Valor Christian ice hockey break away to secure semifinal spots
The 2025 CHSAA State Ice Hockey Championship quarterfinal matchup between No. 3-seeded Valor Christian and No.6-seeded Heritage began as a deadlock but ended in a decisive 6-2 Valor Christian victory.Before the puck dropped, both head coaches conveyed what they wanted to see their team execute well tonight. Heritage’s Chris McGarvey emphasized the importance of defensive coverage and winning small battles. “Good D-zone coverage,” McGarvey said. “And good flow throughout the neutral zone. Picking up loose bodies and winning every little battle. You win every little battle; you win the big battle.” Valor’s George Gwozdecky noted his team’s long layoff and the difficulty of regaining rhythm.“It’s going to take us a while,” Gwozdecky said. “We haven’t played in 18 days … So, I think that will be a challenge for us early.”Even start, sudden surgeThe first period saw both teams feeling each other out. Heritage controlled more loose pucks and put up a majority of the shots, while Valor relied on opportunistic chances. Valor goalie Lucas Jordan made several stellar saves, keeping the score knotted at 0-0. The teams combined for a disciplined, penalty-free opening frame.The second period saw a shift in momentum. A physical battle in front of the Heritage net in the 12th minute resulted in matching penalties, but play continued as 5v5. Midway through the frame, Valor finally broke through when freshman Dawson Charles buried a shot past Heritage’s Andrew Larsen to make it 1-0. “It felt good. And we played all right,” Charles said, still riding the adrenaline postgame. “We just came off of a long break, but we came together in the end.”A voluminous crowd was in attendance for the Feb. 26 CHSAA 2025 Quarterfinal between Valor Christian and Heritage as both teams square off for a puck drop. Valor won 6-2 to improve to the semifinals. Credit: Heston MosherLess than a minute later, Valor’s Andrew Jenkins skated laterally across the crease and slipped the puck into the left side of the net for a 2-0 lead. After a delayed penalty on Heritage, Hoyt Sorensen took advantage of the resulting power play, netting a breakaway goal in the final minute to put Valor up 3-0.Heritage pushes back, Valor holds firmHeritage refused to go quietly. Just two minutes into the third period, Braeden Phillips found the net, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Five minutes later, Sam Sokolowski capitalized on a rebound, bringing Heritage within striking distance at 3-2 and set an unsettling tone in the Valor Christian fans.However, Valor had the final say as Jenkins struck again in the 12th minute, restoring the two-goal cushion, then completed his hat trick two minutes later with a blistering wrist shot to make it 5-2. Heritage pulled its goalie in desperation, but Valor’s Elijah Fischer iced the game with an empty-netter from deep in his own zone, setting the final score at 6-2.What started as a game of tight defensive battles and even possession turned into a showcase of Valor Christian’s offensive firepower. Jenkins’ hat-trick performance highlighted the late dominance of the Valor Christian Eagles. What’s ahead Valor Christian now looks ahead to the semifinals, where they will face No. 2-seeded Monarch on March 1 at CC Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs. Puck drops at 6:30 p.m. Monarch handled No. 7 Denver East 2-1 in the quarterfinal matchup.In other quarterfinal action, No. 4 Cherry Creek beat No. 5 Regis Jesuit 5-1 while No. 1 Poudre School District handled No. 8 Mountain Vista 8-2. Poudre will face Cherry Creek at 4 p.m. at CC Ed Robson Arena before the Valor-Monarch match. Visit CHSAANow.com for more ice hockey brackets, stats and information. The post Valor Christian ice hockey break away to secure semifinal spots appeared first on Colorado Community Media.
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