Pine Creek High School secured its first-ever state ice hockey championship on Monday night, defeating Steamboat Springs 6-3 in the Class 4A title game at Magness Arena, University of Denver.
Senior forward Logan Hemmer scored the decisive goal with just over ten minutes remaining in the third period. His goal broke a tie and led Pine Creek to victory against last year’s champions. “That goal felt amazing, it was great to do it in this kind of game,” Hemmer said. “When it goes it, you take a moment to realize that it actually happened. …We fell short last season against this same team, so it feels great to get this redemption.”
Steamboat Springs had won their first state championship last season after defeating Pine Creek in double overtime and Glenwood Springs in the final. This year, Pine Creek ended Steamboat’s bid for a repeat with three goals in the final period.
“I’m emotional about how proud I am of this group,” said Pine Creek coach Chris Moses. “We’ve gone through a lot of adversity in the last week or so and these kids deserve it. They put in the hard work and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Pine Creek dealt with injuries to three key players, including their captain, during recent playoff games but relied on senior leadership to finish their season as champions.
The game started with Steamboat Springs taking an early lead when junior Gavin Wittlinger scored following a power play. Pine Creek responded quickly: sophomore Colton Kirk tied the score with a deflected shot and junior Conley Polsgrove gave Pine Creek the lead heading into intermission.
“They were definitely giving us a lot of pressure are first,” Hemmer said. “It wasn’t looking good at the beginning, but we were moving our feet and getting pucks deep. We found a way to win.”
The second period saw Steamboat regain momentum as senior Saawyer Vietenan scored twice within seconds for a brief lead before senior Henry Hoghaug tied it up again for Pine Creek.
In the third period, Hemmer’s breakaway goal gave Pine Creek control of the match. “I saw a clean sheet of ice in front of me and I saw an open part of the net and I took it,” Hemmer said.
After killing off another Steamboat power play opportunity, Pine Creek extended its advantage with goals from seniors Riley Miltko and Jack Smetana.
“We knew we were the better team going into this game and that really gave us confidence,” said senior Eli Kujawa-Levine.
Pine Creek finished their season with a record of 19 wins, two losses, and one tie.
