The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“The leaders of the team stepped up and got the job done”
By Than Acuff
After giving up a three-goal lead late in the fourth quarter, the Titans scored with 12 seconds left to edge out a 9-8 home win over the Eagle Valley Devils on Saturday, March 8.
It was an erratic start for both teams as it was their first game of the season, but the Titans defense led by Merrick Jeffrey handcuffed the Devils attack until the fourth minute when Eagle Valley scored. As will often be the case this season though, Fraser Birnie won the ensuing faceoff and headed straight for the goal to tie the game eight seconds later.
Titans’ goalie Mason Colucci came up with a big stop in close and the two teams traded off attacks looking to settle into their offenses. After a scoreless six minutes of play, Luke Walton took advantage of a broken play, and broken Devils stick, to score for a 2-1 lead that held to the end of the quarter thanks in part from another big stop by Colucci.
“I was really impressed with our defense for sure,” says head coach Carter Brock.
The second quarter opened much like the first as both teams were looking to settle into their game until the Devils tied it back up and then took a 3-2 lead. Only to have it quickly erased as the Titans struck back less than a minute later when Dawson Eastep drove to the goal from behind the net. A Devil’s defenseman knocked the ball out of Eastep’s stick, but Birnie scooped up the loose ball and scored leaving the teams tied 3-3 by halftime.
Eagle Valley went back on top during a man up situation early in the third quarter, but Eastep got on the end of a long pass from Jeffery to score and Birnie won the ensuing faceoff to go to goal and score for a 5-4 Titans’ lead. The Devils answered back but Eastep scored once again for a 6-5 lead and the Titans looked to build a gap during back-to-back man up situations but struggled to score at the end of the third quarter.
“We gotta capitalize on man up plays for sure but it’ll come,” says Brock. “We only started working on it Friday before the game.”
They eventually took advantage of the Eagle Valley penalty when Walton assisted Eastep for a 7-5 Titans’ lead and then Birnie beat his man one-on-one to score to put Crested Butte on top 8-5 with five minutes left to play.
In true lacrosse fashion though, no lead is safe, and the Devils battled back to score three goals in a row, including the game-tying goal with 24 seconds left. But the Titans ace faceoff specialist came through one last time as Birnie won yet another one, took the ball straight to goal and fed Walton for a strike with 12 seconds left to win 9-8.
“We’re always confident with Fraser on the faceoff,” says Brock. “He’s one of the top faceoff guys in the state.”
Birnie finished the game with five goals and winning 19 of 20 faceoffs while Eastep scored three and Walton one in what was a good start to the 2025 season for the Titans.
“The kids were able to run the day by themselves with a little input from the coaches,” says Brock. “Our middies ran their butts off and it as fun to see a couple of guys back out there. The leaders of the team stepped up and got the job done.”
The Titans head to Grand Junction to face Fruita Monument on Thursday, March 13 looking to avenge a loss from last year.
“Last year we had a good battle in the first game but got blown out in the second game, so we’re pretty fired up,” says Brock.