19U Girls: Currently positioned in second place in the MSGHL standings, Aspen hosted New Mexico over the weekend for a pair of important league games.  In the first game, Aspen rattled off three straight goals in the first period, and three goals in the third to collect a 6-3 series opening win.  Jessica Tyler scored twice in the first period, bringing her point total to 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in six games.  Caroline Godfrey, who currently leads the team in scoring with 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) notched her first of the game in the opening period, and her second goal early in the third period.  Kelsy Fitzgerald and Ali McNichol rounded out the Aspen scoring.  In game two, with an offense struggling to produce, McNichol tallied her ninth point of the season (5 goals, 4 assists) with an important goal midway through the third period, and Aspen salvaged a 1-1 tie.  With the three points gained, the Leafs moved to within a point of first place Steamboat.

High School: Last Friday, the Skiers traveled to Breckenridge to take on Summit High School. Aspen, under first-year head coach Dru Lucchesi, won it's second consecutive game, stopping Summit 4-2. Charlie VanAllen scored two goals for Aspen. The Skiers also had goals from Trey Robinson and Vic Dunn.  Freshman goaltender Anders Brucker was impressive in his first start making 32 saves on 34 shots.  On Saturday, Aspen visited Dobson Arena in Vail only to fall short, dropping their first non-conference game 2-1 to Battle Mountain.  Ryan Fitzgerald tied the game 1-1 late in the second period off a feed from Connor Peirce.  Even though the Skiers outshot the Huskies in the final period, Battle Mountain prevailed by getting the game-winner past Aspen goaltender Andy Vernier, who finished with 13 saves.

18U Midget CPHL: The Aspen Leafs began the inaugural Colorado Prep Hockey League (CPHL) on the road against Heritage High School for a pair of games Saturday night and Sunday.  After giving up the first two goals in the first period on Saturday, Henry Ferguson got the Leafs on the scoreboard early in the second period.  Less than twenty seconds later, however, Heritage extended their lead to 3-1.  Later in the same period, Aspen Leafs John Jensen closed the gap to 3-2 with the Leafs first power-play goal.  Early in the third period, Eric Soyka evened the game- another power play goal off an assist from Liam Rigney.  Goaltender Jacob Wedhorn stopped 24 shots in the 3-3 final.  The following day, Heritage added to its roster and the Leafs were shutout on the road 4-0.  Goaltender Anders Brucker made 23 saves in the loss.  Aspen returns to  action this Saturday and Sunday for another pair of road games against Craig.

Bantam B: The Leafs gained some solid hockey lessons over the weekend on the road against a Telluride team struggling greatly with player depth.  With three games to play in two days, Aspen started out like a firework blast scoring four goals on the first four shots.  In less than six minutes from the drop of the puck, Ava Ostrander netted two goals along with Matthew Rigney and Tommy Rybak.  The host Lizard Heads called a time out, and from there the competition tightened up.  After giving up the next two goals, Henry Morrison and Rigney sealed the 6-3 win with late second period and early third period goals.  In game two, the Leafs only fired off 17 shots and suffered a tough 4-0 shutout loss.  In the final game of the series, Aspen outshot Telluride 24-20, but still struggled to score. Only Rigney was able to get the Leafs on the board, tallying his fifth goal of the season in a disappointing 4-1 loss.  Rigney currently leads the team with twelve points (5 goals, 7 assists) in only 6 games, and is ranked second in points among all other CDYHL players.   

14U AA Girls: Once again, the 14UAA Leafs were pushed from their comfort zone with games against an older more experienced New Mexico 19U team.  In game one of the two game non-league series, Aspen displayed its nerves in a 5-3 loss with rushed passes that led to numerous turnovers.  The team kept fighting however, keeping the game within a goal late and giving the Leafs a chance.  Katie Yocum tied the game early in the first period 1-1 when she sailed a shot over the Mustang goaltender.  It would take another full period before Aspen’s second shot, which resulted in a goal Hannah Feder’s second of the season.  After giving up an early goal in the final period, Yocum notched her second of the game to pull the contest back to a one-goal deficit.  Late in the third with an empty net, New Mexico sealed the win.  The next day, Aspen displayed more confidence and played with more poise in 5-1 a loss where the score didn’t reflect the effort.  Scoring the lone Aspen goal, Juna Rettig showed impressive speed and skill on a legitimate ESPN highlight play.  Midway through the second period, she won defensive zone draw, split the defense, skated untouched to other end, and buried her shot after a crafty move that turned the New Mexico goalie upside down.  The Leafs regroup this week and prepare for away games in Colorado Springs against the Lady Tigers.

14U Girls: First-year player Maddie Rubinoff scored her first goal as an Aspen Leaf, which would hold up as the eventual game-winner against the New Mexico Mustangs.  Less than four minutes later, Laney Martens buried a short-handed goal off an assist from Zaya Sax. Goaltender Julia Krys was perfect for three periods, stopping all 15 shots to claim the 2-0 win.  In the second game of the MSGHL series, Aspen players combined for six goals to claim a 6-5 victory and the weekend sweep over the Mustangs.  Kristen Spang and Fia Palmberg both netted two goals in the game, and Heinecken and Martens rounded out the offensive explosion.  With the weekend sweep, the Leafs move into first place in the early MSGHL season with a 3-1 record.  Aspen returns to league action after the New Year with home games against West Elk (Gunnison/Crested Butte).

Peewee A: Aspen hosted the Summit Lightning for three league games at the Aspen Ice Garden.  In game 1, Rand Schenck started the scoring quickly with two goals in the first five minutes of the game.  Less than a minute after Schenck’s second tally, Brooks Bond notched his fourth goal in league play to make it 3-0.  Quinn Langley buried a power-play goal late in the first period for a commanding 4-0 early lead.  Brady Hornburg and Boden Haber banged in the final two goals in the third period, and Aspen claimed a 6-1 victory.  In game two on Sunday, nine different Aspen players scored in an impressive display of offensive balance.  Dillon Passero, Ben O’Brien, Wilder Jacober, Jack Pevny, Fisher Scott, and Lander Greenway joined Haber, Schenck, and Bond all scored  in the 9-0 drubbing.  Just an hour later, Aspen returned to the ice to face a recharged Lightning team and different bounces.  In a penalty marred game with missed goals and high emotions, Aspen was forced to come from behind to salvage a 2-2 tie.  After Langley got the Leafs on the scoreboard midway through the first period, things turned ugly for the Leafs.  Aspen was tagged for nine penalties, keeping them from mounting an offensive attack for much of the game.  With only half a period left before the final buzzer, captain Jack Pevny played hero by tying the game on a penalty shot.  With the tie, Aspen remains undefeated in CDYHL play, but falls to second place behind Glenwood Springs after six league games. 

Peewee B: Aspen showed remarkable improvement over the weekend in four straight games against the Grand Junction Coyotes.  In game one, a non-league game, the Leafs were shutout 4-0.  In the second game later in the day (an official CDYHL game) Will Carincross and Connor Allen put Aspen up by two goals early in first period.  The Coyotes stormed back quickly however, and handed Aspen it's second league loss of the season by a 4-2 margin.  In the third game, another official CDYHL game, Aspen collected its first league win this season in a 7-2 victory. The Leafs offense came alive with Tim Schlumberger’s first hat trick of the season and two goals each by both George Morrison and Eli Hunt. In the final non-league game Sunday afternoon, Porter Holmbeck, Hunt and Allen found the back of the net, while goaltender Zac Small helped Aspen claim an important 3-2 win. The team now turns their attention towards undefeated Vail for two league games December 14 at home.

12U Girls: The Aspen Leafs hosted the first place and undefeated New Mexico Mustangs for a pair of MSGHL games at the Ice Garden and Lewis Arena.  In the first game, the Leafs held the Mustangs to 7 shots after giving up two goals in the first period en route to a 2-2 final.  Anja Simpson and Lillian Cassidy both scored for Aspen in the second period to tie the game. The following day, goaltender Samantha Jaworski stopped a barrage of eight straight shots in the first period to keep Aspen in the game early.  Cassidy capitalized in the second period giving Aspen a 1-0 lead.  The Mustangs responded however, scoring the next two goals to skate away with a 2-1 victory.  By gaining one point for the Saturday tie, the Leafs move into sole possession of third place in the MSGHL. 

Squirt C: The Aspen Squirt C team is quickly improving and starting to show some character as highlighted by an impressive third period comeback on the road against the Grand Junction Coyotes.  Ryder Rondeau scored two goals early in the first and third periods.  His second goal sparked the rally as Hudson Klindworth and Max Schlumberger both lit the lamp to tie and take the lead 4-3.  Even though they allowed a late third period Coyote goal, the Leafs were happy to settle with a 4-4 tie. In the second league game the following morning, Aspen’s offense only produced one power-play goal, and Grand Junction closed the door to claim the 3-1 victory.  Jeremiah Swenson was solid in net for Aspen  throughout the weekend.  With the point earned on Saturday, Aspen moves into fourth place among 10 CDYHL teams.  The Leafs will be tested this weekend when they host first place and Vail Squirt Black for two games on Saturday.