Regis Jesuit in familiar territory as No. 1 hockey team

LITTLETON – The Regis Jesuit hockey team turned heads twice on Monday.

First, the Raiders jumped up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 5A rankings. They then traveled to Edge Ice Arena and dealt a previously undefeated Dakota Ridge team a dominant 6-1 defeat.

It’s just the latest development in the impressive start for Regis Jesuit, which has outscored its opponents 29-9 over its first five victories of the season.

“I see more potential with this team than I have any other team at Regis,” junior forward Carter Schick said. “Everyone is putting in the work and pulling their weight.”

Schick scored twice in the Raiders’ six-goal frenzy Monday afternoon. But the team had five goal scorers altogether, which included each of their lines finding the back of the net.

As far as their new label as the state’s top team, it’s familiar territory for the Raiders.

Regis Jesuit is a storied program that has appeared in back-to-back Frozen Fours and had played in four consecutive state championship games prior to that, winning three of them.

So, it’s safe to say the Raiders are comfortable with a target on their backs.

“This is my 17th year behind the bench with Regis, and for about a good 15 of them we’ve been getting everybody’s best game,” head coach Dan Woodley said. “We always get to see our opponents at their best level.”

Regis Jesuit now occupies the No. 1 spot in 5A, while Denver East is close behind at No. 2 and Monarch at No. 3. The Raiders will get another tough test on Saturday night when they travel to Monarch to face an undefeated (4-0) Coyotes team on the road.

And although the season is still young, a game worth circling on the calendar is when Regis Jesuit travels to Valor Christian in the late stretch of the season. The Eagles have bounced the Raiders from the Frozen Four in route to winning titles the past two years.

The Raiders are convinced things will be different this time around.

“Going into the season, we knew we definitely had more skill than any other team,” Schick said. “So, it’s more of just learning to play with each other and building that chemistry, and we’re coming really far along with that.”

Regis Jesuit will next play Metro League foe Heritage at home Friday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. at Family Sports Center.