Ryan King banged home a rebound with 4:15 to play in the 3rd period and the Tigers held off a determined Littleton Black team to win the Colorado Cup on New Year’s Day. The Tigers exacted a measure of revenge as Littleton Black had previously beaten the team in the finals of the Vail Sportsmanship tourney in November.

The championship game win completed an impressive tournament for the Tigers. The team recorded 6 wins in route to the title and scored 42 goals while surrendering only 12. The Tigers began the run to the title with another payback mission – an 8-4 victory over the New Mexico Ice Wolves who had defeated the Tigers in the finals of the Aspen Fall Faceoff in October. The Ice Wolves led the game 4-3 after 2 periods but the determined Tigers exploded for 5 goals in the 3rd to win it. Sean Melnyk (2 goals), Ryan King (2), Antoine Remillard, Levi Whitman, Kaden Ochsendorf and Tristan Ward were the goal scorers.

Game 2 saw the Tigers take down the Omaha Lancers by a 7-2 count. The Tigers surrendered an early goal before going to work. Kenny “The Backhand” Bagley recorded a hat trick in the game with Remillard (2), Whitman and Melnyk rounding out the goal scoring.

The Tigers then blanked the Arizona Hockey Union with a dominant 6-0 win. Goaltender Alex Niederhauser earned the shutout with help from defensemen Abbi Komrofske, Joe Mills, Nash Cannella, Weston Villers and Sean Melnyk. The Tigers had 6 different goal scorers in the game – Whitman, King, Remillard and Bagley continued their goal scoring streaks while Matty Kelleher and Jake “Bus Legs” Geronazzo each netted their first goals of the weekend.

To close out the preliminary round, the Tigers thrashed Littleton White by a count of a 11-2. Ochsendorf and Remillard both had hat tricks and led a parade of 7 goal scorers with Weston Villers and Hank Walsh each picking up their first of the tournament.

Next up were the semifinals against a rugged Team Wyoming where the Tigers erupted for 5 2nd period goals and Niederhauser posted his 2nd shutout of the weekend in the 5-0 victory. Geronazzo and King each had 2 goals, Remillard scored his 8th goal of the weekend and Abbi Komrofske knocked in her 1st of the tournament. “This was a great team win,” said Assistant Coach Louis Remillard. “We looked as strong as Team USA did when they beat the Canadians in the World Junior Championships earlier in the day.”

Then came the grudge match championship game against Littleton Black. Goalie Spencer Lemkuhl earned the victory with several high light reel saves, including an incredible glove save during a Littleton power play. The game was a back and forth affair with the Tigers holding a 3-2 lead after the 1st on goals from Ochsendorf (off a gorgeous set up from Ward and Geronazzo), King and Whitman. The Tigers fell behind 4-3 in the 3rd before Geronazzo went top shelf to tie it up. Fittingly, it was the line of Walsh, Remillard and King who teamed up for the game winner. Walsh made a strong play on the boards to move the puck to Remillard and create a 2 on 1 with King. Remillard drove wide, fired a strong shot on goal and a determined King knocked in the rebound to secure the victory.