan, the Wolfpack defense stayed at home on the blue line when in the Grizzlies’ zone. Liam Mortell provided the initial physical presence when Glenwood would skate up ice, i.e., a big hit. Emerson Wohlers repeatedly chased down Glenwood players and broke up long passes to deny the Grizzlies breakaway opportunities, Danny Stoneberg was flawless in his position play and poke checks and Ashton Mabry brought speed and a threat on offense from his defensive position.
“At first we were concerned about it but we got used to it,” says Mortell. “They did a better job of it and communication was huge.”
Seemingly content with a 3-1 lead, the Wolfpack played safe for the final five minutes of the game and Glenwood seized the opportunity winning a faceoff in the Wolfpack zone and scoring to pull within one. Glenwood pulled their goalie to try to find the game-tying goal but Wiggins came through with a glove save in the final ticks to deny a point-blank shot and preserve the 3-2 Wolfpack win.
That win set up the final game as the one that would decide who would face the Warriors in the opening round of the state tournament. With both teams tied in the standing s now, it all came down to Sunday morning.
The Grizzlies had an early opportunity with a powerplay three minutes into the game. Set up in the Wolfpack zone, Glenwood worked the puck looking for seams but the Wolfpack penalty kill was spot on, led by the pure hustle of Dakota and Danny D’Aquila.
Three minutes later the Grizzlies had a second chance at a powerplay and converted this time and closed out the first period with a 1-0 lead.
The Wolfpack tied it up three minutes into the second period on a powerplay as Reaman circled around the entire zone and found Dakota on the weak side for the tying goal.
The Wolfpack continued to pepper the Grizzlies’ zone and were one pass away from blowing the game wide open. Several chances were turned away by the Grizzlies’ goalie but the Wolfpack converted on a three-on-one breakaway as Dethloff slipped a pass to Evans who then tipped it on to D’Aquila, crashing the far post for a 2-1 Wolfpack lead.
The Wolfpack had control of the game for almost the entire third period as well, as they finished the game outshooting Glenwood 30-10 and their defense did the rest to ice the 2-1 win and seal the third seed in the playoffs.
“I think the weekend was kind of a plateau but at a high level,” says Mortell.
The Wolfpack will have two weeks before the tournament on the Front Range and Mortell hopes to use the time to gain an edge on their opponents.
“We might add a few new plays but the systems we have in place are going really well,” says Mortell. “We’ll focus mostly on fitness. We want to be faster and more fit than the other teams.”