Ouch: Huskies win game, lose Reid
The Huskies bounced the Mustangs 6-0 to finish their nonconference slate with an impressive 5-1 record. But the win came with a big price. Steve Reid and Austin Chow were racing down the ice on a breakaway in the second period when Reid took the shot. He caught an edge and crashed awkwardly into the boards
The game was stopped for half-an-hour as Reid was tended to and the news was not good. Reid dislocated his hip and will be out for eight weeks, meaning that he won’t be back until the playoffs in all likelihood.
“It’s really unfortunate for Steve,” Huskies coach Jade Kersey said. “He was probably having his best game of the year.”
Battle Mountain got off to a sluggish start, but took a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Keith Denton. Brad Myers scored in the second for the Huskies, but when Reid went down, the delay took a lot out of both teams.
“We picked it up at the end of the first period and then we had the huge injury. It was a half-hour delay,” Kersey said. “It was a real monkey wrench, which affected the team’s timing and approach to the game. But we dominated in the third period and played our game. That was the difference.”
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Alex Biegler lit the lamp twice in the third and Keegan Keltner and Chow followed with goals to cement the win.
Between the pipes, Karl Eklund got the shutout, the first blanking for Huskies hockey since Cooper Lee and Eric Hansen combined to blank Mitchell 6-0 last season.
The injury cast a pall on what otherwise was an excellent beginning of the season for Huskies hockey. Battle Mountain had a stiff nonconference slate with Summit, Regis, Kent Denver, Aspen, Steamboat Springs and Colorado Academy, four playoff teams from last year and two expansion clubs expected to be very competitive in their first year.
Battle Mountain’s 5-1 mark against these teams puts the Huskies temporarily atop the overall field with 10 points ahead of Palmer (4-1-1), Liberty (4-0) and defending state champ, Cheyenne Mountain (4-0). Incidentally, both Palmer and Liberty will be on the slate twice when the Huskies open Metro Conference play in January after the break.
“We’re pleased with the progress,” Kersey said. “We’ve been setting goals and making the right steps to achieve them. I think this sets the stage for the boys to make a run in the second half of the season.”
The Huskies have the next two weeks off before traveling to Machebeuf for the conference opener on Jan. 3.
“I told the guys to take some time away from the rink and spend some time with their families,” Kersey said. “It’s a good mental and physical break for the guys.”
Ice Chips: Kersey’s three stars: No. 1 – Biegler, No. 2 – Reid and No. 3 Eklund. … Turi Olson is also on the mend with a broken wrist. He hopes to be back for the home-and-home series with Mitchell in February.
Chris Freud is the sports editor for the Vail Daily. Contact him at (970) 949-0555, ext. 614 or by e-mail at cfreud@vaildaily.com.
