The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We will rerack in practices this week and head into it”
By Than Acuff
It was a tough weekend of hockey for the Crested Butte Titans hockey team, losing both games against the Steamboat Springs Sailors Friday and Saturday, December 13-14. But there were some good things.
For starters, the Titans are slowly getting some players back from injuries, notably defenseman and Czech Republic, aka Czechia, exchange student Matej Voldan.
“That’s a huge asset on defense,” says coach Joey Otsuka.
Unfortunately, the seven or eight other injured players were not quite ready for the Steamboat games and given Steamboat’s reputation as a solid program, Otsuka and the coaches called on the players to excel in certain areas they can control over the weekend.
“We were looking for consistency and intensity, and we got that,” says Otsuka. “Just at different points in different games. One of the best things from the weekend was our leadership, and belief in each other was very good and very strong.”
The Titans had a strong start to the weekend as they battled the Sailors through the first two periods of the game Friday night. Steamboat scored first, three minutes into the game, but Crested Butte remained focused on their roles on the ice and tied the game up in the 14th minute of the first when Grady Buckhanan assisted Max Dukeman during a powerplay.
Steamboat scored the next three goals in the opening six minutes of the second period, but Buckhanan and Dukeman connected again on a powerplay late in the period to keep the Sailors close.
“Our powerplay has been going full tilt all season,” says Otsuka. “We’re top five in the state which shows our ability and skill. Marshall (Spann), Max and Ethan (Suazo do a really good job of moving the puck around, making the extra pass and running the plays.”
But, with so many injuries and so many younger players called into action, the Sailors started to find more success with their deeper roster and to score three more goals in the third period for the 7-2 win. Goalies Shane Mensing and Ryder Church split time in net stopping 32 of 39 shots.
“It’s sort of death by a thousand cuts,” says Otsuka. “The younger players are taking one step forward and a half step back each game, but the little things start to add up over three periods. The first two periods of Friday’s game were really good. It’s just about extending our ability to be consistent for three whole periods.”
Steamboat brought more pressure to the ice in their second game on Saturday. With a focus on strong forechecking, the Sailors kept the Titans off balance and scored two goals in the first period and two in the second to skate to a 4-0 win. Gustav DesAuliners finished the game stopping 33 of Steamboat’s 37 shots.
Crested Butte has two more games before the holiday break as they host Battle Mountain in Gunnison on Friday, December 20 at 6 p.m. They then get on a bus Saturday morning at 5 a.m. to head southwest to face Durango.
“This team has always gone above and beyond when we play Battle Mountain,” says Otsuka. “We will rerack in practices this week and head into it.”
Otsuka hopes to get a couple more players back for the next two games and then hopes, albeit tentatively, to put all the injuries behind them in the New Year.
“We should be fully staffed in the New Year, fingers crossed,” says Otsuka. “Once we’re able to fill the top two lines and stabilize the third line, we’ll start to climb towards the light.”
Their first games of the New Year are at home as they host Summit on Friday and Saturday, January 2-3.
