The quest for back-to-back state championships for Durango hockey has a start date, seed and opponent. Colorado High School Activities Association released the hockey state playoff brackets on Monday; the Demons got the No. 8 seed in 4A and are facing No. 9 Kent Denver at home on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Durango finished the regular season with a 5-1 win at Pueblo County last Friday; the Demons finished the regular season 10-8-1 overall and 8-6 in the 4A Mountain League.
“We've been growing throughout the season,” Durango hockey interim head coach Will Daniels said. “We’re just asking them to keep their discipline, composure and play our game basically. Everybody feels a little bit more pressure because it's do or die time, but for the most part, we're just trying to fine tune a few things, get in there and do what we know we can.”
Kent Denver finished its regular season 11-6-2 overall and 5-4-1 in the 4A North League. The Sun Devils had their six-game winning streak snapped last Wednesday with a 9-1 home loss to Standley Lake.
Durango and Kent Denver had five common opponents. Both teams beat Pueblo County. The Demons beat Cheyenne Mountain while Kent Denver lost to Cheyenne Mountain twice. Kent Denver tied Colorado Academy while the Demons lost. Durango lost to Liberty while the Sun Devils got the win. The Demons beat Standley Lake and Kent Denver went 1-1 in that matchup.
Daniels said the Sun Devils have a really strong top line and two strong top players. Bodie Tillman leads the team with 47 points and Jack Donovan is second on the team with 34 points. Daniels thinks if the Demons can keep that top line in check, Durango should be in good shape.
The winner of Kent Denver and Durango will move on to play No. 1 Glenwood Springs in Aspen.
Durango is as healthy as it’s been all year and it’s excited to play a home playoff game in front of their fans.
“They're pumped,” Daniels said about his team. “They're trying to get everybody excited to see if we can pack the house and have some people to prove it to.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
