Crested Butte Titans hockey opens season with road win

Home game this Saturday at 5 p.m.

By Than Acuff 

The Crested Butte Titans high school hockey team opened the 2023/2024 season with a 3-2 win over Pueblo County waiting until the final minute to secure the win.

As is often the case, consistency is tough to come by in high school athletics and the Titans struggled with that through three periods of hockey in their first game.

“We’re going to be battling consistency and a strong mental resolve all year,” says coach Joey Otsuka.

The Titans opened the game on point taking control from the opening faceoff to build a 1-0 lead when Grady Dietrich scored a short-handed goal off an assist from Jake White. Crested Butte continued to press Pueblo County through the first period and into the start of the second period as Grady Buckhanan scored off an assist from Dominick Cerio three minutes into the second period.

“We came out lights out,” says Otsuka. “Our two goals were workman-like goals with shots on net and following up on rebounds.”

Then things turned as Pueblo County started to take the momentum back scoring two minutes later and then tying the game 2-2 five minutes later.

“I think we got cocky about how much we dominated that first period,” says Otsuka. “Their goals were based off of some defensive miscues.”

In the end, Pueblo County outshot Crested Butte 14-6 through the second period, and had it not been for quality goaltending by Ryder Church, it could have been worse.

“It was his first varsity start and when we needed it, he was a brick wall,” says Otsuka.

Otsuka and assistant coach Shane McGuinness then looked to their captains Cerio, Dietrich and Rhodes Moffat to inspire the team between the second and third periods. 

“We went to them and told them they needed to get the team focused again,” says Otsuka. “Rhodes then told the team, ‘we don’t lose third periods.’”

The Titans responded and came out in the third period back to how they started the game, but soon got derailed by a series of penalties by both teams. Their biggest test came with a little over three minutes left in regulation when Crested Butte found themselves playing two men down in a 2-2 game. The Titans killed off the penalty and were immediately on a powerplay following and pounced on the momentum swing. Marshall Spann slipped between two Pueblo County players to fire a shot on net. The goalie made the initial save but Dietrich followed to stuff home the rebound and secure the 3-2 win. Church finished the game with 24 saves.

“Shane has had maybe an hour and a half to work on our powerplay and they did really well all game,” says Otsuka. 

In addition to the effort of Church in net and the teams’ special teams work, Otsuka did like what he saw overall despite their swings in momentum and energy throughout the game.

“The whole team, even in times of chaos, stuck with the systems we’ve been trying to install,” says Otsuka.

The Titans have a massive weekend ahead of them as they hit the road to face Kent Denver on Friday, December 15, return home that night around 1 a.m. and then return to the ice Saturday, December 16 when they host Cheyenne Mountain at Jorgensen Ice Arena in Gunnison at 5 p.m.

“Our focus this week is how to keep in shape for these two games,” says Otsuka. “How do we put ourselves in a place where we can succeed.”