The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Blades avenge earlier loss
If nothing else, the Crested Butte Wolfpack can say they were the only team to have beaten the Gunnison Blades. Because, fact is, I don’t think anyone can take the Blades down the way they are playing these days.
Friday night was the first time the two teams met since the Wolfpack beat them at Big Mine Ice Arena two weeks ago.
This time around the Blades made sure the Wolfpack knew which team was still in charge in the Gunnison Valley.
The pace of the game in the first period was as fast as I’ve seen either team play this season but pinpoint poke checks and tight defense by the Wolfpack led by Ian Kelly held off the initial Blades onslaught.
The Blades took a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game when Andy Howard slid into the high slot and Evan Ayers fed him for an easy strike. They threatened three minutes later when a Blades player took the puck to net and spun for a backhand but Wolfpack goalie Montana Wiggins poked the puck away before he could shoot leaving them with a slim 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.
The Blades added a second strike five minutes into the second period when Dan Wiedman stripped the puck off a Wolfpack player and fed Ayers for the strike and a 2-0 Blades lead.
The Wolfpack needed a goal soon or the game was going to get away from them and Sam Evans delivered 20 seconds later. Evans took the puck off a face off and drifted across the high slot before slipping a wrist shot between the pads of the Blades goalie to pull the Wolfpack back into the game.
The Wolfpack had ample opportunity to tie the game with a two-man advantage for 90 seconds but failed to score and the Blades made them pay firing off three goals in a row.
Taran Reinecke scored back-to-back goals and Howard netted his second goal of the game for a 5-1 lead heading into the second period.
Evans scored off an assist six minutes into the third period but before they could muster any semblance of a comeback the Blades shut the door for good. Mike Spallone scored twice and Dirk Schumacher added a strike to finish of the Wolfpack 8-2.
Frustration from the loss Friday night was released the following day when the Wolfpack trounced the Moffat County Bulldogs on Saturday. Dylan Curtiss scored twice, Dakota Wiggins and Ben Frame each added one and Ben Reaman tallied his third hat trick of the season as the Wolfpack skated to a 7-1 win.
Crested Butte faced Moffat County again on Sunday morning building a 3-1 lead in the first period on goals from Evans, Max Molitor and Reaman.
Evans scored again in the second period but Moffat pulled within two on a goal three minutes later.
Seemingly content with their 4-2 lead, the Wolfpack eased off on the throttle in the third period until coach John Mortell shared some words with his team to wake them back up before it was too late.
Evans listened, scoring his second goal of the game with a minute left icing the 5-2 Wolfpack win.
The Wolfpack close the regular season this weekend at Big Mine Ice Arena. They will face Telluride twice on Saturday, February 12 at 4 and 7 p.m. and then host Durango on Sunday, February 13 at 8 and 9:30 a.m.
