|
|
 |
Welcome to the official site of
Steamboat Sailors Hockey
|
Prepare every day to be a winner.
Support each other.
Play with discipline.
Never let yourself be outworked.
Pay the price necessary to win.
Steamboat hockey skates to tie with Summit
December 5, 2009
By Luke Graham
Aspen — The Steamboat Springs High School hockey team proved a little of everything to itself in the opening game of the 2009-10 season.
Steamboat showed some early jitters, fell behind, rebounded and eventually came away with a 3-3 tie against Summit in the opening game of the Mountain Hockey Tournament on Friday in Aspen.
Summit jumped out 3-1 in the first period on a pair of goals from Shamus O’Neill and one from Drake Blass.
Jake Bearss’ unassisted goal on the power play in the first was the Sailors’ lone opening tally. The Tigers and Sailors skated to a scoreless second before Bearss showed why he’ll be one of the best scorers in the state. He cut it to 3-2 at the 6 minute, 57 second mark of the third period.
Then, with fewer than three minutes in regulation, Bearss got his hat trick on a shot just in front of the right face-off circle.
“Any time that you can come away from one of the better teams knowing you have the ability to come back from a two-goal deficit and have the opportunity to win, you’re happy,” Steamboat coach Jeff Ruff said.
Erik Owen, getting the start in goal, shook off his rough early start to make 26 saves. Ruff said the Sailors’ nerves started to wear off at the end of the second period.
By the last stanza, Steamboat had its run of play, outshooting Summit, 13-3.
But Steamboat never could get the game winner.
“I think our goal (today) is to play 45 minutes of hockey as opposed to playing 25 good minutes,” Ruff said. “We can’t afford to do that against good teams.”
The tournament resumes today. Steamboat plays at 8 a.m. against Battle Mountain and at 4:45 p.m. against Aspen.
Sailors hockey shoots for top
December 2, 2009
By: Luke Graham
Steamboat Springs — The easy assumption is to think the Steamboat Springs High School hockey team would be rebuilding this season.
It’s the common thought when All-Colorado goaltender Matt Dawes transferred out before the start of his senior season to play club hockey down in Denver.
But look a little past the accolades of Dawes — all deserved — and people will find 14 returning lettermen from last season’s team, which advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.
Go even further, and the Sailors aren’t a one-man team. Instead, they’re a group of highly skilled players, ready to light up the scoreboard.
“We possess a higher skill level than we have in the past couple of years,” said Steamboat coach Jeff Ruff, whose team opened up No. 4 in The Denver Post preseason hockey poll. “We’re going to need to use that skill to make up for what we might see as a lack of size. We’re not very big, but our commitment to conditioning started a couple years ago will help us. What we’re going to try to do is score a lot of goals.”
Leading the way for the Sailors is a returning contingent of top forwards.
Jake Bearss, Jon Winkelblech, John Wharton, Lance Ostrom, Kaelen Gunderson, Blayne Conroy and Skylar Martin return from last season’s team.
Add in versatile centerman Vladan Chase, and it’s not hard to see why Ruff thinks the offense can provide the Sailors a spark.
Defensively, Steamboat will rely on Brady Bender, Ian Anderson and Patrick Weston, and Grant Mccannon — players who are as adept at stopping the puck as they are at scoring it.
“The first year I played, I thought our individual skill was probably the best,” Anderson said.
“Last year was more of a team skill. This year I feel there is more of a combination of both. I feel it’s really going to be a great year.”
The one question mark heading into the season is who will fill Dawes’ skates. Goaltenders Erik Owen and Joey Haight each will get starts early in the season. Ruff said he has confidence in both and said each will grow up as the season progresses.
“I don’t really have any expectations battling against Erik,” Haight said. “Right now I’m just working on improving overall. I’m just trying to be the best I can be. My main goal is to improve the whole team. I’ve got some nerves, but I’m confident in what I can do.”
Advancing to the second round last season marked the furthest a Steamboat hockey team had gone.
Judging by what the Peak Conference has to offer — stalwarts Lewis-Palmer, Cheyenne Mountain and Battle Mountain — Ruff said he’s confident Steamboat can finish in the top two of its conference and garner a top-eight seed in the playoffs.
“The goal is always to make it to playoffs and get the best seeding we can,” said Anderson, who will serve as the team’s captain. “From there it’s one game at a time. We have to win that first game and that second game. We have to get into the Final Four and win the semifinal game and get into the finals.”
And from there?
“Win state,” Bearss said. “I think we have a good chance if we keep working as hard as we have.”
Denver Post - High School Hockey Preview
December 1, 2009
By Jon E. Yunt
The Denver Post
If recent history is a good indicator, hockey teams making the transition from the unsanctioned spring High Plains League into Colorado High School Activities Association play have not fared well.
The latest team trying to buck the trend is Monarch. The Coyotes come in with an impressive resume from the High Plains, having won championships in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Coyotes were USA Hockey's Rocky Mountain District champions in 2005 and 2006.
"Hockey is still hockey, but everyone has their different styles," said Jimmy Dexter, the longtime Boulder Valley Hockey Club and Monarch coach. "Coaching shouldn't be any different."
Dexter, whose team will play in the Foothills Conference, attributes some of the recent struggles of new CHSAA teams to players having to make a choice between their clubs and high schools, but admits it won't be too long before the choice to play for a school will start to be more prevalent.
"Just the coverage you receive is something you just don't get at the club level," said Dexter, who played his high school hockey in New Hampshire and collegiately at Plymouth State. "Also with clubs, most of the time it's really just friends and family in the stands.
"Here there are bigger crowds. And who doesn't want to be a part of that?"
The Coyotes, who open the season today in Vail against preseason No. 5 Battle Mountain, are experienced and have a deep senior core including forwards Michael Roberts, Dallas Lehman, defender Jeff Howell and goalie Zane Sampson.
Everyone in the league will be chasing two-time defending champion Regis Jesuit. The Raiders will be tough to score on with a defense that features Tanner Ottenbreit, Tanner Scales, Thomas Stack and Austin Miller in front of goalie Mitch Sungelo.
Ralston Valley and Aspen will give the Raiders a run for the conference title.
In the Peak Conference, Lewis-Palmer rode goalie Brent Schwarz's efforts all the way to the title game last season and is strong enough to make it back.
Cheyenne Mountain, Battle Mountain, Steamboat Springs and Rampart provide depth.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
Top five
1. Regis Jesuit
2. Ralston Valley
3. Lewis-Palmer
4. Steamboat Springs
5. Battle Mountain
Players to watch
(Returning all-state selections)
Name School Yr.
Nick Davis Regis Jesuit Jr.
Daniel Doremus Aspen Sr.
Chris Dylewski Pine Creek Sr.
Branden Johnson Doherty Jr.
Michael Lewis Cheyenne Mountain Sr.
Cam Maceau Air Academy Sr.
Shamus O'Neill Summit Sr.
Tanner Ottenbreit Regis Jesuit Sr.
Brent Schwarz Lewis-Palmer Jr.
Connor Tedstrom Battle Mountain Sr.
Sailors hockey fares well in trio of scrimmages
November 22, 2009
By Joel Reichenberger
Steamboat Springs — Technically, the Steamboat Springs High School hockey team didn’t win squat Saturday night.
The team’s trio of games at the Howelsen Ice Arena were all scrimmages, and even though fans filled the stands, an announcer filled the air and a concession stand filled the lobby, nary a goal was scored.
If anyone had been taking notes, though, they’d have come up with some numbers the Sailors team would be proud of.
Still 0-0 in the season, Steamboat got the best of two of its three opponents Saturday night, and for now, that’s good enough for the team.
“More than anything, we’re happy we put a lot of pucks in the net,” Steamboat coach Jeff Ruff said.
The scrimmages represented the Sailors’ first break from practice, and early in the day, as much was obvious.
The team was at its worst in its first scrimmage, a late-morning showdown against Doherty. Even that wasn’t so bad, though, and the teams played basically evenly.
“We came out a little slow,” Ruff said. “We didn’t have the intensity I would have liked to have seen.”
As the day went on, Steamboat improved.
It managed to score at least 10 goals in its second game, against Peak to Peak, then in the final game, against Pine Creek, the Sailors put in two goals to “win” 2-0.
“We definitely passed really well in the last two games,” said sophomore John Wharton, who scored a hat trick in the first game. “We also played really strong defense.”
At their best, the Sailors were powerful on both ends of the ice, whipping the puck around for clean shots on offense or collapsing to offer strong support on defense.
The offense never looked better than it did on one play in the final game.
First, senior Vladan Chase opened the game’s scoring with what he called a lucky tap.
“Jon Winkelblech was going down, and I was following him hard,” Chase said. “He took the shot, but it went off the boards. When he chased it down, he went to stop, and it popped up, and I just batted it down.
“It was an awesome day. I had a blast.”
Then, Winkelblech made it 2-0 with perhaps the sweetest play of the night.
Kaelen Gunderson took the puck past the goalie’s left side, halfway behind the net.
He then quickly flicked it back out in front right as Winkelblech was charging toward the net.
The senior deftly received the pass and immediately slid it in for a score.
“That was a beauty,” Ruff said.
Steamboat takes the ice for games that count starting Dec. 4 when it will travel to the Mountain Hockey Tournament in Aspen.
There, it will face off against Aspen, Battle Mountain and Summit.
“We won that tournament last year,” Ruff said. “We’re looking to go back and win again and make a strong showing.”
Sailor Hockey on Facebook
Join the Sailor's group page on Facebook. Search: Steamboat Sailors Hockey.
| |
|
|
