Titans hockey falls to Battle Mountain

Season ends in second round of post season

[  by Than Acuff  ]

It felt like all season long, the young Crested Butte Titans hockey team just couldn’t get a break. After losing so many players to graduation from last year’s team that finished runner up to the 4A title, there was a fair bit of rebuilding to do. And just when the younger players were getting their skates under them, injuries or COVID would hit the Titans and players, both new and veteran, were forced to adjust to new roles almost weekly.

“Almost once a week we were missing someone,” says coach Billy Watson. “We were moving young guys into roles and expecting a lot and they stepped up in those roles.”

The Titans were rewarded for their effort in the end as they got the last spot in the 4A state tournament and opened the post season on Thursday, February 24 against the Rampart Rams. 

Excited about the shot at the playoffs, not to mention a chance to face Battle Mountain again if they beat Rampart, the Titans came into their first round playoff game on fire.

“They came out with so much intensity,” says Watson.

The two teams played through a scoreless first period but the Titans broke the seal first eight minutes into the second period when Connor Zummach scored. Rampart responded on a powerplay three minutes later and the teams were tied 1-1 with the season hanging in the balance in the third and final period.

The Titans built a two-goal lead in the first five minutes of the second period as Zummach and Colm Piccaro both scored with Dominick Cerio assisting on Piccaro’s goal. Rampart pulled back within one in the ninth minute and with the Titans racking up injuries once again, Watson was calling on everyone to contribute.

“Toward the end we didn’t really have lines anymore,” says Watson. “We just had to feel the energy of the players on the bench and go with it.”

Jack Lambert then scored on a powerplay in the 11th minute and Sam Dukeman iced the win in the 16th minute of the third as the Titans skated to a 5-2 win. Goalie TJ Wonnacott finished the game with 24 saves.

“We played all three periods in that game,” says Watson. “Everyone was laying it on the line, the kids played incredible. The line of Rhodes (Moffett), Rocky (Marchitelli) and Connor were on it and it was good to see them get a little production.”

Battered but not broken, the Titans then set their sights on the number two seeded Battle Mountain Huskies. Battle Mountain handed the Titans a 5-0 shutout at the start of the season but Crested Butte forced the Huskies into overtime before losing their second showdown so the Titans were hungry for revenge.

“They emptied the tank against Rampart but we had a couple workouts before Battle Mountain and the kids seemed ready,” says Watson. “We worked on our penalty kill and powerplay and it seemed like everything was clicking.”

The one thing the Titans didn’t need was for Battle Mountain’s goalie to stand on his head in net and that’s just what he did.

“We had our chances and there were opportunities that, had they gone in, would have changed the game,” says Watson. “Their goalie was hot.”

Meanwhile, Battle Mountain, and their roster of 12 seniors, methodically scored a goal each period over the course of the game to win 3-0 and end the Titans’ season. Titans’ goalie Jack Perkins ended up with 36 saves in the game.

“Credit to the other team, they played great,” says Watson.

In the end, Watson felt the season was still a success despite getting bumped by Battle Mountain and the lessons learned by the younger players should pay off in spades next season as the team is only losing three seniors to graduation.

“To get to the playoffs is one thing and to get a playoff win under our belt is awesome,” says Watson. “Overall, I was really impressed with everyone’s effort this season. It’ll be an exciting group next season.”