Weather Helps Palmquist Get Summit Into Tonight’s Ice Hockey State Title Game

This past week has been a wild ride for Jevin Palmquist, to say the least.

The Summit hockey player is also an elite-level alpine ski racer, and it just so happens that both of his sports are in the midst of critical times in their respective seasons. But, that hasn’t stopped Palmquist from finding a way to compete in both.

With the Class 4A semifinals over the weekend, Palmquist was in Jackson Hole, Wyo., skiing for Team Summit Colorado at the National Junior Championships. It appeared he wouldn’t make it to the Frozen Four back in Colorado until his race on Saturday was canceled because of weather. So, Palmquist and his family drove to Park City, Utah, hopped on a 5 a.m. flight to make it back for Summit’s 11:40 a.m. game at the South Suburban Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

He scored two goals against Liberty, including the game-winner, helping Summit reach the 4A state championship game against Durango tonight at 5 p.m.

“I was just super excited to be back with the boys,” Palmquist said. “We just tried our best and had a pretty good game. I scored a couple goals and now we’re in the state finals, so hopefully we can keep doing our best. We just have to bring our best game and stay positive.”

Immediately after the Tigers’ semifinal victory, Palmquist went straight back to the airport to catch a flight back to Jackson Hole, where he placed first in the slalom. He also placed ninth in the giant slalom.

That’s a lot of travel. And a lot of winning.

“I grew up doing both, so I tell people I’m a bit of both,” Palmquist said.

Considering he competes nationally and internationally on the slopes, Palmquist, whose brother Camden Palmquist is on the 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships Team, admits he usually has to prioritize skiing. But the Summit hockey team is definitely glad he finds a way to make it to the hockey rink on game days.

“I think with athletes like this, he has an awesome mindset and an awesome ability,” Summit head coach Chris Miller said. “With the limited time we have with him, he’s just got the ability to make plays. We kind of just put him out there and let him make things happen.”

The Tigers will take on Durango tonight at the University of Denver’s Magness Arena with the hope of claiming their program’s first state title. Summit and Durango, a second-year program that has already eliminated this year’s top seed and last year’s champion, split a two-game series against one another during the regular season.