Monarch hockey returns to title game for third-straight year
LOVELAND — When Monarch hockey fell to Regis Jesuit 4-1 just over a month ago in league play, the feeling was there that we hadn’t seen the last of the two-time runner-up.
After the Coyotes (17-3-1 overall) returned the favor with a 5-1 victory over the Raiders (19-1-1) in the state semifinals, head coach Jimmy Dexter says he always knew they’d be back.
“I didn’t know if we’d be playing them or (Ralston Valley), but I know we were always hoping it would be (Regis),” said Dexter. “I thought we outplayed them in the first game.”
The first period took on a familiar air, looking much the same as the last meeting between the two teams. Monarch’s system-oriented attack was on full display early on, with Regis using their depth of talent to simply roll through lines and capitalize on turnovers.
It was Regis’s game plan that paid dividends first when Jack Jordan took a pass from Jack Kilkenny and sniped the top left corner of the net from below the faceoff circle.
As the second period began, it was obvious that this would be a battle to the end. Quality shots were had on both sides, but neither team’s defense had the type of breakdown that results in high-quality scoring chances during even strength hockey.
After Regis’s Connor Brennan blasted a slapshot off the crossbar on an early power play, the teams settled in until Monarch leading scorer Blake Bride would create his own chance by zig-zagging through neutral zone traffic, fighting off a final Regis defender even as he maneuvered a one-handed shot through the legs of Raiders goalie Sam Gardner.
And Monarch wasn’t done in the second either. A few minutes later, Bride would thread a pass through to linemate Andrew Pickner, who picked the bottom right corner at a tough angle, but still managed to score the Coyotes’ second goal of the game.
“We came out the same way in the second period against Mountain Vista,” Pickner said after the game. “We know we’re a second period team. We’d been getting chances, we were as comfortable as they were, and we knew they’d start going in eventually.
The early in the third, the Coyotes would bury Regis for good. Several individual battles off of a faceoff in the Raiders’ end created some open ice in front of the net. As the puck trickled through, Bride managed to find himself in the right place again, and lifted the puck over Gardner’s left shoulder. Late in the period, Monarch would add two more from Adam Tybor and Andrew Pickner sealing the no doubt victory for the Coyotes.
For Monarch, it will be their third straight trip to the championship game, coming up short in each of the last two at the hands of Ralston Valley.
This season, Dexter will take a team into the championship game after losing 17 players from his 2013-14 roster. But for some guys, the new roster is a sense of pride.
“It’s exciting. We got some really talented kids this year,” said Pickner. “Some guys didn’t play as big of a role last year; I didn’t play as big of a role last year. It’s just really cool to see these guys stepping up huge.”
For Dexter though, it’s all about the task at hand.
“To beat Regis like this in three straight years,” Dexter said, “it’s just unbelievable. But those guys in there know we’re not done. We’ve got one game left, no doubt about it. Looking forward to it.”
Monarch will take on Cherry Creek on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the state title.
