The Durango varsity hockey team played in the New Mexico Interscholastic Hockey playoffs in March, and advanced all the way to the championship game.

The shorthanded Demons lost 2-0 in the finals to the Cibola Cougars, but played great hockey to get that far in the tournament.

Durango, the No. 6 seed, opened the week-long tournament with a shootout loss against No. 3 seed La Queva High School from Albuquerque. The game was tied 3-3 after regulation as Wes Killinen, Landen Sill and Eno Ulshafer scored the goals for Durango. Collin Thornburn made 35 saves, but the Demons couldn’t find the net in the shootout as La Queva won 4-3.

Durango bounced back, however, and clobbered No. 2 seed Franklin High School of El Paso, Texas 8-3. Sam Kidd, Wes Killinen and Sill all had two goals, while Joe Lawton and Ulshafer added one each.

Demons goalie Robbie Grogan stopped 19 shots in the win.

Next on the Demons’ hit list was the team from Taos, and it took overtime to decide the winner for the second time in three games. Sill had a hat trick in the game, which was tied 5-5 at the end of regulation. The Sill-Killinen duo scored in the shootout while Grogan shut the door on Taos. Thornburn also racked up 18 saves in the game.

A rematch with La Queva in the semifinal was to determine which team played in the finals, and Durango got revenge in another overtime game. This time, the Demons came out on top as Kidd scored the game-winner with a minute left in the extra frame. It was Kidd’s second goal of the game. Killinen and Sill added two each in the win.

With a diminished squad and tired legs, Durango kept it close in the championship game against Cibola as the teams were tied 0-0 after two periods. The Cougars’ fresh legs prevailed as they netted two goals in the final period to win the title.

Thornburn, Ulshafer and Sill made the league’s all-star team. Thornburn was named Goalie of the Year and Ulshafer took home Defenseman of the Year honors.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com