The Durango High School hockey team is looking for a new head coach.
After leading the team to CHSAA in 2022 and then to the 4A State Championship this past season, Brian Ensign is stepping away from his head coaching position to spend more time with his family and focus on his job.
“Moving here about 13 years ago after coaching in Minnesota, it was just a delight to coach here,” Ensign said. “The kids, the parents and the community were always really supportive. It was a smaller program that’s getting bigger. It was nice to be part of that growth and development.”
Ensign said he’s been coaching for 30 years and stepping away from the position was a decision he made before the 2023-2024 season began. So, all the players and parents knew beforehand it was going to be his last season, regardless of the outcome.
This past season, the Demons went 11-6 in the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Durango beat fifth-seeded Cheyenne Mountain in the quarterfinals, top-seeded Glenwood Springs in the semifinals before beating No. 10 seed Summit 4-2 in the finals for the program’s first-ever state championship on March 5.
Although Ensign is done with head coaching, he said he’s open to helping when and wherever he can in the future.
“I’m very grateful for the time he was here,” Durango High School Athletic Director Ryan Knorr said. “To come in and get a program off the ground and go to CHSAA, to come into a fresh environment and set the bar as high as it can possibly go and hand the keys over is pretty incredible. It’s a hard act for any coach to follow but he’s leaving the program in a better place than when he got it.”
Knorr is looking for a strong leader who can manage a lot of moving parts and is open to learning how CHSAA hockey operates. He wants a coach who will give the students a positive experience and will help them grow as students.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
