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rsederquist@vaildaily.com
Battle Mountain coach George Wilson said teamwork will be a point of emphasis for the 2024-2025 season. So far, the Huskies have leaned into the concept.
Eight different players scored goals in a 9-0 season-opening win against Rampart on Dec. 11 and three players recorded hat tricks in the Huskies latest game, a 14-1 victory over Rampart on Monday. The Huskies are 2-2 after contesting four games in six days, falling to pre-season No. 5 Summit 4-1 and No. 6 Glenwood Springs 6-0 last Friday and Saturday, respectively.
“The theme for the season is to build a strong cohesive team that supports each other both on and off the ice,” Wilson said. “The goal for the season is to develop consistent play, compete within the 4A Mountain division and go deep into the playoffs.”
Captain Connor Wadey led the way with two goals to guide the Huskies to a season-opening win over Rampart. Battle Mountain peppered the Rams with 58 shots on goal. Wilson said he was pleased to see the boys’ offensive creativity and joy on the ice.
Penalties, however, hampered the Huskies in Friday’s game against Summit, last year’s state runner-ups. Battle Mountain spent 21 minutes in the box.
“The team lacked the necessary discipline in the game to stay out of the penalty box,” Wilson stated. “Summit took advantage of those man advantages and showed our lack of execution in the penalty kill situations. The team lacked the appropriate energy to match Summit’s puck movement.”
Assistant captain Gannon Sharkey assisted on a goal by Nathan Rahe on a power play in the first period, but the Tigers were too strong. Senior Henry Waldorf scored two goals and Graham Schuman and Karston Kerr each added a goal and an assist apiece in the 4-1 Summit win.
Wilson said the Huskies looked tired and “lacked focus” in the 6-0 loss to Glenwood Springs the following day. Prioritizing nutrition becomes more essential on quick turnarounds, he added.
“The coaches will be emphasizing healthy eating and rest for the upcoming games within our division,” Wilson said.
The 4A Mountain League is stacked once again. Steamboat Springs came into the year as the No. 2-ranked squad in the state and Durango — which captured its first state hockey title last year — was No. 4. The Sailors have started the year 6-1, outscoring opponents 42-10. But Glenwood is currently sitting atop the conference with a 4-0-1 mark after tying No. 3 Cheyenne Mountain 1-1 on Thursday.
Battle Mountain got back into the win column on Monday, scoring five goals in each of the first two periods against an Air Academy squad Wilson said is “rebuilding with a lot of young players.”
“The team really wanted to bounce back and they had a very strong showing,” the coach said. “I did feel that our team could have been cleaner in their passing and play development, but overall, we were pleased with the outcome.”
Rahe, Sharkey and Ethan Fronteras all recorded hat tricks and Wadey notched a game-high four assists. Evan Humphrey made 14 saves in the net to pick up the win.
“Nathan has worked hard in the off season to solidly become a top-6 forward player,” Wilson said of Rahe. “I was pleasantly surprised seeing his level of play from last year come up as much as it has. We need his type of scoring to help our other leaders.”
The Huskies travel to Crested Butte for another divisional game on Friday night.
“Overall, I would like to see the team continue to develop on all phases of the game,” Wilson said. “And compete at a higher level in the 4A Mountain division, which will be the strongest division in Colorado 4A hockey this year.”
Vail Mountain School student-reporter Sloane Thompson contributed to the reporting in this story.
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