Littleton’s Midgets capture Tier II state titles W
By Matt Mackinder
ith Colorado’s Midget AA division regular seasons wrapping up in early December, the Littleton Hawks’ Major AA and Minor AA squads got their holiday sea- sons off on the right foot as both repeated as Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey League champions.
The Midget Major team upended the Foothills Flyers in the championship final, while the Minors defeated the Colorado Rampage to advance to the USA Hockey National Tournament.
The Midget Major team will head to Lansing, Mich., while the Minors will take to Green Bay, Wis., at the end of March to compete against the rest of the country’s best. Littleton Hockey Association (LHA) already has three national titles under its belt - all at the Pee Wee AA level. LHA director Brian TenEyck said the Midget AA season was shortened last season to accommo- date players who wanted to compete in the Colo- rado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). “There were too many conflicts in previous years and some associations couldn’t field teams because their players chose to play high school,” said TenEyck.
Hawks Midget Major AA head coach Chris
Sajbel had a feeling his team was destined for greatness back in August.
“Late in the summer, I saw the majority of the kids in the gym five days a week and some
for seven,” Sajbel said. “To me, that shows com- mitment and, once the games started, these kids showed the skill and drive of a championship team.”
In the title game on Dec. 12, the game was tied until the final minute and a half when Pierce Maty scored for the Hawks, who held on for a 4-3 win.
“This whole season was a total team effort,” said Sajbel. “Each and every kid bought into our systems and they worked so hard as a team. This is a group of unselfish kids and they take it all in stride.
“This team is more than a team; we’re a fam- ily.”
Sajbel likes his club’s chances heading to Michigan’s capital city.
“To be honest, I love the way we stack up against teams from around the coun- try,” beamed Sajbel. “If we play our nor- mal disciplined game and stay out of the box, we can win some hockey games.” On Dec. 11, the Hawks’ Midget Minor contingent earned the right to go to Green Bay with two straight wins over the Ram- page. In the first game, Garett Foster scored 1:45 into the second overtime to earn Littleton’s first victory.
As state champs, the Hawks’ Midget Major AA team will travel to Lansing, Mich., at the end of March to compete in the USA Hockey National Tournament.
Later that night, the championship game was tied 0-0 until the Rampage took the lead at the 14:08 mark of the third period. LHA’s Michael Ellis evened the score 41 seconds later and then, with just 28 seconds remaining, Tyler Seltenreich notched the game-winner on a nifty pass from Connor Crory.
Those games showed the true character of our kids,” said Midget Minor AA coach Daryl Selten- reich. “Even if we were down or tied, they never gave up and always believed they were still in every game.
“Going into the season, I expected us to do well and we played great all season. We had all the ingredients to be successful and stayed competi- tive all year.
“It’s just a great group of kids and I can’t wait to see what we can do at nationals,” he added. The Bantam AA and Pee Wee AA playoffs will face off the first weekend of March, with Littleton hosting both postseason events.
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