19U Girls: Aspen travelled to Steamboat Springs for the annual Adele Dombrowski Tournmant to defend their 2013 title.  The Leafs finished a perfect 3-0 in pool play, but dropped the championship game to the Summit Lightning 4-2.  Ali NcNichol led the team in scoring with six points (2 goals, 4 assists).  In game one, Caroline Godfrey registered a hat-trick in a 6-0 drubbing over the Colorado Eagles.  In the game the Leafs outshot their less experienced opponents by a 27-1 margin.  Game 2 against the Summit Lightning was much closer.  Remaining perfect with 17 saves, goaltender Sonya Benson made Brooke Pisani’s lone goal in the second period stand as the game-winner in a 1-0 victory.  In game 3 against host and rival Steamboat, Dara Schenck netted two goals a 3-2 win to set up the championship game against Summit.  The Lightning struck fast however, going up 4-0 early in the second period.  In looked brighter for Aspen when late in the second period Maria King made it a 4-1 game, and early in the third period, McNichol pulled Aspen within 2 goals. The late momentum fizzled quickly however, as the Leafs only mustered 3 total shots on goal in the final period.  The result was traveling home with a runner-up banner.

High School: The Aspen Skiers hosted Air Academy Kadets from Colorado Springs (ranked #7 in the state) at Lewis Arena Saturday afternoon.  The game was extremely entertaining with two equally matched teams battling back and forth in a tight contest.  A couple of mistakes, including giving up a goal in the last minute of the second period, and a late penalty in the third resulted in a tough 1-0 home loss.  The Skiers should however come away with some confidence.  In a game where they were outshot by a narrow 19-18 margin, Aspen proved that they are capable of playing against the elite from the Peak Conference.  In their final games of 2014 portion of the season and their first two league games, the Skiers face a huge test with Foothills Conference elite Cherry Creek and Regis Jesuit.  The Bruins arrive on Friday for a 6pm faceoff at Lewis Arena.  Regis plays Aspen at the Ice Garden Saturday afternoon at 4pm.

Bantam A: In a weekend marred by excessive penalties, Aspen kept its undefeated CDYHL record and captured six league points against league rival Vail.  In three games, the Leafs outscored the Mountaineers by a combined score of 15-2.  In game one on Saturday, the teams were forced to play on soft ice after a compressor issue at Lewis Arena was fixed.  With a slower surface to play on, Dominic Lanese netted 2 goals in the third period to seal a 4-1 victory.  In the second game later in the evening, Stella Scott and Robbie Fitzgerald added to their goal totals for the weekend.  Adding up their goals with tallies by Jackson Holmbeck, Reece Cohan, and Lanese equaled a 5-1 victory.  In the final game of the weekend series, Aspen goaltenders Emerson Jacobson and Gage Redman split time in a 6-0 shutout-victory.  The win, however, was overshadowed by a grossly unimpressive 59 total minutes in penalties on 12 infractions committed by Aspen alone.  Vail wracked up 56 minutes on 16 infractions. 

14UAA Girls: The Aspen Leafs AA team travelled to hostile territory in Colorado Springs over the weekend to square off against the rough and tumble Tigers.  The Colorado Springs team, which is a compilation of players from boys Bantam and Peewee travel and house hockey, last faced the Leafs at the Silverstick tournament in October.  In a very physical matchup that featured a high level of speed and intensity, Aspen came away a more inspired and passionate team after suffering two losses.  In the first game, Juna Rettig scored for Aspen late in the first period to make it a 2-1 game.  A lackluster stretch in the second period led to four unanswered Tiger goals.  Down 6-1 heading into the final period, Ava Ostrander used her intensity and speed to cash in on two goals in just over two minutes to close the gap to 6-3.  Down the stretch, Aspen was unable to find any more offense before the final buzzer.  The next morning at the World Arena Ice Hall, Aspen displayed a new level of intensity and speed that wasn’t reflected in the final score- a 6-1 loss. Charlotte Howie scored the lone Aspen goal on the power-play off a long shot from the point late in the first period.  Although the Leafs suffered another second period set-back with no recorded shots on net, they finished strong and gained some very valuable lessons about playing hockey at an elite level.

14U Girls: In the Adele Dombrowski Tournament, the Aspen Leafs finished on a high note with a 4-2 win over the Summit Lightning in the consolation game.  In their first game, Leafs goaltender Samantha Jaworski was solid in net stopping 21 shots in a 2-1 loss to the West Elk Wolverines from Gunnison.  Laney Martens scored the lone Aspen goal.  In game two, Martens tallied her second of the weekend and Lily Cassidy added her first in a 2-2 tie against host Steamboat.  In the final pool-play game versus Summit, Jaelin Nakagawa fired an even strength shot past the Lightning goalie to take the lead in the first period.  After tying the game in the second period, Summit buried the game winner with just minutes remaining in regulation.  In the consolation game, a rematch against Summit, the Leafs rattled off two goals in the first period and two in the second to cruise to a 4-2 victory. Claire Mitchell tallied two, and Fia Palmerg and Nakagawa each added one. Once again, Samantha Jaworski was rock solid between the pipes, stopping 20 shots in the win.

Peewee B: In a lackluster effort at home against rival Vail, Aspen was swept in two straight games on Sunday.  In the first contest, goaltender Zach Small stood tall making 33 saves in a game dominated by the Mountaineers.   After taking the lead 2-1 off goals from Keaton Miller and Richie Simone, the Leafs gave up two quick goals midway through the final period.  Down 3-2 with almost half the period remaining, Aspen responded with no shots and two penalties to seal their fate.  In the second game later in day, the Leafs defense allowed Vail to pepper Small with 47 shots.  Aspen gave up five goals in the second and third period in a disappointing team performance that resulted in a 5-2 loss on home ice to their league rival.  Aspen spent 22 minutes in the penalty box on 8 infractions.

12U Girls: The Aspen Leafs raised the championship banner Sunday at the Adele Dombrowski Tournament in Steamboat after an exciting 3-2 win over Park City (UT).  In four total games, Aspen finished 3-1 and outscored their opponents 14-7.  In the first game, the Leafs outshot host Steamboat by 16-10 margin and won the game by a final score of 6-1.  Hayley Heinecken, who double rosters with the 14U team scored twice in the opening victory.  Game two featured Aspen against the Lady RoughRiders.  Laney Martens, who was also double-rostered for the 12U and 14U teams over the weekend, scored a hat-trick in the win 5-3 win.  In the final pool-play game, Aspen goaltender Ruby Dolan gave her team a chance to win by only allowing a goal early in the contest.  The Leafs, however, were unable to capitalize on 16 shots, and dropped the game to Park City 1-0.  The championship game provided the opportunity for redemption against Park City, and the Leafs took advantage skating to a hard-fought 3-2 championship victory.  Heinecken, recorded a hat-trick, and Samantha Jaworski stopped 12 shots. 

Squirt B: Aspen kept pace in the CDYHL regular season race by gaining six important league points at home against the Summit Lightning.  In the first game, after going down 2-0 in the first three minutes, the Leafs stormed back with 6 straight goals to claim the 6-2 win.  Nick Pevny recorded a hat-trick trick in the opening victory.  In the second game, goaltender Zane Haber made nine saves to shut out the Lightning 3-0.  Carter Schmela netted his third goal of the season, and Pevny tallied two bringing his CDYHL point total this season to 17 (12 goals, 5 assists).  In the final game, once gain it was all Aspen in a 6-1 pounding.  Brady Conrardy finished with a hat-trick, and Quinn Bowden, Alex Schlosser and Carson Miller each scored once.  With the three points, Aspen keeps pace in the CDYHL standings with 14 points (two points behind league leading Vail).

Squirt C: Aspen hosted first place Vail Black for two league games at home.  In the first game, Aspen gave up the first five goals on eight shots before settling down and competing as a team.  Ryder Rondeau scored the lone Leafs goal in a 5-1 loss.  The following day, goaltender Jeremiah (JJ) Swenson was simply brilliant in net stopping 27 of 29 Vail shots.  Paul Schenck scored in the second period off an assist from Kenton Kowar to tie the game at 1-1.  After giving up an early third period goal, Rondeau scored his fourth goal of the season to even the contest late in game, which ended in a 2-2 tie.  The Leafs don’t return to league play until January 25 when they take on the Glenwood Silver team.