Metro leads state’s charge to NCRHA nationals T


By Adam Dunivan


he Metro State men’s inline hockey team has already developed a knack for the upset. Now, it and six other Colorado college squads


are hoping they can pull some bracket-busters at the National Collegiate Roller Hockey As- sociation (NCRHA) National Tournament next month in Salt Lake City. The Roadrunners’ Division I team architect-


ed an upset in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (RMCRHA) Regional Tournament on March 3, upending Colorado State’s top team, 2 games to 1, for the second consecutive season. This time around at RMR couldn’t have been


any more dumbfounding, though. After a 5-4 CSU win in Game 1 on March 2, Metro routed the Rams, 9-3, in Game 2, forcing a third and deciding contest. That game was close throughout, and with it


in the playoffs.” Even though the RMCRHA is the smallest of


the collegiate regions, the Roadrunners won’t be alone in competing for the final bragging rights, nationally. In Division II, Ryan Pedersen’s goal at the


7:32 mark of overtime punched CU-Colorado Springs’ ticket to nationals with a 4-3 win over Colorado - a game in which the Mountain Lions had to come back from a 0-3 deficit. First-year Front Range Community College


Metro State’s Division I team punched its ticket to the upcom- ing NCRHA National Tournament after winning the RMCRHA’s regional title earlier this month at RMR.


together as a team.” The Roadrunners were second place in a two-


tied at four-all and time winding down, Tommy Derian was able to score from beyond the center line with just two seconds left, giving the Road- runners the series and the automatic berth in the 24-team national tournament, which will run from April 11-16. It was the “Shot Heard ‘Round RMR,” but one


that had built up in many ways from the beginning of the tournament, head coach Andrew Smith said. “All of our guys contributed in every way,”


he said. “Whether it was scoring goals or mak- ing tough, smart defensive plays, everyone came


team region all year long to CSU - a similar story to last season. But when it came tournament time, Metro found the right motivation at the right time, and it hopes it can continue to improve in its fourth straight appearance at the national event (the second time at D-I). “A lot of players have their own ways of prepar-


ing for a game, but I tried to keep them motivated by reminding them of our goal for the season: to earn a trip to nationals,” Smith said. “My expectations are higher than they ever


have been. We have a team this year with a great core of defensemen and a lot of speed and skill on offense. (Our plan is) to go to nationals, give everything we have to win, and go as far as we can


will compete in the Junior College bracket after its 6-4 win over Arapahoe CC, and, in the Junior Varsity division, the CU B squad overtook Metro State’s B team in its championship, 4-2. All those winners advanced, but the good


news for the region is that three more teams earned at-large bids because of their exceptional


regular-season marks. CSU’s Division I team, CU’s Division II squad


and Metro State’s B squad all will get their chance at a championship in Salt Lake. “The region is as strong as it’s been since I’ve


been running it, and this is my eighth year,” said Derek Thede, director of the RMCRHA. “Top to bottom, it’s the best parity we’ve had and the best talent we’ve had. “In the tournament, there were kind of two up-


sets in Division I and Division II, but that kind of worked out for us in general because those teams that lost have the records to still get them in (to nationals). We’re looking forward to it.” For a complete look at the 58-team field at this year’s NCRHA nationals, visit NCRHA.org.


More promise in store for PIHA’s Prowlers T


By Joe Paisley


he Parker Prowlers were playing with plenty of confidence during the Professional Inline


Hockey Association (PIHA) Finals, but the West- ern Conference champs couldn’t hold off their more-experienced foes, the Suffolk Sting, as the Moriches, N.Y.-based program broke through for its first league title the final weekend of February. The Sting won the best-of-seven series, 4 games


to 1, after picking up two close wins, 3-2 and again 3-2 in overtime, on Friday, Feb. 24. Parker led in both games only to give up the winning or tying goal with less than a minute remaining. In Game 2, Parker missed an empty-net chance with 42 sec- onds left in regulation and gave up the tying goal with eight seconds remaining. “We didn’t finish games,” said Prowlers general


manager John Bovee. “They just stayed back and waited for us to make mistakes. If we had scored the empty-netter at the end of Game 2, we would’ve won the series.” Parker won Game 3 by a 5-2 margin the next


day thanks to two goals and an assist by defense- man J.T. Bovee, but fell 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 on a goal by playoff MVP and Sting captainGreg Thompson, who also scored the OT game-winner the night before. The Sting prevailed 5-2 in Game 5 to hoist the


Founders Cup. “J.T., Rog (defenseman Brian Rogers) and


(goaltenderRobb)Woods all stepped up big in all the games,” the Prowlers GM said. “The 4-1 (se-


16


Despite falling in the PIHA Finals this season, the Parker Prowlers are expected to remain contenders in the coming years.


ries) finish doesn’t show how close the games really were.” It certainly made for entertaining hockey at the


Susquehanna Sports Center in Lemoyne, Pa. “Two overtimes and some of the best players in


the country coming together to show off our sport was exactly what the league was looking for,” PIHA co-founder Charley Yoder said. Losing in the league final doesn’t take anything


away from the Prowlers, who relied on standouts Bovee (53 points on 30 assists, including the play- offs), Rogers (35 points on 18 assists) and Woods, who went 11-0 in the regular season. Woods and fellow netminder Corey Walters


both performed well behind a sound team defense, John Bovee said. The team also got big contributions from older players such as Josh, a forward, and defenseman


20-4 mark in the regular season and a 3-0 series sweep of the Mile High Miners in the conference finals. Making the PIHA Finals is a significant step


forward for the Prowlers program. “I’m so proud of the entire team,” John Bovee


said. “The (Colorado Springs) Thunder had been dominant in recent years. We’ve been working hard


for the past three years, and each year we’ve gotten better. It’s a big thing to get past the Thunder.” The Miners upset the Thunder in the first round


of the playoffs. Bovee is hopeful that the tide has turned in Colorado with the young Prowlers ready to reel off a few conference titles in a row. The Prowlers’ Minor team placed second to the


Sting in its league finals, suggesting considerable talent is waiting to step in for the Prowlers’ Pro team. “Absolutely,” Bovee said. “I don’t want to seem


cocky, but we have to be the favorites going into the next few years.” The Fort Collins Catz round out the four-team


Western Conference. For more information on the PIHA, visit The-


PIHA.com.


Jon Ingrum and newcomerKyle Phelps, a for- ward. Forwards Frank Dwyer,Wes Shaeffer and Jeff Rapella and defenseman Jordan Bateman also had good seasons. Phelps’ production as a first-year pro was a big


boost. He played disciplined hockey and it paid off with 31 points (20 goals) in 32 games. Parker finished 24-8 on the season, including a


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