The first round of the 2026 Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Ice Hockey State Championships has concluded, with teams in both the 5A and 4A divisions advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the 5A division, Mountain Vista, seeded sixth, defeated Lewis-Palmer 3-1. Mountain Vista will face third-seeded Cherry Creek in the next round. Denver East, holding the fifth seed, secured a 6-0 victory over Castle View and is set to play fourth-seeded Regis Jesuit. Chaparral, ranked ninth, narrowly beat Ralston Valley 4-3 and will compete against top-seeded Poudre School District. Monarch, seeded seventh, won against Heritage with a score of 3-0 and advances to play second-seeded Valor Christian.
For the 4A bracket, Colorado Springs District 11 overcame Crested Butte with a close score of 4-3 and moves on to face Battle Mountain, which holds the top seed. Liberty achieved an upset by defeating Summit 4-2; they will now play second-seeded Colorado Academy.
Quarterfinal games for both divisions are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at various locations. The semifinals are set for February 28 at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs. The schedule lists the first two semifinal games for the 4A division at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., followed by two games for the 5A division at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The championship matches will take place on March 2 at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus. The final game for the 4A division is scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by the final contest in the 5A division at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for both semifinals and championship games are available online through CHSAA’s official ticketing platform.
The quarterfinal matchups in each division include:
For Class 4A:
– Battle Mountain vs. Colorado Springs District 11
– Colorado Academy vs. Liberty
– Pine Creek vs. Standley Lake
– Steamboat Springs vs. Cheyenne Mountain
For Class 5A:
– Poudre School District vs. Chaparral
– Valor Christian vs. Monarch
– Cherry Creek vs. Mountain Vista
– Regis Jesuit vs. Denver East
No statements or quotations were included in this announcement.
