The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Reboot for return to league play this weekend
by Than Acuff
The WEHA Blades girls hockey team, plus a couple of players from Telluride and the Front Range, took their talents to California this past weekend competing in the 13th Annual MLK Tournament in San Jose, and reached the finals before falling in a heartbreaking loss to a Canadian powerhouse.
The Blades opened the weekend of play with an exhibition game against a top-flight Anaheim Lady Ducks U14 team. After a scoreless first period, the Lady Ducks broke the seal on the Blades net early in the second period but the Blades responded when Elizabeth Stepanek set up Telluridian Kenzie Zaumseil for a goal to tie the game heading into the third period.
The Blades put up a fight in the third period, killing off a big penalty but Anaheim eventually broke through once more to score and take down the Blades 2-1.
The Blades regrouped that afternoon and opened tournament play on Friday night against tournament hosts, the San Jose Lady Sharks. The Blades came out gunning and never let off the throttle, skating to a 5-1 win. Kendl Santelli opened the scoring in the first, following on a shot from Bradley Santelli to score on the rebound.
Stepanek then had a role in the next two Blades goals in the second period, getting assists on goals by Jaden Cavarra and Zaumseil for a 3-0 Blades lead.
The Blades continued to pour it on in the third period as Haley Shrieves scored off a wrist shot from the point and Maddie Lambert followed suit with a slapshot for a 5-0 lead. Anaheim poked one lone goal in late in the game but the damage was done as the Blades skated away with a 5-1 win in the tournament opener.
“That was a good game for us,” says assistant coach GJ Santelli.
The Blades returned to the ice Saturday evening to take on the North Shore Avalanche AA out of Canada. The Avalanche brings a higher level of play to the ice and was head and shoulders above the rest of the tournament teams.
“Their AA is like our AAA,” explains Santelli. “They were a true team. Bigger, faster and well-organized.”
Despite getting outshot 42-7 in the game, the Blades hung tough for all three periods, giving up just two goals in the end.
“We hung in there,” says Santelli. “There’s no doubt the girls were a bit nervous in that game.”
With a tournament record of 1-1, the Blades were looking to finish open play strong on Sunday morning to earn a berth to the tournament playoffs.
They took on the California Wave and got off to a rocky start falling behind 1-0 but tied it up later in the first period when Bradley Santelli slipped in a wrap-around shot that the goalie never saw coming. Ten seconds into the second period Zaumseil skated straight to net to score and then Bradley Santelli struck again, walking in from the high slot to roof the puck for a 3-1 Blades lead.
Bryar Robbins put the Blades up 4-1 with three minutes left in the second period off an assist from Bradley but the Wave responded to cut the Blades’ lead down to two heading into the third and final period.
The effort of Cavarra in the third period gave the Blades some breathing room when she dug the puck out of the corner to feed Zaumseil for a 5-2 lead and Anika Anderson, who typically plays goalie for the Blades, sealed the 6-2 win, sending them into the tournament playoff bracket the number two seed.
Once again the Wave and Blades faced off Sunday night and, once again, the Wave got on the scoreboard first but the Blades responded with four goals in a row.
Robbins tied the game up two minutes into the second period off an assist from Alexis Duke and the Blades caught fire.
“That’s when we started getting warmed up again,” says Santelli.
The back of the net eluded the Blades the rest of the second period but it was only a matter of time as they finished off the Wave with three goals in the third period. Kendl Santelli scored to open the three-goal assault, followed by strikes from Cavarra and Sophia Parker to finish off the Wave 4-1 sending the Blades to the tournament finals to face the North Shore Avalanche once again.
This time the Blades played with more composure and while the Avalanche continued to outshoot the Blades, the two teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie going into the third period.
The game appeared destined for a shootout until a pile-up in front of the Blades’ net resulted in a controversial goal by the Avalanche and they hung on to win 1-0.
“It was a bummer,” says Santelli. “I’d rather see us lose on a good goal or in a shootout but it is what it is.”
Bradley Santelli led the Blades on the weekend with two goals and five assists, followed by Stepanek who finished the weekend with six assists.
The Blades are back home now and will host league opponent New Mexico this weekend in Gunnison with games at 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 23 and at 11 a.m. on Sunday, January 24.
