The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Home game Friday at 6 p.m., alumni game Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
By Than Acuff
After a slow start, the Crested Butte Titans rattled off four unanswered goals to take down Kent Denver on Friday, December 15 and then returned to Crested Butte late that night and to their home ice on Saturday to battle back and forth with defending 4A state champions Cheyenne Mountain before falling 4-3.
The first period was rough for the Titans against Kent Denver. Kent Denver took advantage of a two-man advantage, one part a penalty on the ice and one part having too many players on the roster, to open the scoring in the fifth minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead through the remainder of the opening period.
“From the coaching staff down to the players, that first period was pretty rough,” says coach Joey Otsuka.
But that was the last Kent Denver would see of their lead as Crested Butte struck back two minutes into the second period when Ethan Suazo scored off an assist from Jake White. Marshall Spann then scored off an assist from Max Dukeman and the Titans were on top 2-1 heading into the third period.
The “Grady Train” put the finishing touches on the win as Grady Dietrich scored eight minutes into the third period and Grady Buckhanan tacked on another Titan goal four minutes later to ice the 4-1 win. Crested Butte goalie Ryder Church finished the game with 24 saves.
“Two minutes into the second period we really started hitting on all cylinders and never looked back,” says Otsuka.
The Titans then boarded the bus in Denver to return to Crested Butte after midnight and suited back up Saturday evening to host the Cheyenne Mountain Red Tail Hawks, defending 4A state champions and a program with a total of 15 state titles to their name.
This game would be the first big test for the Titans and the opening five minutes proved troublesome as Crested Butte struggled to keep pace with Cheyenne Mountain. Early and persistent puck pressure by the Red Tail Hawks resulted in a miscue by the Titans in their own zone and Cheyenne Mountain scored less than two minutes into the game.
Crested Butte stepped up their pace as the period wore on, but Cheyenne Mountain capitalized on another mistake to take a 2-0 lead in the first period.
“I just knew they would be flying and trying to do too much and when that happens, you end up running around the ice and that’s exactly what happened in the first period,” says Otsuka.
Composure made the difference for the Titans in the second period. While Cheyenne Mountain continued to push the pace, Crested Butte remained patient and protected their house with Church making the necessary saves. A succession of penalties by Cheyenne Mountain eventually bore fruit for Crested Butte and after a few early powerplays for the Titans proved unsuccessful, they eventually capitalized on a two-man advantage as Buckhanan picked the far post with a low-angle pinpoint shot.
While the goal did release one Red Tail penalty, the Titans remained on the powerplay and scored 20 seconds later to tie the game 2-2.
“We figured out at a point in the second period that we were winning the physical side of the game and skating with them,” says Otsuka. “We just came out flying.”
Crested Butte continued to control the momentum of the period but when a Cheyenne Mountain player picked the puck off a Titan defenseman and scored, the game looked to swing back in the Red Tail Hawks’ favor. Adding fuel to their fire, a Titans penalty had Cheyenne Mountain on a powerplay to close the second period, but Crested Butte’s penalty kill did their job to keep Cheyenne Mountain from gathering any more steam and they headed into the third period down 3-2.
“Because of a lack of ice time, I think I’ve talked about penalty killing maybe five minutes,” says Otsuka. “We just called on people with experience and trusted them to make the right reads and they did just that. The players were still confident because of how they played in the second period.”
The Red Tail Hawks looked to carry the momentum into the start of the third period, and while the Titans were on their heels to open, physical play and solid defending helped carry the Titans through the opening minutes when they soon took back the game.
Once again, the Titans seized on a powerplay in the 10th minute of the third period when Vojta Jirka took a pass from Rhodes Moffat and proceeded to skate past two Cheyenne Mountain players and dangle a third to score, tying the game 3-3.
The smell of an upset was in the air as the packed house grew feverish looking to spurn the Titans to a game-winning goal, but their hopes were dashed as a surge up ice by the Titans was turned away and Cheyenne Mountain turned immediately onto attack to score in the final minute of the game to escape with a 4-3 win.
“The third period was a rollercoaster,” says Otsuka. “We have to bend, but not break. I really think the Xs and Os are not the challenge with this team. It’s more maintaining focus and intensity for three periods and when we have those weekends with two games in two days, maintaining that for 48 hours. Which is tough for a high school athlete to do.”
The Titans hockey team remains at home this week as they host Colorado Academy at Jorgensen Ice Arena on Friday, December 22 at 6 p.m. The players then turn their attention to the annual alumni hockey game on Saturday, December 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Big Mine Ice Arena.
