The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
And… we’re back
By Than Acuff
We’re hitting the sweet spot. Days are getting longer, it’s snowing, it’s cold but not too cold, the High Lift and North Face lifts are spinning and the Crested Butte Town League hockey season has begun with over 300 players registered making for six teams in the C/B league and six teams in the A/B league.
The season officially began on Sunday, January 5 with a C/B showdown between Ska Brewing and CB Electric and, as is always the case, despite having as many as 12 players on their rosters, benches were a little short with just one sub for CB Electric and three for Ska Brewing.
Given the short benches, the C/B level and the first day of the season, play was a bit erratic but not without plenty of excitement started by a pass from Torrey Carroll to Paul Tilger for the first official shot of the season, which Ska goalie Nicholas Mikeska saved. And while CB Electric kept pushing the pace, Ska Brewing’s patience and positional play eventually made the difference as they started to surge four minutes into the game.
CB Electric players Todd Carroll and Skye Houseman did their best to hold at the blue line to keep putting pressure on Ska Brewing but once Ska set up in the offensive zone, they went to work.
Their diligence and composure would eventually pay off as a pass back to the point found Dan Loftus alone and Loftus fired a shot that Melanie Whiting tipped past CB Electric goalie Ryan Houseman for a 1-0 lead.
Ska closed the first period and opened the second period on the powerplay but struggled to find any seams to the CB Electric net. Matt Gutter provided some added intensity to the Ska effort, so much so he lost a glove, but CB Electric matched that intensity to continue to hold CB Electric at bay.
Ryan Carroll provided a spark for CB Electric breaking loose up the ice to get an open look on net, but Mikeska made another save to hold Ska’s slim one-goal lead.
Ska looked to turn the screws late in the second period as both Julia Nania and Gutter got looks on net in close, but Ryan was there to stack the pads for the needed saves and hold Ska within one heading into the third period.
Legs and lungs grew weary and the deeper Ska bench would start to make a difference in the third period. After a couple of close calls, they finally broke the seal on the CB Electric net once again as Gutter broke loose and looked to go with his backhand. Ryan stacked the pads yet again to make the initial save but Rusty Thompson followed on the rebound to bury the puck for a 2-0 Ska lead midway through the third period.
CB Electric summoned what energy they had left to put in one last push only to have their best chance denied when Mikeska skated off his line to swat a breakaway pass clear and preserve his shutout as Ska Brewing finished with a 2-0 win.
