No. 1-seeded Battle Mountain boys hockey upset by Colorado Springs in quarterfinals of 4A state tournament

George Wilson said he left the Eagle Ice Rink on Tuesday feeling a little like how Canada probably did after losing to the U.S. on the final day of the Olympics.

“I kind of honestly feel like we were the better team,” the Battle Mountain hockey coach added after his team’s 3-1 loss to No. 8 Colorado Springs in the 4A state quarterfinals. “But we couldn’t get anything past that goalie. Credit to him — he played a really great game.”

The No. 1-ranked Huskies came into the tournament boasting a 17-1-1 record and 13-0-1 league mark. Their only regular-season loss came at the hands of a 5A school, Heritage, on Jan. 3. They’d outscored opponents 99-37. And for most of the 51 minutes on Tuesday night, the Huskies outplayed their visitors. In fact, Battle Mountain boasted 27 shots on goal to 13 for Colorado Springs. With 10 seconds left in the first period, however, a defense breakdown allowed Colorado Springs to go up 1-0.

“I’ve always found those late, last-minute goals can really do a number on the mindset of the team, and I feel like that kind of happened,” said Wilson, whose squad went down 2-0 halfway through the second. About 90 seconds after the opponent’s second score, George Greyson set up Reed Garrison to put the Huskies on the board. Still, Battle Mountain had found themselves in unfamiliar territory: trailing late.

“We hadn’t been in that position very much throughout the season,” Wilson said. “We didn’t have that same crisp look we’ve had throughout the season. Give credit to Colorado Springs. They were clogging lanes really well, a lot of active sticks in the defensive zone. We were having a hard time getting our shots through.”

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Colorado Springs junior goalie Boston Leaver stood on his head all night, stopping 26 shots to spur the upset. Meanwhile, Crew Miller, Easton Stichka and Josh Geronazzo each scored goals for Colorado Springs, which beat Crested Butte 4-3 in the first round last Friday to set up the matchup. The Huskies had beaten both teams earlier in the regular season. After working to tie the game throughout the third period, Battle Mountain let an empty net goal slide through in the final eight seconds of regulation.

“You know obviously the kids were crushed. We had a lot of high hopes — we all did — so this was a hard one,” Wilson said. “The state playoffs, that’s the way they work. You’ve got to bring it every game. I felt like they really did have a great effort … but their goalie played well.”

Heartbreak is a part of Husky hockey history. In 2002, Battle Mountain lost 3-2 in overtime to Cheyenne Mountain in the state final. The Huskies fell in the state semifinals the following two years before starting the 2004-05 campaign 22-0. That year ended with a 2-0 state final loss to Air Academy. The Huskies would lose the 2008 state championship game before finally hoisting the trophy in 2021. Considering this year’s squad was one year removed from missing the playoffs altogether, there was still plenty to be proud of.

“As time goes on, I think they should be able to reflect and be proud of the season they put together,” said Wilson, whose team is the first Husky squad to go undefeated in the Mountain League.

There is also hope for the future. Greyson, the leading goal scorer, is a junior, and the second-leading scorer, Grady McGalliard, is a sophomore.

“It’s tough to lose the 11 seniors on the team,” Wilson commented. “They were a big part of our success. I certainly wanted to see them go farther in the playoffs, but there is a lot of excitement to look forward to with the play we got out of our underclassmen.” 

Wilson recognized all the moving parts to the Huskies’ successful campaign, thanking everyone from Eagle County School District’s transportation to the administration at Battle Mountain to his assistant coaches, especially Mick Kelly.

“I was able to witness him really become a solid coach for the program,” Wilson said. “He brought in a lot of new, fresh ideas and he just advanced the team to a level I’ve not experienced before.”

And while they won’t have any hardware to show for it, Wilson believes the boys will take something more important from the last four months.

“As hard as this quarterfinal loss was, just the memories these boys created throughout the season, the excellent hockey we all got to witness — it was just a lot of fun,” he said. “I know one day they’re going to be able to look back and be proud of the season, because it certainly was special.”