19U A Girls:

In a rare Monday night matchup at home (January 8), the Leafs took the ice facing off against the Vail Mountaineers.  Aspen dominated the game, outshooting Vail 24-11.  Olivia Carr and Laney Martens each scored two goals, and Katie Yocum added one in the 5-1 victory.  Goaltenders Sonya Benson and Samantha Jaworski split time in net.  Benson was perfect making 5 saves on 5 shots, Jaworski finished with five saves on six shots.  With the win, Aspen moved into sole possession of first place in the MSGHL with a 8-1-2 record. 

Aspen Skiers Varsity High School:

On Friday night, the Skiers travelled to Colorado Springs for a conference matchup against Pine Creek High School.  John Jensen and RJ Peshek both scored for Aspen.  With a 2-1 lead headed into the final period, Aspen was unable to extend their lead before Pine Creek tied the contest late in regulation.  After a scoreless overtime, the teams skated to a 2-2 tie.  Goaltender Logan Soderberg made 29 saves.  With a quick turnaround and a long trip home for a matinee game on Saturday, the Skiers offense exploded for seven unanswered goals against the Columbine Rebels.  Dominic Lanese recorded his first hat trick of the season, and Max Ufkes, Robbie Fitzgerald, Henry Morrison and Liam Rigney each scored one.  Goaltender Gage Redman was perfect in net, stopping all 18 shots to claim a 7-0 shutout victory. 

16U A Girls:

The Aspen Leafs extended their MSGHL winning streak to seven games with a home sweep over the Colorado Select.  In game one, Casey Chesner scored just under a minute into the game, and then added a second goal later in the first period for a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.  Mia Seltzer tallied the Leafs third goal early in the third period, and goaltender Linnea Earl shut the door making 13 saves for the 3-1 win.  In the second game of the two-game series, Hannah Popish scored just 12 seconds into the first period for the early lead.  Amanda Simeone followed up with a goal midway through the second period.  Tied 2-2 heading into the final period, Seltzer netted two goals and Chesner lit the lamp once to seal a thrilling 5-4 win. 

14U Bantams:

The Leafs Bantams finished the Arizona Cactus Cup as the tournament runner up with a final record of 2-1-2.  The team started the weekend with a 2-2 tie against the Santa Rosa Fliers.  Braden Haisfield and George Morrison scored both Leafs goals, and goaltender Brannon Bridger finished with 17 saves.  In game two, Aspen defeated the San Francisco Sabercats 3-2.  After going down 1-0 in the first period, the Leafs rattled off 2 goals in the second and netted the game winner in third to claim their first weekend victory.  Morrison scored twice and Carson Miller notched his first on the weekend.  Bridger made 17 saves in the win.  In game three, the Leafs needed a win or a tie to advance to the semi finals against the Santa Clara Blackhawks.  Once again Bridger was solid in net stopping 18 of 19 shots, and Martin Scanlan scored the lone goal to gain the important point thrusting the team to the semi-finals with a 1-1 tie.  In the semi final matchup on Sunday night, Aspen faced a rematch against the Blackhawks.  Five different players scored in a come from behind 5-4 victory.  Tim Schlumberger, Carter Schmela, Quinn Bowden, and Haisfield each scored with Miller netting the game winner in the third period.  Bridger made 21 saves for the important win.  In the championship game, the Leafs faced the Victoria Kings from British Columbia who outscored their opponents by a lopsided margin of 26-3.  Utilizing a neutral zone trap throughout the game, the Leafs played the system to perfection.  Poised to take advantage of a confused Victoria team, the Leafs looked like they would upset the favored Canadians until midway through the third period when a low shot found its way through traffic into the net .  With several quality chances late and an extra attacker, Aspen was unable to tally the final goal, and lost the hard fought championship matchup 1-0.  Bridger played his best game of the tournament stopping 24 shots.

12U Peewees:

The Leafs Peewees finished third in the Arizona Cactus Cup with an overall record of 3-2.  In game one, Aspen was shutout by the Arizona Hockey Union 8-0 who eventually won the championship by outscoring their opponents 35-1 in six games.   In game two, the Leafs defeated the Northern Colorado Jr. Eagles 4-2.  Ryder Rondeau scored two goals, and Lars Earl and Cooper Russell each scored one goal in the victory.  Goaltender Eddie Zane made 20 saves.  In game three, the Leafs defeated the Santa Clara Blackhawks 5-3, scoring three goals in the third period.  Rondeau notched a hat trick, and Thyler Olivier and Max Schlumberger each scored one.  Zane was solid in net making 26 saves.  In game three, the Leafs offense exploded in the third period with 5 unanswered goals to claim an important 7-2 victory.  Russell led the team with two goals; Jeremiah Swensen, Ryan Rigney, Rondeau, Olivier and Schlumberger each tallied one goal, and Zane made 18 saves to lift the Leafs into the semi-finals.  Facing Colorado Springs in the playoff matchup and down 1-0 heading into the final period, the Leafs got themselves into penalty trouble and were unable to mount an effective offense attack late in the game.  Although Zane was brilliant in net stopping 38 shots, the Tigers took advantage of power play time and defeated Aspen by a final score of 3-0.

10U Squirts:

The Leafs Squirts returned home with a 2-1-1 overall record and third place finish in the Arizona Cactus Cup.  Their only loss came in the semi-finals against the Santa Clara Blackhawks.  In game one, Aspen defeated the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes in a thrilling 5-3 barnburner.  Down 3-0 with just seven minutes to play, the Leafs exploded with five unanswered goals.  After calling a timeout, Aspen’s top line tied the game with three goals in less than 45 seconds and never looked back.  Cameron Dioguardi registered his first hat-trick of the season, Jack Freitas netted one by batting the puck out of mid-air, and Bella Simeone followed up with a beautiful tip off a shot by Ryder Cohan.  In game two, Aspen tied the New Mexico Ice Wolves 3-3.  Josh Ness, Freitas, and Dioguardi each scored goals in the game, and goaltender Blake Johnson made 23 saves.  In game three, goaltender Carter Kuhlman recorded a shutout against the Oakland Bears as the Leafs skated to a 4-0 victory to advance to the semi-finals.  Dioguardi, scored two goals with Vassar Tarumianz and Frietas each netting one in the win.   In the semi finals, the Leafs seemed to run out of gas after Josh Ness and Freitas lifted Aspen to an early 2-1 lead in the first period against the Santa Clara Blackhawks.  In the second period, Aspen gave up two goals and four in the third (including an empty net goal late), ending their championship run with a tough 7-2 loss.  

8U Mites:

Aspen Junior Hockey sent a team of Mites to Steamboat Springs for a four-game half ice MLK tournament Saturday and Sunday at Howelsen Ice Arena.  The Leafs finished a perfect 4-0 with wins over the Colorado Rampage, Glenwood Purple, the Steamboat Stampede and Glenwood Black.