Feb 25, 2024 | Archived
Rookie Landon West grabbed his first career multi-goal game to end the road trip, but the Grit were unable to outlast El Paso, defeated 5-2 by the Rhinos on Sunday afternoon.
In a change of fortune from the previous two games, it was the opponent who got the scoring started. El Paso forward Camden Bajzer was able to sneak a low backhander past Grit goaltender Pete Sterling to spot El Paso to a 1-0 lead only 2:08 into the game.
As the first period drew to a close, forward Landon West intercepted a neutral turnover and rifled a wrist shot from the edge of the left wing circle to score his fourth goal of the year, going high glove side over LoVullo. The shot tied the game at 1-1 with just 42 seconds left in the first period.
Colorado grabbed their first lead of the afternoon, thanks to a carbon copy West goal with 10:36 to play in the second period. West put the finishing touch on his first career multi-goal game, intercepting a rinkwide pass in the El Paso zone and lifting a backhanded shot to beat LoVullo high glove side again. His fifth goal of the year propelled Colorado in front, 2-1.
However, the advantage lasted just 30 seconds as Colorado again fell victim to an unfortunate carom. A loose puck knocked off the endboards behind Grit goaltender Pete Sterling, who made 21 saves on 25 shots, bounced right to the high slot and onto the tape of Rhino forward Mason LeBel, who slotted the puck past Sterling to tie the game at 2.
LeBel’s equalizer marked the beginning of three unanswered Rhino goals; punctuated by Tory Lund’s power move to the front of the net late in the second period. Lund jammed the puck past Sterling’s glove to give El Paso a 4-2 lead with just 47 seconds remaining in the second period, providing the home side with insurance before the second intermission.
Barely 90 seconds into the third period, veteran leader Peyton Miller tried to jumpstart the Grit bench; Miller duked it out with Bradley Walker in the Grit offensive zone in a minute-long fight that saw both players sustain some heavy hits. The pair of combatants left for their respective boxes to a chorus of stick banging and appreciation from their teammates.
The fight jump started the Grit offense, which managed two scoring opportunities and a power play within the opening five minutes of the third period. Winger Noah Grolnic just missed the net on a back-door feed, inches away from bringing the Grit back within a goal with 15:30 to go in regulation.
Chasing a two-goal deficit with under five minutes to go, head coach Steve Haddon pulled goaltender Pete Sterling for the extra attacker to jump start the Grit offense. The ensuing faceoff was won by the Rhinos and forward Medrick Bolduc flipped the puck into the empty net from his own blue line, despite a valiant diving effort from Grit defenseman Will Hadrick III to keep it out.
With 4:13 to play in regulation, the goal opened a 5-2 El Paso advantage. Rookie Nolan Shaw and winger Quinn Bowden each had a shot in the final minute, trying to best El Paso goaltender Joe LoVullo, but both goal scoring opportunities were parried away with the right pad.
Colorado is back in action on the road this weekend as they travel to Corpus Christi for a two-game series beginning on Friday, March 1st.
Feb 24, 2024 | Archived
For the second straight game, the Grit grabbed the early lead but were unable to overcome four unanswered Lone Star goals in the second and third period, falling 5-2 at the NYTEX Sports Center in North Richland Hills on Saturday night.
Colorado’s early goal scoring habits continued thanks to rookie Tomas Vlcek; the winger grabbed his sixth goal of the season on a redirection in the high slot and the Grit had the 1-0 advantage within 90 seconds. The Brahmas tied the game thanks to a power play goal from rookie Owen Kerr, managing a redirection of his own below the left wing hash mark, knotting the score 1-1 with 7:57 to play in the period. Right before the horn sounded for the first intermission, Grit winger Brayden Fryfogle converted on the power play and buried a wrist shot past Deivs Rolovs, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead with five seconds to go in the first period.
The Brahmas jumped into high gear right away in the second period; Jacob MacDonald took advantage of a short handed breakaway and pumped a wrist shot past Colorado netminder Jack Erickson to tie the score, 2-2, just 1:37 into the middle frame.
A fortuitous bounce off the linesmen sent the puck caroming into the high slot; defenseman Zach Rizzo took advantage and fired a wrist shot off Erickson’s glove that trickled into the net to give the Brahmas their first lead of the game, 3-2, with 11:28 to play in the second period.
Colorado had two power play opportunities within five minutes; one at the tail end of the second period and one on fresh ice to begin the third period. Despite four shots, the Grit were unable to crack Rolovs, who finished 25 saves on 27 shots, and continued chasing a one-goal deficit.
The missed man advantage opportunities came back to hurt the Grit as with exactly 10:00 remaining in the third period, Owen Kerr notched his second goal in as many nights. Kerr forced a turnover at the Grit blue line and beat the sliding Jack Erickson with a backhander to make the score 4-2 in favor of Lone Star.
The Grit pulled the goaltender with roughly a minute to go to try and jumpstart the offense, but Lone Star forward Brock James dumped the puck into the empty net, making it 5-2, with 59 seconds to play. The fireworks were just starting though.
Moments later, Colorado defenseman Hunter Cooke tangled with a Brahma forward in front of the Grit bench. The two grappled and exchanged shoves while the linesman separated the pair; meanwhile, Tomas Vlcek was involved in his own fisticuffs at center ice. Vlcek gave and received a few shots with Brahma defenseman Charlie Emmons and all four players were given game misconducts before the final buzzer sounded 50 seconds later.
Feb 23, 2024 | Archived
The Grit played even for nearly all of regulation against the league leading Lone Star Brahmas before being undone by two rapid-fire goals in the third period and fell 4-2 on Friday night.
Colorado jumped out to an early advantage in the first period, thanks to rookie forward Christian Carter. Carter barreled down the left wing, deked past a Brahma forward, and buried a wrist shot past Lone Star netminder Deivs Rolovs to give the Grit a 1-0 lead just over four minutes into the period. The shot spelled the end of Rolovs’ night, as backup goaltender Jack Weineke entered the contest. Colorado’s lead lasted nearly to the first intermission; Brahma rookie Anthony Cappello found space at the edge of the crease and pumped a shot past Grit goaltender Jack Erickson to tie the game at 1-1 with 48 seconds remaining in the first period.
An even second period saw each team find the back of the net once. Lone Star took the lead on an Ivan Zadvernyuk wrist shot that beat Erickson low glove side, giving the Brahmas their first lead with 9:40 remaining in the second period. Colorado defenseman Jordan Gudridge took full advantage of a breakaway, potting his sixth goal of the season and tying the contest, 2-2, with 4:43 to play in the second period.
After a key penalty kill midway through the third period, the Brahmas offense awoke with tallies in rapid succession. Rookie Justin Kerr found space at the edge of Erickson’s crease and was able to squeak a rebound past his fellow rookie to give Lone Star a 3-2 lead with 7:15 to play in the third period. Barely ninety seconds later, Lone Star forward Jacob MacDonald roofed a snapshot off Erickson’s shoulder and into the top corner and gave the Brahmas a 4-2 lead with 5:55 remaining in regulation.
Colorado put a pair of late shots on net in the final minute, but was unable to crack Weineke down the stretch, who finished with 17 saves on 18 shots in the Brahma win.
Feb 6, 2024 | Archived
The Grit entered the game searching for their first win in the season series against El Paso,
going 0-6-0-0 in the team’s previous meetings in Greeley. Starting goaltender Pete Sterling
made his second start since being acquired from New Hampshire and looked sharp between
the pipes.
Colorado (8-25-3-2) held the Rhinos scoreless over the first period of play, thanks to another
stingy penalty kill from the Grit. With 13:26 left in the first period, winger Wilder Jacober was
whistled for a holding penalty. The penalty killing unit blocked three shots on the ensuing kill and
Sterling, who finished with 22 saves on 25 shots, made a pair of key saves to keep the game
tied at 0-0.
The final ninety seconds of the first period belonged to Colorado, generating the best
opportunity of the night. From the edge of the right-wing faceoff circle, Chris Graves lobbed a
wrist shot on goal at LoVullo; the shot caromed off LoVullo and bounced off the post. Wilder
Jacober had a chance to backhand the rebound home, but pushed it wide to bring the first
period to a close.
To start the second period, the story was the same as the Grit pushed El Paso back on their
heels. Less than a minute into the period, Landon West found space in the high slot and
whipped a wrist shot that LoVullo kicked away. With 17:27 to go, a strong cycle in the offensive
zone freed up Noah Grolnic to drive to the front of the net. Grolnic had two attempts to stuff the
puck past LoVullo, who finished with a 16-save shutout.
The Grit were left to woe their missed chances when Rhino forward Medrick Bolduc found
space in the low slot and punched a wrist shot underneath Sterling’s left pad to give El Paso a
1-0 lead with 13:59 left in the second period. Just over two minutes later, a breakout pass
sprung Cade DeWolf who barreled down the left wing and used the backhand to roof the puck
over the glove side and spot the Rhinos a 2-0 lead with 11:44 in the second period.
The fireworks in the second period didn’t end there. Only 35 seconds remained when Brayden
Fryfogle dropped the gloves and squared off with El Paso defenseman Alexandre Pellerin in the
neutral zone. The crowd of 1,931 cheered the effort and were similarly enthused when El Paso
took a 2-0 lead to the second intermission.
An even third period saw Colorado have to kill another penalty midway through the frame,
finishing 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. Chances were few and far between for either side until
Christian Carter found Brayden Fryfogle in the high slot. With 4:30 remaining in the period,
Carter sidestepped a check on the left wing boards and fed Brayden Fryfogle. Fresh out of the
box, Fryfogle’s heavy wrist shot glanced off LoVullo’s glove and into the corner. AJ Reed took
advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone and added the final tally with 2:28 to play, sealing El
Paso’s 3-0 win.
Author: Brendan Price
Jan 26, 2024 | Home Page, News

When the Colorado Grit arrived at their new home at the Ice Haus in Greeley, CO they were thrilled. Every practice and game players would hang their jerseys on the wall and take a seat on the folded chair. The locker room was built long before it ever thought a NAHL hockey team would be coming. Now fast forward to today. Excitement and anticipation buzzed through the air as the hockey team gathered for the grand unveiling of their brand-new locker room. The once utilitarian and dated space had undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a state-of-the-art haven for the athletes. Gleaming wooden lockers proudly displayed each player’s name and number, while vibrant team colors adorned the walls, creating an inspiring and cohesive atmosphere. The spacious layout allowed for a sense of camaraderie, fostering team spirit and unity. As the players settled into their plush new seats, they couldn’t help but feel a surge of motivation, ready to conquer the upcoming season in their upgraded sanctuary. The new locker room not only reflected the team’s commitment to excellence but also symbolized a promising chapter in their journey toward success on the ice.
Without the support of Greeley and the surrounding communities, this project would have never happened. We hope this message finds you well and filled with the same passion for hockey that drives our team forward. As we embark on another exciting season, we are reaching out to our community, friends, and supporters to ask for your valuable assistance. Your generous donations will play a crucial role in helping our hockey team thrive, covering essential expenses such as equipment, travel, and facility costs. By contributing to our cause, you not only support the development of talented athletes but also foster a sense of community pride. Every dollar brings us one step closer to achieving our goals and creating lasting memories on the ice. Join us in shaping the future of our team and empowering our players to reach their full potential. Together, we can make this season unforgettable. Thank you for your continued support!
For more information please visit our “Become a Partner” page: https://www.coloradogrithockey.com/become-a-sponsor/