Rock Canyon ice hockey takes state!
Rock Canyon boys varsity ice hockey takes state against Rampage on May 15, winning 4-3 in overtime!
By Elean Gersack; photo courtesy of the Ansay Family
May 15, 2013 will be a night to remember for the Rock Canyon varsity ice hockey team. Pitted against Rampage in the state finals showdown, the team was definitely in it to win it! Coaches Justin Waldron, Kevin Hartwig, Jon Denkin, and Jeff Jentz, and dedicated team manager Sue McCulley, along with parents and friends, cheered the boys on to a 4-3 win in overtime.
This winning team consisted of six seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, and two freshman from Castle Pines, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch. During the regular season, they held strong with eight wins, four losses and two ties, placing them in the fourth seeded position going into the post-season.
“Rock Canyon was up 1-0 at the end of the first period off a goal scored by senior Colin Biebel. Junior Austin Ansay scored in the second period making it 2-0 but Rampage came back strong with three unanswered goals and taking the lead 3-2 by the end of the period. Senior Colin Biebel scored again in the third period with four minutes left and took the game into overtime while on a penalty kill. Senior defenseman JJ Bond scored the winning overtime goal off an assist from senior forward Colin Biebel,” recounted Matt Ansay, father of one of the players and a board member for the team.
Rock Canyon is part of the High Plains Hockey League (HPHL). Tryouts take place each year and this year there were enough athletes to make a junior varsity and a tier-1 (highest level) varsity team. Troy Terry made the varsity team as a freshman and led the HPHL in scoring.
This was the last high school game for seniors Colin Biebel, Trevor Hartwig, Jake Locker, JJ Bond, Maxwell Lee, Mike Kohler, and Trevor Marshall. Biebel, Bond and Murphy all have plans to play junior hockey next year (the level between college and professional).
As for the future of this tight knit and hard-working crew, they will continue to work hard and build a strong program. “We will continue to put academics first. Three of the seniors and one junior were awarded academic honors with GPAs of 3.6 or higher,” shared Ansay.
Rock Canyon ice hockey competes against top teams in the area: Chaparral, Cherry Creek, Highlands Ranch, Arapahoe, Valor, Fossil Ridge, Horizon/Thornton/Broomfield, Ralston Valley, Rampage (Air Academy) and Mountain Militia.
