The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Join forces with Grand Junction for the season
By Than Acuff
With the u19 girls’ hockey program numbers at West Elk Hockey Association (WEHA) depleted heading into the 2024-2025 season, 13 players from the Gunnison Valley joined forces to play with the Grand Junction Riverhawks for the season. They hosted Telluride for their only home games of the season in Gunnison on Saturday, January 25 falling 4-2 in the morning game and just falling short 3-2 in the afternoon game.
After a scoreless first period, the Riverhawks (aka WEHA) opened the scoring midway through the second period when Lili Dickinson assisted Evangeline Dormaier. Telluride tied it up late in the second period, but the Riverhawks got back on top early in the third period as Dormaier scored her second goal of the game.
Two minutes later Telluride scored back-to-back goals to take a 3-2 lead and added one more in the final minute to skate away from the Riverhawks with a 4-2 win. Riverhawks goalie Corian Duncan finished the game with 23 saves.
The teams met again Saturday afternoon and Telluride looked to dictate the pace of play throughout the first period. Defensive discipline by the Riverhawks defending the house helped hold off some of the Telluride attack and Duncan was in the zone making numerous saves throughout a period that saw Telluride outshoot the Riverhawks 11-4.
Despite the game being played in front of their goal for a majority of the first period, the Riverhawks did have their chances as both Gabby Silva and Emma Bangert got shots off, but they were stopped and the rebounds swept clear of trouble.
Telluride eventually found a crack in the Duncan wall to score in the first minute of the second period, but the strike didn’t faze Duncan or her team as they continued to hold off the Telluride attack and look for chances on quick counterattacks.
A Telluride penalty with two minutes left in the period gave the Riverhawks a penalty shot and Silva took the honors to beat the Telluride goalie tying the game 1-1. Unfortunately, Telluride responded 30 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.
Yet the Riverhawks were unfettered in their efforts and pressed hard to tie the game to open the third period. After a couple early chances were turned away, they finally found the magic touch as Myah Desserich picked the puck off the boards and skated to net to score, tying the game 2-2.
Duncan continued to stand on her head in net for the Riverhawks and the effort of Katherine Frey, Tessa Wirsing, Faith Pederson and Lilah Young helped provide additional opportunities for the Riverhawks. They had one last chance down the stretch as they finished the game on a powerplay, but a Telluride skater managed to find an opening during their penalty kill to skate the length of the ice and score a shorthanded goal to seal the 3-2 Telluride win. Duncan finished the second game with 38 saves.
The girls have four more road games, two against Telluride and two against Durango, to close out the season Saturday and Sunday, February 1-2.
