The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Up next: Gunnison Blades
The Crested Butte Panthers girls’ hockey team took on the #1 team in the MSGHL, the Santa Fe Mustangs, this past weekend in Gunnison.
Both teams have many solid players. In the first game Panther captain Marissa Lambert went toe to toe with the Mustangs captain, Brigid Quinn. The top goalies in the league (Monika Olesen for the Panthers and Izabella Conforti for the Mustangs) also squared off against each other with some brilliant net minding.
Olesen turned away 15 Mustang shots and Conforti was just as good, stopping 16 Panther shots. Lambert picked up a Mallory Mikeska breakout pass and skated past the speedy Quinn and beat Conforti to the glove side at the 3:49 mark of the second period to open up a Panther 1-0 lead. Quinn turned on her magic as she skated though the Panther squad and tied the game at 12:45 in the third period. Final score: 1-1.
Sunday’s game found the Panther’s down two goals early, as the girls were caught flat-footed in the first period. The Crested Butte Panthers bounced back in the second period as coach Tony Lambert fired the girls up with some choice words between periods. Mallory Mikeska scored on a beautiful rebound shot off a blistering Ali McGuire snap shot in the second period. The Panthers kept pounding shots on Conforti but she had a great game, stopping 16 of the 17 Panther shots on goal. Quinn broke a close game with her second goal of the game with three minutes to go in the third. McGuire scored with five seconds left: Santa Fe 3, Crested Butte 2.
Up next for the Panthers is a U12 & U14 league games vs. the Gunnison Blades. Then the U12 squad travels to play #1 Summit this Sunday for a two game series. Go Panthers!
