The Durango varsity high school hockey team swept through the Rio Grande High School Hockey League’s year-end tournament, outscoring its three opponents 31-1 this weekend to win the league crown.
No. 1 seed Durango beat No. 5 New Mexico 12-1 in its first game Friday.
Saturday in the semifinals, Durango skated by No. 2 Telluride 8-0.
New Mexico, meanwhile, beat No. 3 Los Alamos and then Telluride to get a rematch with the Demons in the title game Sunday. Durango, however, flew by the Cougars a second time, 11-0, to win the league title.
“It showed we played our best, and when we were playing our best people in the Rio Grande League weren’t able to keep up with us this year,” said Durango head coach Brian Ensign. “In one sense, I’m really proud of the kids. They came really far and developed and were playing hockey how we want them to play. In another sense, we want them to be pushed, and they weren’t.”
Durango finished its season 26-2 overall and defended its title, gained in 2020 because the tournament was canceled last year because of the pandemic.
To get the shutouts in the semifinals and finals, goalkeeper Evan Brock faced about 25 shots per game.
“He did get tested,” Ensign said. “He played really well. He played his angles and his depth. He was the best goalie in the tournament.”
And while Brock stopped shots, his teammates buried them.
“Our kids were playing really sharp,” Ensign said. “Every line produced, everyone was performing their best.”
The team’s No. 1 line – Lukas Petranek, Henry Howe and Zak Wentworth – set the tone with multiple goals.
“The first line was definitely dominate when they were out there,” Ensign said. “They had the majority of our points, along with our defensemen.”
The team played three lines of forwards along with five defenders, getting a lot of players time on the ice.
“It was great for the younger kids to be there and contribute and get that championship feeling,” Ensign said. “They will have some big shoes to fill next year. They have some good up-and-comers.”
The championship also highlights the careers of five Durango seniors, Boden Ensign, Cole Matava, Petranek, Cristoff Hollowell and William Downey
“It’s the way you want to end,” Ensign said. “Not too many teams get to win their last game.”
Howe finished the season as the team’s leader in points, scoring 50 goals and assisting 39. Assistant captain Wentworth scored 50 goals and had 28 assists. Team captain Boden Ensign would wrap up his high school career with 24 goals and 22 assists. Assistant captain Matava finished the season with three goals and 10 assists. Petranek had 10 goals and 23 assists. Downey finished with seven goals and seven assists. Hollowell finished out his senior season with seven goals and three assists.
Goalie Brock finished 25-1-0 in the net with seven shutouts and a 1.58 goals against average per game and .913 save percentage for the season. Fellow freshman John Womack also came up big in the net for the Demons going 1-1-0 and stopping all of the shots he faced in the first playoff game against the Cougars.
