denver | The empty-net goal turned out to be the goal that gave the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team its seventh state championship.
The Raiders are poised to add to their second-largest all-time title collection in all of Colorado after leading by a goal in the final minute of a close game against rival Valor Christian at Magness Arena, leading to a wild finish. It was in order. Five.
Both teams scored three goals with 57 seconds left in a frenetic end, with Regis Jesuit finishing on top 3-1 and winning the Class 5A state title.
Raiders head coach Terry Ott called the win “monumental.” The win was the first since 2019 and the first since former coach Dan Woodley took over.
“I couldn't be more proud of what they've accomplished in re-establishing the hockey culture over the last few years. It's not that we've gone south…but it's the part about being a team. They. really re-established what it means to be a team. And teams win championships.”
Regis Jesuit won state titles in 2008 and 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2019, all before the state was split into 5A and 4A. But after that, I couldn't top Frozen Four. Part of that is thanks to Valor Christian, which beat the Raiders in the semifinals in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Things have changed this season, with No. 1 seed Regis Jesuit and No. 2 seed Valor Christian on opposite sides of the bracket and a chance to compete for the title.
The state championship game, the fifth in a row for the Eagles and the first for the Raiders in five years, was a close one at the beginning, as expected considering both teams played in two separate regular season games.
Valor Christian got the first break of the game on a penalty shot by leading scorer Maddux Charles. Regis Jesuit goaltender Easton Sparks, a freshman, kept his pads low as Charles approached and tucked the shot.
Shouts of “First graders!” I come from the Regis Jesuit congregation.
“It was scary. That was their best player,” Sparks said. “I grew up playing with that kid, so I knew he was going to take the shot, so I thought I'd give it a shot and I made the save. I heard the chant and thought I'm going to take this home. .”
The Sparks' confidence continued to grow as the veteran defense limited second chances while avoiding several Pride chances. The first period, when penalties were called, had three power-play chances for Valor Christian and two for Regis Jesuit, but it ended in a scoreless stalemate that lasted just over a minute into the second period. .
Senior forward Reece Peterson takes a feed from fellow senior Ian Beck, speeds up, crosses the blue line, and kicks the ball past Eagles goaltender Trudeau Coffey for a score for the Raiders. Pushed into the board.
“It was surreal. There's nothing like it,” Peterson said. “We were going to celebrate, but we were so happy that the team came running and tackled us. Then we went to the student section and everyone was going crazy. We were so happy to be able to do that for these boys and the school. I was happy.”
When Peterson found the loose puck seconds later and tossed it in front of Coffey, he felt joy, then disbelief. The puck appeared to hit the inside of the goal and go out, but at that point it was ruled a no-goal (Peterson later said he was told by the referee that it had gone into the puck).
Either way, this official goal looked like it would hold up until the end, as the Sparks proved unwavering in net.
Valor Christian took advantage of a timeout and brought in an extra attacker by pulling the goalie in the final minute, but junior Parker Briner controlled the puck and fired a shot that found the back of the net to make the game 2-0. did. There were cheers from the Regis Jesuit bench, but Ott knew better.
“I kept yelling at them, 'The game's not over yet,' but I don't know if they heard me,” he said.
Sure enough, the Eagles created some drama with a goal by Brock Benson with 19 seconds left, but the Raiders took the puck out of their own territory and Beck guided it down the ice, slamming it home with 1 second left. .
“That was crazy. We scored the second goal and thought it was over, but they came back,” Briner said. “There were battles all over the place in that game. … We knew we had the game in us and with Easton coming back there, we knew he could bring it home. I was sure.”
Courtney Oakes is the sports editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Please contact us at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 Class 5A Ice Hockey State Championship
Regis Jesuit 3, Christian Courage 1
Scores per period:
Valor Christian 0 0 1 — 1
Regis Jesuit 0 1 2 — 3
Scoring
Second period: Regis Jesuit — Reece Peterson (Ian Beck), 15:46
Third Period: Regis Jesuit — Parker Briner (Empty Net), 0:57; baller christian — Brock Benson (Andrew Jenkins, Maddux Charles); Regis Jesuit — Beck (Empty Net), 0:01
Valor Christian saves like this. Trudeau Coffey (27 saves on 30 shots). Regis Jesuit preserves: Easton Sparks (24 shots – 23 saves)
