Nobel Prize writer William Faulkner once said “you cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” This season a dedicated group of Aspen girls took a plunge into the water and started swimming.  The journey culminated with a CAHA state runner-up title at the Tier-2 championship series after two courageous performances against the Rocky Mountain Lady Roughriders.

After tryouts in early October, the team took off together as only one of two 14U Tier teams in the state.  By mid October they were competing as a sanctioned AA team, the highest level of 14U girls hockey currently offered in the entire Rocky Mountain District.  Their only league opponent, the Lady Roughriders, draws their players from a Denver community of over 3 million people.  Compared to the population in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, it seemed a stretch to leave recreational hockey in the MSGHL to compete against this obvious imbalance. 

On Saturday night at APEX Arena in Arvada, although the season concluded with a tough 3-1 loss, it was a defining moment for Aspen Junior Hockey.  The weekend proved to all that Aspen is a legitimate contender.  Leaving everything on the ice, the team came together with trust and determination.  After the championship series, they left Denver with the respect of CAHA, the respect of their opponents, and the motivation to return next year to win a state title and advance to the 2016 national tournament. 

Although the team took some lumps this season playing higher-level competition (including a Tier-1 tournament in California and numerous games against 19U teams), collectively the girls improved immensely.  Their dedication and trust in the program coupled with the leadership of Head Coach Emily Knutson made them better hockey players and a stronger team.  With the majority of the group returning next season, the Leafs plan to keep swimming together towards new horizons.