The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Stick a fork in it
By Than Acuff
And just like that, the Crested Butte town league hockey season is over.
It wasn’t easy as rising temperatures rendered Big Mine Ice Arena too soft to skate forcing town league to move the post season to Gunnison for four days straight of town league playoff action for both leagues complete with back-to-back title games for both leagues on Thursday, March 19.
Following the C/B town league title game, Kochevar’s and Bliss Chiropractic squared off on a freshly Zambonied sheet of ice compliments of the Jorgensen crew for the A/B title. It took until a shootout before Kochevar’s lifted the cup.
Bliss had the first two real chances in the first two minutes of the game, scoring on one. Early on Cameron Donoghue stripped a puck off a Kochevar’s player to go to goal only to have his chance thwarted by the hustle of Jake Sunter. Moments later though a spinning shot by Billy Watson provided another early chance for Bliss and while Brennan Dressick made the first save, Gus Hensley was on the doorstep to punch home the rebound for a 1-0 Bliss lead.
Three minutes later Bliss was on a powerplay and while powerplays rarely produce an advantage for teams in town league hockey, this one did as Watson slipped a pass across to Donoghue and Donoghue scored for a 2-0 Bliss lead.
While noticeably lethargic through the first five minutes of the game, the second Bliss goal woke up Kochevar’s, and they started to put the wood to Bliss. Bliss remained tough on defense though to close out any chances in close and the shots that did get through were turned away by Bliss goalie Devon Carillo.
Bliss came close to making it 3-0 later in the first period as they capitalized on a breakout that caught Kochevar’s pinched in, but Ned Stitt got on his horse to get back and break up the Bliss opportunity with a savvy backcheck.
As the game wore on, Kochevar’s continued to gain momentum, and they finally cracked the seal on Carillo during a powerplay seven minutes into the second period when Sam Reaman dropped the puck to Rob Holleran and Holleran picked the upper corner.
Reaman nearly tied the game a minute later, but the defense of Jack Weise proved too much, and Reaman was denied. Stitt came through once again later in the period sweeping the puck off the line for Kochevar’s to hold Bliss to their one-goal lead heading into the third period.
Kochevar’s then tied the game three minutes into the third period when Oliver Houseman slid the puck across the point to Sunter and Sunter picked the near post with a low slap shot that just beat Carillo.
Both teams had powerplays down the stretch but neither team could score as both Dressick and Carillo did their jobs eventually sending the game into overtime for three minutes of 3v3 hockey.
Neither team managed to score during the overtime period leaving the game, and title, to be decided in a shootout. Dressick ended up making two saves during the shootout to deny Bliss and both Henry Hodde and Holleran scored on their chances to seal the title for Kochevar’s.
