Vail showcase champions camaraderie A


By Pat Rooney


lan McLean figured he’d safely eradicated the hockey bug from his blood.


A New England native who played prep hockey


at a roundly respected prep school, McLean was reared with skates on his feet and a stick in his hands. But a knee injury stripped away McLean’s col-


lege hockey dreams, and a nearly two-decade stint living in Texas all but sapped hockey from McLean’s system. Yet a funny thing happened when McLean


moved to Vail. His passion for hockey quickly was rekindled and, before long, McLean was overseeing one of the longest-enduring amateur hockey tourna- ments in Colorado. Last month, the picturesque locale of Vail was


the setting for the 32nd annual Vail Sportsmanship tournament. McLean has served as event’s director for the past seven seasons. “We run a good tournament,” McLean said. “Dob-


son (Ice Arena) is a beautiful facility in Vail, and we offer a number of other perks that make it very fan-friendly.” This year’s Vail Sportsmanship tournament was


held over three weekends in November. The com- petition attracted more than 70 teams spanning across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Tournament divisions were put together at 10


different age and skill levels, and Colorado teams took the top honors in eight of the 10 - a total that actually bumps up to nine thanks to a tie in one of the finals.


The host Vail Mountaineers forged a perfect 5-0 record on their way to the championship in the Pee Wee B division at last month’s Vail Sportsmanship tournament at Dobson Ice Arena.


With a perfect 5-0 record, the Colorado Springs


Amateur Hockey Association won the Bantam AA division. J.P. Nolette recorded a team-high five goals and eight points for the Jr. Tigers, and netminder Jeremy Hamerquist picked up three wins. Colorado Hockey Club captured the title in the


Bantam A division with a 5-0-1 mark.Dawson Wright finished the showcase with a team-high 11 points on five goals, and goaltenderMarcus Smith earned three victories. In the Bantam B bracket, Denver Country Club


won the banner after posting a 5-1 record. James Hueston led the team in goals (11) and points (13), while goaltenderMitchell Volmert picked up four wins between the pipes. Littleton’s Squirt Red squad won the Squirt B


division with a 4-1 record.Gavin Berkey led the offensive charge with five points on four goals, and


netminder Alex Karch recorded three victories. The Pee Wee B division title went to the host


Vail Mountaineers (5-0).Will Haynes struck for a team-high nine points on six goals for Vail, while goaltenderDeclan Rooney backstopped the squad to four wins. A team from the Denver-based Evolution Elite


Hockey won the Squirt A bracket (5-0). Anders Grongstad fashioned an 18-point tournament for Evolution on 15 goals, and goaltender Andrew Hubbard picked up all five wins. With a perfect 6-0 record, the Littleton-based


Krivo School of Hockey won the Squirt C bracket. Jack O’Brien tallied 14 points at the showcase, andKieran Cebrian notched 11 goals. Between the pipes, Braden Holt earned all six wins. Vail (5-0-1) and Boulder’s Pee Wee A Blue (4-0-


2) team skated to a tie in the final of the Pee Wee A division. Tanner Caldaroia led Vail’s offensive charge with 12 points (nine goals) and goaltender Max Clark had three wins. For Boulder, Frankie Torrez notched 12 points (nine goals) and goalten- derDerek Cox also earned three victories in net. The New Mexico Storm (4-1) won the Midget


Major A championship, while the Dallas Penguins (4-0-1) captured the Midget Minor crown. And the showcase champions exactly what the


name suggests. “We give a trophy to the team with the least


penalty minutes after the first four games, after the pool-play rounds,” McLean said. “I think by doing that, we give the kids a chance to come away with something even if they don’t get to the finals of their division.”


WINTER HOLIDAY


SHOOTOUT DECEMBER 26-31


Midget A / Bantam B Pee Wee B / Squirt B


* For 02 Super Series Event, register at SuperSeriesAAA.com


PRESIDENTS’ DAY OPEN


FEBRUARY 17-20


Bantam AA / Bantam A / Bantam B / Pee Wee AA / Pee Wee A / Pee Wee B Squirt A / Squirt B / Mite A / Mite B


MEMORIAL DAY


Pee Wee A / Pee Wee B Squirt B / Mite B


Bantam A / Bantam B


SHOWDOWN MAY 24 - 28


Register at WildcatsHockey.com/Register FOR MORE DETAILS, E-MAIL TOURNAMENTS@WILDCATSHOCKEY.COM 16


STATS, STANDINGS & AWARDS! CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES & BANNERS!


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20