The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
The rink is NOT closed
by Than Acuff
Despite rumors, Big Mine Ice Arena is not closed and should be back to normal operating hours this weekend.
Speaking of rumors, apparently the Eldo has gained quite the reputation for poor sportsmanship, and that’s putting it mildly. Well, their “style” of play has earned them a series of suspensions with one player suspended from play indefinitely, another suspended for three games and a third Eldo player forced to sit out one game.
Seriously? Town league hockey is that important?
Now that’s intensity, or imbecility. Either way, the sun has been nearly non-existent since the first of the year so maybe it was just a serious case of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Well, those three suspensions had a serious affective disorder on their team Tuesday night as they were noticeably subdued in their 6-2 loss to Altitude Painting.
The first period of play was dominated by neither team, rather it was a goaltending clinic as both Altitude Painting goalie Shawn Harrington and Eldo goalie Roan Perschk were lights out in their respective nets to keep the two teams locked in a 0-0 tie after the first period.
Then things got rolling and it was the Eldo that started it off as Will Muller skated end-to-end to slip the puck under the pads of Harrington from almost no angle for a 1-0 lead.
The lead lasted all of about two minutes before Altitude struck back when Luke Haggerty dropped the puck back to David Bright in the faceoff circle and Bright finished. A minute later Altitude was pressing again and Pete Sowar slid the puck to Haggerty on the weak side and Haggerty scored for a 2-1 Altitude lead.
Mike Preston pulled off probably the best moves of his hockey career to open himself up for a clear shot to tie the game but the puck sailed wide. Fifty seconds later Cody Scott went to town skating hard to keep the puck inside the blue line and then skated to net to score at the buzzer for a 3-1 Altitude lead.
The game turned wide open for the opening minutes of the third period. With the Eldo down to one sub and Altitude just two on the bench, tired legs led to wide open ice as the teams traded off numerous odd man rushes only to come up empty. Altitude eventually set up shop for a majority of the final five minutes to rattle off three more goals. Bruce Winchenbach chased a puck in the corner and turned around to skate straight to the slot and finish with a backhand.
Two minutes later Sowar was rewarded for his efforts all game, scoring two goals in a span of 15 seconds. The first one he slipped low and the second puck he “put top shelf up by the peanut butter” for a 6-1 Altitude lead. Muller spun in a circle to fire a quick response 20 seconds later for his second goal of the night for the Eldo but Altitude was firmly in control as they skated to the 6-2 win putting a nice finishing touch to the Valentine’s date night at the rink for Altitude players Bill and Molly Frame.
