Patty Kotz photo
The Glenwood Springs boys hockey team followed up its big Peak League win at Battle Mountain Thursday with a tough showing against one of the top Front Range teams, ending in a 3-3 tie in overtime against Chaparral on the home ice Friday night.
Both teams scored in each of the three periods, but neither could find the net in the 5-minute overtime period, as the Demons and visiting Wolverines settled for a tie at the Glenwood Springs Community Center ice rink.
“Statistically speaking, we knew this would be our biggest challenge of the year up to this point,” head Glenwood coach Tim Cota said. “Chaparral is a solid hockey team and considered one of the better teams in the state. We knew we had to step up our play without the puck, meaning keeping Chap contained as best we could by picking up our checks and backchecking our tails off.
“What we thought we could see as an advantage for us was our size, physically pounding forechecking, and the home crowd,” Cota said.
After the Wolverines scored the first goal a little over 8 minutes in, Demons senior Ryan Kotz scored on a shorthanded play. Colter Strautman had the assist, and then gave Glenwood the lead in the second period with a goal just before 12 minutes had ticked off the clock. Kotz returned the favor with the assist.
Chaparral’s Landen Shay made it 2-2 a few minutes later.
“We killed off a key 5-on-3 power play in the second period after we took the lead, and made some adjustments on the penalty kill from earlier looks and our boys executed it perfectly,” Cota said.
The third period saw goals from Chaparral’s Brennan Valencia 5:46 in, and Glenwood’s Strautman answered 9 minutes later for the deadlock.
“That was another momentum swing in our favor, as we owned the 5 minute overtime,” Cota said. “We had great puck possession time in the OT frame, but Chap didn’t break.
“Haddy (goalie Hunter Hadsock) was a wall in the net, and these past two games he’s been seeing the puck as beach balls.”
Both teams combined for 92 shots on net in the shooting fest, and Hadsock was given player of the game honors for his 53 saves.
“If we want to be a top-10 team we knew we had to prove to ourselves we can skate with top-10 teams,” Demons senior captain Jacob Fowler said after the win. “That was our attitude tonight. Take our play to them, let them know who we are.”
