Colorado’s high school hockey dynasty continues.
Cheyenne Mountain added to its record title tally Tuesday at Magness Arena, outlasting top-seeded Glenwood Springs in a 1-0 triple-overtime thriller. Senior Hank Walsh sealed the Red-Tailed Hawks’ 16th championship and second straight Class 4A crown with his top-shelf wrister, while junior goalie Jeremy Renholm shut out the Demons.
“I came around the net and (the window) was there,” Walsh said. “I didn’t look at the net. I just turned around, shot it. It wasn’t the best celebration. I just fell over and everyone was on top of me, so I figured it must have gone in somehow.”
Walsh’s goal just under five minutes into the third extra period broke a stalemate after the two teams racked up hoards of goals in their two prior meetings this season, and through the first couple rounds of the playoffs. And it gave the Red-Tailed Hawks the trophy despite being on their heels for much of the game, and outshot 26-16.
“I was worried about how we were playing, about our momentum, because we never had any,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Erik Austin said. “It was a struggle all night long. We tried to put together a couple passes here and there, and it wasn’t happening.”
Cheyenne Mountain scored 12 goals across its first two playoff games combined, while Glenwood Springs put up 10 goals. When the teams played each other on back-to-back days in January, they put the hurt on each other. Glenwood Springs won 5-0 on Jan. 3, then Cheyenne Mountain came back the next day and won 6-1.
But Renholm and Glenwood Springs junior Marek Senn would permit no such lamp-lighting extravaganza Tuesday as both goalies put on a clinic. Renholm held up under fire from the Demons as they outshot the Red-Tailed Hawks 21-11 through regulation, including 10-3 in the first period.
“The Demons were on fire, flying all over the ice, and we were scratching and clawing just to stay in the game,” Austin said. “But we stayed in the fight. I pumped their tires in the first period, I ripped their tires in the second period… When it came to overtime, it was a mash unit (of tired and hurt guys).”
On the other end of the ice, Senn was equally masterful, stopping several late surges in the third by Cheyenne Mountain to force OT.
The offense slowed to a crawl in the first overtime, with just three shots on goal combined between the teams. The Demons had their best chance in the period’s waning minutes, but Renholm stuffed several shots then corralled the rebound in front of the net. That same trend continued in the second overtime, although Cheyenne Mountain finally outshot Glenwood Springs for the first time all game, 3-1.
“Our guys blocked a lot of shots in front of me today too, including a few big deflections (in overtime periods),” Renholm said. “I just kept focusing on blocking the next shot.”
Cheyenne Mountain’s victory via Walsh’s triple-overtime goal denied Glenwood Springs a title in the Demons’ first championship appearance. The Red-Tailed Hawks, meanwhile, are set up for a run at a three-peat next year. Renholm returns, as do four sophomores and two freshmen who played significant time in Tuesday’s championship.
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