Monarch standout Walker Harris (9) said he and his Coyotes teammates have been looking forward to their state championship game rematch against Ralston Valley all season. No. 2 Monarch meets the top-ranked Mustangs on Tuesday.
File photo by Ray Chen
It would be understandable if
Walker Harris feels a bit conflicted every time he pulls a
Monarch (Louisville) hockey sweater over his shoulders.
After all, as a junior at Fairview (Boulder), the Coyotes are something of a rival.
"During baseball season, and most of the year, I don't really like Monarch," Harris said.
But for several months every winter, Harris wears the black and gold of the Coyotes with pride, and does everything he can to try to make them the most successful hockey program in the state.
"It's kind of fun," Harris said about playing for Monarch, which is Boulder's lone hockey squad and draws players from all over the county. "It's almost like we're one big school when we're playing together. You feel like everyone in the city is pulling for you."
There's plenty of reason for the city to be excited about the Coyotes this season. After making a run to the state championship game last year, Monarch is again one of the top teams in the state.
It takes a 7-0-0 mark and the No. 2 ranking in the CHSAANow.com poll into Tuesday night's showdown with top-ranked and defending state champion
Ralston Valley (Arvada).
Harris said the game with the Mustangs is something the team has looked forward to since stepping off the ice at Magness Arena following the 5-1 loss in the title contest last February.
"Right when the schedule came out we circled that date in our minds," Harris said. "It's the biggest game of the year."
Harris believes this season's team is even better than the one that finished 19-2-2 a year ago. While the Coyotes relied primarily on their first two lines to do most of the damage last year, Harris said the team has more depth and can deploy four solid lines this season.
Plus, they have the experience of making a run to the title game and understand what it takes to be the team to raise the trophy at the end of the season.
"We learned a lot from last year," Harris said. "That was a major step up for Monarch. We have the core group back and then added to it. We're a lot better than we were last year."
Harris has also embraced his role as the primary scorer after being the second option behind the graduated Jake Christofferson (26 goals, 29 assists) last year. Harris notched 21 goals and 26 assists during his sophomore campaign, and has 7 and 10 through the team's first six games this year.
But he's far from the Coyotes' only option, as 20 different players have tallied at least one goal this season, led by center
Kyle Dima's 8 goals. Monarch has outscored its opponents 57-5.
Monarch has three solid goalies in
Ian Oden,
Bailey Aust and
Kyle Akira, and top defensemen in
DJ Burnett,
Justin White and
Chris Miller.
While the Coyotes' fast start is impressive, Harris is quick to point out they haven't played top-flight talent yet. He said Tuesday night's game with Ralston Valley will go a long way to determine where Monarch is really at this season. And he can't wait to hit the ice to take on the Mustangs.
"We haven't played anyone near Ralston Valley's level yet," said Harris, who is also a standout baseball player. "It's one of those games where you can't really sleep the night before because you're too excited.
"Ralston Valley always has a good crowd, so it should be a packed house. It will be more like a playoff game or the atmosphere around the Frozen Four than a regular-season game."
