The Durango hockey team looks to be peaking at the right time as the 4A state playoffs near, dominating their recent road trip.
The Demons won 4-1 at Crested Butte on Thursday and followed that game up with a 7-0 win at Pueblo County on Friday.
After the two wins, Durango improved to 10-6 overall and 3-6 in the 4A Mountain League.
Crested Butte fell to 8-4-1 overall and 4-3 in the 4A Mountain League. Pueblo County fell to 5-10 overall and remained at 4-4 in the 4A South League.
“We were expecting that Crested Butte was going to be a really tough team,” Demons coach Brian Ensign said. “They've been highly ranked and winning games this year. So going in there, we were prepared for that. Our kids are continuing to get better, continuing to develop, really forecheck hard, take away time and space from any opponent. I think it put them on their heels a bit and I don't think we let up the whole game, every period we're all over them.”
Senior forwards Lucas Betz, Loudon Doemland, Eli Holden and Brady Holbrook each scored a goal against Crested Butte.
Holbrook continued his strong play against Pueblo County, tallying a hat trick and an assist. Junior forward Bryson Quimby had two goals, while senior forwards Henry Howe and Lucas Betz each scored a goal.
“He's a really smart player,” Ensign said about Holbrook. “He's a senior, he's great hockey player and he found the openings from his teammates. He was finding the back door on a lot of plays. In the second game, we had Henry Howe really causing a lot of congestion in front. Then Brady can sneak it in the backdoor of the net and being open for a pretty open shot a couple of times. He was taking advantage of the hard work from all five guys on the ice, but definitely, you know, finishing the hardest part and he was able to finish those and get success off the work from that line.”
Ensign also said he thought Quimby’s goal in the second game against Pueblo County was the most important. Quimby ripped a shot in the top corner to open the floodgates for the Demons, according to Ensign.
Junior goaltender Luka Remec made 12 saves against Crested Butte, while junior goaltender Evan Brock made 12 saves against Pueblo County. Ensign said both goalies have been splitting time for the past two years, so they’re used to it. Ensign also said he’s very confident in both goaltenders as the postseason approaches.
Before the postseason, the Demons will host Crested Butte Wednesday at Chapman Hill, starting at 11:30 a.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
