The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Record stands at 4-2-1
Another week, another big step for the Crested Butte Wolfpack hockey team.
Once again the Wolfpack hit the road for some ice time. This time they took it down to Durango for two games against the Durango Steamers on Saturday, November 20 and rolled back home with two wins, improving their record to 4-2-1.
The Wolfpack opened the two-game showdown firing on all pistons, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Ben Reaman did the damage for the Wolfpack, netting the first goal eight minutes into the game on an assist from Sam Evans. Five minutes later, the Wolfpack was protecting their net against a Steamers power play when Reaman found a seam and scored a shorthanded goal to put the Pack on top 2-0.
The first line of Reaman, Evans and Dakota Wiggins continued to pummel the Steamers’ net in the second period, with Evans doing a majority of the set-up work.
Wiggins found the back of the net 11 minutes into the second period off the passing of Evans and Reaman, and Reaman finished his hat trick a minute later during a Wolfpack power play.
Durango spoiled the shutout with a goal in the second and third periods, but Montana Wiggins proved solid in net with 24 saves. The Wolfpack defense, led by Ben Frame, sealed the 4-2 win.
Following a midday game break, the two teams faced off again later on Saturday. This time the Steamers had a new goalie in net who proved impenetrable in the first period. Wolfpack goalie Nicholas Mikeska was equally strong and the two teams skated through a scoreless first period.
Reaman netted a power play goal in the fourth minute of the second period off another feed from Evans.
The Wolfpack continued to pepper the Durango net—51 shots when all was said and done—but the Steamers hung on and scored two goals to close the second period with a 2-1 win.
“I told the guys just keep coming and we’ll get ours,” explained coach Sean Kelly. “You can’t just shoot and skate away—we need to hit every rebound.”
The Steamers held their slim one-goal lead through the first 11 minutes of the final period until Kyle Hecker followed on a blast from Evans to poke the rebound through and tie the game 2-2.
With less than a minute left in the game, Evans fed Dakota one more time and Dakota slipped his shot through for the game-winning goal as the Wolfpack skated away with the 3-2 win.
“It was the best hockey I’ve seen those guys play in a long time,” says Kelly.
In the end, the first line accounted for six of the seven Wolfpack goals, with Reaman scoring four, Dakota two and Evans posting five assists.
“Sam was unbelievable,” says Kelly. “He worked his butt off and was making it happen all day long.”
Meanwhile, with Jake Grogg at a basketball game, Frame held court on defense through both games.
“He and Sam showed really good senior leadership,” says Kelly. “They were just really positive.”
The Wolfpack have a break from games for the next two weeks but will return to action December 11-12 when they head to Gunnison for the Drop the Puck Tournament.
