The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Alumni game this Saturday at Big Mine Ice Arena
by Than Acuff
The Colorado Prep Hockey League is a crapshoot as to how the teams stack up and the talent that is out there. As a result, week in and week out, the West Elk Wolverines hockey team never quite knows what to expect when they take the ice.
This past weekend was no exception, as the Wolverines hosted the Ranch Hockey Club for two games in Gunnison with little to no information on their opponent.
That said, the best way to get ready is to make sure your own systems are in place. Unfortunately, the Wolverines were limited to just one full practice during the week leading up. In an effort to stoke the fires one last time, coach Joe Otsuka had his team get in a quick hour-long session Friday morning on game day as well.
“Honestly, we were just trying to get any ice we could,” says Otsuka. “We skated Friday morning just to get the nerves out a little bit and it seemed to work.”
The Wolverines hit the ice Friday, December 18 for their first look at the Front Range talent pool and exploded in the third period, scoring five goals to skate away with an 8-2 win.
Just one week prior, the Wolverines struggled to score despite dominating possession. This time around, the Wolverines got on the scoreboard early and often, building a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Ethan Shaw and an assist by Tristan Spezze.
Ranch cut into the West Elk lead in the ninth minute of the second period but the Wolverines rebuilt their two-goal lead when Ian Turner scored off an assist from Lucas Solanik to take a 3-1 advantage into the third and final period.
The Wolverines then took complete control of the game, rattling off five goals in the third period. They started early as Turner scored his second goal of the game three minutes into the third period and Patrick Seifert followed up one minute later with a goal for a 5-1 West Elk lead.
Ranch Hockey Club found the net once more but the Wolverines closed the game out for good as Gage Meredith scored on a power play and Shaw and Turner each finished off their hat tricks for the 8-2 win.
“I think what really caused the third period explosion was we grabbed the momentum off that first goal and just went to town,” says Otsuka.
Game two between the two teams on Sunday was quite a different story as they muddled through three periods of scoreless hockey to finish with a 0-0 tie.
“I really don’t have one clear answer for what happened on Sunday,” says Otsuka. “It’s never one thing. It’s a combination of things. I do know we weren’t resilient enough with our own game and we did it to ourselves.”
On the bright side, Cam Curtiss was stellar in goal and while the offense was sputtering, Curtiss did what it took to at least get the team one point for the tie.
“He had a great game and posted the shutout,” says Otsuka.
The Wolverines take a break from games for the holidays but continue with workouts including a 3v3 intrasquad holiday tournament.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do and it’s valuable because everyone gets lots of touches on the puck and it’s a great workout,” says Otsuka.
The team also has the task of lining up Saturday, December 26 at 7 p.m. at Big Mine Ice Arena for the annual Alumni game. They return to league play on Sunday, January 3.
