Monarch forward Blake Bride (12) and his Coyotes are hoping for a different ending to this ice hockey season. Monarch has lost in the state championship game in three successive years. The Coyotes take an unbeaten record into the homestretch of the regular season.
File photo by Ray Chen
The third time wasn't the charm for the
Monarch (Louisville) hockey team, but that doesn't mean the Coyotes have abandoned hope. In fact, the Coyotes are more confident than ever and steamrolling foes more thoroughly than ever before.
Monarch has advanced to the state championship game each of the past three seasons but dropped them all, including an epic-but-excruciating 3-2 loss to
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) last season in six overtimes. Many ask whether enduring that experience would make it all the more sweeter if the Coyotes can win it all this season. You better believe it.
"It'd make it so much sweeter," three-year forward Blake Bride said. "It'd really mean a lot to the whole team, knowing the background and the things we've been through, to finally close it out. It'd really be a great feeling for everyone."
The Coyotes haven't experienced any heartache this season, as they bring a 13-0 record into a two-game mountain road swing at
Battle Mountain (Edwards) and
Aspen. But here is the truly alarming stat: Monarch has outscored teams 124-9, lending credence to the notion that this season's Coyotes squad is the best of the bunch.
"We have more than a couple guys who can score, which is huge," Monarch coach Jimmy Dexter said. "It's not like we have one or two scorers or one line. We have legitimately three lines that can score."
Jake Young has led the scoring barrage with 26 goals and 13 assists, while Adam Tybor has added 13 goals and 18 assists and Bride has chipped in 11 and 15. Brendan VanHaute (10 goals, 23 assits) and Andrew Pickner (10 and 10) also have been integral to the attack.
The goaltender numbers have been nearly as ostentatious, as top netminder Hunter Ingino is 7-0 with a 0.82 goals-against average and backup Andrew Leblanc (6-0, 0.57) has been just as salty. The blue line has been nearly impenetrable with Drew Wagner, Frankie Torrez, Keegan Lewis and Ryan Uhland leading a stellar cast of defensemen.
Add it up and it's easy to see why the Coyotes are the consensus No. 1, even with
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and
Ralston Valley (Arvada) again putting together stellar seasons.
"We've been growing a lot as a team," Bride said. "In previous years we grew, but this year you can see every line pick it up more, and really produce more, while coming together as a team, like a family. We know that no matter who we play or who shows up that day, we should be able to play our best. We should be able to win if we play our type of hockey."
It's not inconceivable that the Coyotes could run the table in the regular season. Their two toughest games on paper are already in the rearview mirror, and the Coyotes convincingly past those tests.
They walloped Ralston Valley 5-1 on Jan. 26 and skated past Regis Jesuit 3-0 on Saturday – both on the road. Each Foothills Conference-rival entered those games undefeated. For the sake of perspective, Regis Jesuit has outscored the remainder of its opponents 104-7.
Perhaps the biggest threat in preventing the Coyotes from an unblemished regular season is
Lewis-Palmer (Monument). The Rangers (10-1-1), who will welcome the Coyotes to their home ice Monday, trail only
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) in the Peak Conference standings.
But while a perfect regular season would be a nice achievement, Monarch has a larger agenda. After three near-misses in the title game, the Coyotes are eager to bring the championship trophy back to the Boulder Valley area.
"There are a few guys who have been there for all three years," Dexter said. "They definitely want to cross the finish line this year."
