The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Take second place in league
After winning three of their last four regular season games, the Crested Butte Wolfpack sealed a second place seeding for the league playoffs starting on Saturday, February 26.
It was a fitting end to the 2011 season with several players closing out their high school hockey careers on the open-air sheet of Big Mine Ice Arena.
Final season standings were on the line for the Wolfpack as they headed into the weekend with second place up for grabs.
“We needed one win out of the weekend,” says coach John Mortell.
While the start was a bit shaky they managed to seal the second place spot in the opening game against Telluride.
After a sloppy and scoreless first period, Telluride stunned the Wolfpack scoring first in the second period to go up 1-0.
But talent ultimately prevailed and the Wolfpack recovered to net five goals with two coming from Ben Reaman to take the 5-1 win and seal second place for good.
Following the game Mortell put it to his team bluntly.
“If you guys don’t step it up against Durango, you’re going to get killed,” said Mortell.
They took his warning to heart in their second game against Telluride later that day skating to an 8-0 shutout.
Sam Evans led the score sheet for the Wolfpack in the game netting four goals with Max Molitor scoring two and Jacob Grogg and Ben Frame adding one apiece.
With two wins and a second place finish sealed, the easy road for the Wolfpack would have been to cruise through Sunday’s games against Durango. The first game was at 8 a.m. and the Wolfpack has never been known as a particularly strong early morning team.
“Our kids are not morning kids at all,” says Mortell.
But there was something special about Sunday’s games for seven seniors on the Wolfpack squad. It was the last time they would lace up the skates for a Wolfpack game at Big Mine Ice Arena and they took it to heart.
As a result, the rest of the team followed their lead and they came out early Sunday morning hungry.
“They were up for it,” says Mortell. “They knew they had to find a better game.”
The Wolfpack scored in the eighth minute of the game when Ben Frame poked the puck off a Durango skater in the neutral zone and fed Reaman for a breakaway goal.
Durango responded a minute later and the two teams finished the first period notched in a 1-1 tie.
Again, the Wolfpack could have folded but they came out in the second period and shifted into another gear. Durango’s notoriously strong goaltending held off the Wolfpack barrage but Evans managed to find a seam with a shot just inside the far post to give the Wolfpack a 2-1 lead with one period left to play.
Frame added an insurance goal early in the third period ripping a slapshot from the blue line, but a couple of penalties by the Wolfpack had them pinned down in a five on three situation.
Crested Butte executed a near flawless penalty kill and as soon as they were back to even strength, Reaman added a fourth strike with a wrap around goal.
Standout defenseman Ian Kelly put the finishing touches on the game netting a goal in the tenth minute and Nicholas Mikeska did the rest in net finishing the game with 29 total saves to seal the 5-1 Wolfpack win.
Again, with one more game against Durango immediately following, the Wolfpack could have called it good. Instead, they came out in the second game with continued offensive pressure.
“They were digging deep for the win,” says Mortell. “They wanted it bad.”
Montana Wiggins started in net but an early injury forced him out and Mikeska was called on once more for his final game at Big Mine Ice Arena.
The Wolfpack fell behind 1-0 in the first until a goal by Evans tied it up a minute later.
Evans and Reaman connected again late in the second period when a fore check on a penalty kill situation set the two up for a breakaway. Evans held the puck and fed Reaman for an easy stuff and a 2-1 Wolfpack lead.
Durango tied the game 27 seconds later and the game remained tied late into the third period.
With 10 seconds left and a face off in the Wolfpack’s defensive zone, Mortell called a timeout for some last second instructions only to be overruled by his captain.
“All I wanted my kids to do was ‘D’ up for the tie,” says Mortell. “My captain said, ’no way, I want to win this game’.”
As a result, the Boston College breakout was called. Evans dropped the puck to Frame and took off. Reaman skated a decoy run at the blue line to open Evans up down the ice for a pass from Frame.
The play worked almost perfectly but the Durango goalie charged off his line to cut down the angle and Evans’ shot hit off the post leaving the teams tied 2-2.
“I was so proud of my guys for doing that,” says Mortell.
The Wolfpack finished the game out-shooting Durango 51-29 and Mikeska closed his Big Mine high school career with two wins, including a shutout and a tie over the weekend.
“This weekend was the best games I’ve seen him play,” says Mortell.
The Wolfpack start the post season Saturday, February 26. A win in the first round will guarantee a trip for them to the league Frozen Four in Gunnison March 5-6.
