The Aspen Leafs 16UAA Girls officially concluded a historic season for Aspen Junior Hockey in Marlborough, MA Saturday afternoon.  Needing a win to advance to the quarterfinal round of the USA Hockey National Tournament, the Leafs were upset by the Highland Park Falcons 4-0.  The team finished 1-2 at Nationals, defeating the Livonia Knights 2-1 and falling to the East Coast Wizards 3-0, who were ranked number one in the nation heading into the weekend.  For a group of girls from small ski communities in Colorado, their performance was nothing short of impressive.  

The Leafs wrap up a historic season, winning an unprecedented four State Championships (19U Girls, 16U AA Girls, Bantam A, and Squirt A), two league championships (19U Girls and Bantam A), and the Rocky Mountain District Championship (16UAA Girls).  

On Friday night, coaches and volunteers were honored at the Velvet Buck (St. Regis, Aspen) at the annual Coaches Appreciation Party.  In a lively and festive celebration, longtime AJH Coach Coley Cassidy collected the 2017-18 Peter Whitmore Award (the AJH Coach of the Year).  Coach Cassidy led the 12U Girls to a third place finish in the MSGHL, and the 14U AA Girls to a second place finish the CAHA State Tournament.  He also assisted the Leafs 16UAA team at the District and National tournaments.  Anne Martens won the Volunteer of the Year Award for all her efforts helping to lead the AA Girls program in Aspen throughout the season.  She served as the manager of the 16UAA Girls team, and her hard work was instrumental in the success of the entire Tier-2 Girls program.