Dec 30, 2024 | Game Recap
A first period offensive barrage and a two-goal performance from Willy Johnson powered Colorado to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Oklahoma Warriors on Friday night.
The visitors got the scoring started when Warrior forward Sebastian Speck finished off a two-on one and banged the puck past Colorado goaltender Jack Erickson to give Oklahoma the early 1-0 lead on the power play just 4:16 into the first period. The Grit offense quickly countered with a tying goal of their own. It took just five seconds for the grip to convert on their first power play of the night when defenseman Alex German snapped a wrist shot past Oklahoma goaltender Billy Stuski to tie the game, 1-1, with 14:33 remaining in the first period. The home side grabbed two more goals in a hurry midway through the frame. Center Alec Babineau took advantage of a turnover in the Warrior zone and roofed a shot past Stuski to give the Grit a 2-1 lead at the 9:12 mark of the first period. Center George Poirier got his name on the score sheet less than 50 seconds later when he guided a shot from the point past Stuski to double the advantage, 3-1. Another redirection effort got the Grit a fourth tally and chased Stuski from the game. A wrist shot from the right point off Luke Helgeson’s stick was tipped home by Luc Bydal, who extended his point streak to three games, and opened up Colorado’s lead, 4-1 with 5:33 remaining in the first period.
Midway through the second., Oklahoma received a lifeline back into the contest on the power play again. Moments after the Grit were unable to convert on a two-on-one opportunity, forward Joey DeRosa found a pocket of space in the high slot and placed a wrist shot over the glove of Erickson and into the back of the net. The second power play goal of the night for the visitors closed the score to 4-2 with 9:14 remaining in the second period. For the second time in as many periods, the Grit were able to find a response. Rookie defenseman Cole Peters sent a shot on net that pinballed to the stick of Willie Johnson, who promptly punched the puck into the back of the net to restore the three goal cushion, 5-2, with 440 remaining in the second period.
A rugged, defensive theme highlighted the final 20 minutes as Colorado looked to lock down their third consecutive home win. The Warriors’ best opportunity in the third period came on the power play when Lucca Ori was sent to the box for slashing with 13:19 remaining in regulation. Three of the Warriors seven shots in the final frame were directed at Erickson, who parried them all with ease en route to the 25-save win. Johnson finished off the victory with his eighth goal of the season minutes later – snapping a one-timer from the right wing faceoff circle past Jones to make it 6-2 with 8:07 left in the period to close out the scoring.
Dec 20, 2024 | Game Recap
Lucas Mann scored his second goal of the year, but the Grit offense was stymied by Amarillo in a 3-1 defeat at the Budwesier Bull Pen on Friday night.
The Wranglers got the scoring started in the first period after the home side picked up the first power play of the night after an unsportsmanlike conduct minor to Sheldon Rioux. A tipped shot from the blue line found the stick of Carl Jacobsen whose redirection beat Erickson to give Amarillo the lead, 1-0, with 13:22 to play in the first period. Despite the Grit controlling the shot margin, 12-7, Colorado’s best opportunity came in the final seconds of the first period. Kennan Reyelts had two shots right in front of Zolin who kicked both aside to take the 1-0 lead into the intermission.
The Wrangler power play converted for the second time in as many attempts early in the second period. Lucca Ori got hit with a slashing penalty and Amarillo forward Trace Day snapped a wrister past Erickson and double the advantage, 2-0, with 18:45 left in the period. Special teams continued to factor in as the Grit cashed in on their first power play. With 13:22 left in the period, Lucas Mann walked into the low slot on the right wing and buried a snap shot past Amarillo goaltender Charlie Zolin to get Colorado on the board, 2-1. The Grit continued to pepper Zolin – Braden Junker whipped a shot on goal that dislodged the goaltender’s mask with 2:11 to play in the period. The one-goal deficit remained headed into the second intermission.
The Grit notched the first successful penalty kill of the night in the early minutes of the third period to keep it a one-goal game, but the Wranglers doubled their lead after getting back to full strength. Morley Phillips tipped a shot from the right point from Will Wellburn past Erickson to open the scoreline up, 3-1, with 15:11 left in regulation. The Grit power play looked to get back to work moments later and had a brief 5-on-3, but were unable to crack Zolin, who finished with 38 saves. With 2:40 to play, the Grit pulled Erickson for the extra attacker to try and get back into the game. Despite the furious effort and six more shots, the Grit were unable to close the gap. The final buzzer sounded as Colorado’s franchise record seven-game point streak came to a close in the 3-1 defeat.
Dec 14, 2024 | Game Recap
A Colorado comeback fell just short in overtime amid Sheldon Rioux’s multi-goal night on Saturday night as the Grit fell 4-3 to New Mexico in Albuquerque at Outpost Ice Arena.
The home side got the scoring started early in the first period when defenseman Max Matthews pushed a wrist shot past Colorado netminder Jack Erickson and into the back of the net to push New Mexico ahead, 1-0, with 13:58 remaining in the first period. The tally was just the second time the Ice Wolves had tallied in the last 128 minutes against Erickson. After the Grit notched their first successful penalty kill of the evening, the Ice Wolves countered with their first successful power play of the contest. A corner hit from Evan Smutney sent him to the box for boarding and forward Andrew Earl snapped a wrist shot into the net to double the lead for the Ice Wolves, 2-0, with 5:13 remaining in the first period.
From the moment the teams hit the ice for the second period, the comeback was on for Colorado. The Grit offense dominated possession and the shot count in the middle frame, sending 19 shots towards New Mexico goaltender Jackson Fuller. After Willy Johnson forced a turnover behind the Ice Wolve net, he pushed a pass to the top of the crease and Sheldon Rioux powered the puck past Fuller to get the Grit on the board, 2-1, just 3:58 into the second period. Colorado kept knocking on the door and looking for a tying tally and found one through second-year center Landon West. West capitalized on a strong rush to the net from Luc Bydal and poked the loose change past Fuller to tie the game, 2-2, with 2:16 remaining in the second period. West’s 13th career goal moved him into a tie for second place in franchise history for goals scored alongside captain Alex German.
The teams traded tallies early in the third period with New Mexico grabbing a lead for the second time. Ice Wolve forward Bryce Johnson, reinserted in the lineup after missing Friday, barreled into the offensive zone and beat Erickson to restore the home lead, 3-2, with 5:54 played in the third period. Colorado quickly found an answer, however. Rioux capped off his first multi-goal game in his career when he punched a shot past Fuller to tie the game up less than a minute later, 3-3, with 13:08 remaining in regulation.
The tie forced an extra session and the Grit’s lone goal scoring chance was a good one. Defenseman Alex German found space on the left wing and fired a shot at Fuller, who made a glove stop and the carom clipped the crossbar on the way out of play. On the ensuing rush, Herman Asberg skated down the left hand side and Erickson padded the first shot behind the net. The rebound was served back in front after a deflection and Asberg deposited the overtime winner, 4-3, with 1:16 left in the extra session to give New Mexico the extra point.
Dec 13, 2024 | Game Recap
The Grit stretched their winning streak to three games powered by Jack Erickson’s second shutout of the season and three goalscorers to defeat New Mexico, 3-0, on the road in Albuquerque on Friday night.
A physical period backstopped by goaltending carried over the opening twenty minutes. Winger Kennan Reyelts and Ice Wolve defender Andrey Moskvitin got mixed up after a whistle and were handed offsetting roughing minors with 12:43 remaining in the period. Buoyed by Erickson, the scoreless tie remained through the end of the first period. The Grit were unable to convert on a power play in the period’s final minute after George Poirier’s effort was turned aside by New Mexico goaltender Gavin Schahn, who finished with 18 saves.
The Grit’s second power play opened the scoring midway through the second period. After a Herman Asberg head contact minor, the Grit man advantage got to work. The Rakowski-Poirier-Mann line delivered when Poirier sniped a shot past Schahn to give Colorado the lead, 1-0, with 9:15 to go in the second period. Reyelts got the best of his former team when he powered his third goal of the season past Schahn and picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct major in the process. The tally doubled the lead, 2-0, with 2:52 left in the period. Offsetting penalties to Lucca Ori and Nayan Pai meant 4-on-4 hockey to close the period. Luc Bydal took advantage of the extra space and deposited the puck behind Schahn for his fifth goal of the season. The tally stretched the Grit lead, 3-0, with 44 seconds left in the middle frame.
For the second consecutive meeting, Erickson withstood a barrage in the final period. The second-year netminder finished with 28 saves and twelve of them in the third period. Colorado’s penalty kill was called into action three different times in the third period while New Mexico searched for a goal. Ori’s high sticking minor with just under five minutes remaining brought the home side’s best chances. Three efforts were turned aside by Erickson to bring the curtain down on New Mexico as the final buzzer sounded and Colorado poured off the bench with their third consecutive victory.
Dec 7, 2024 | Game Recap
George Poirier scored twice and goaltender Jack Erickson set a career high with 43 saves in the Grit’s 3-2 win over New Mexico to secure their first series sweep in franchise history on Saturday afternoon at the Greeley Ice Haus.
The scoring started in a hurry in the first period as Poirier spotted the Grit to a 1-0 lead. Lucas Mann forced a turnover behind the New Mexico net and tossed a backhand pass to the front of the net. Poirier blasted a shot past Ice Wolve goaltender Gavin Schahn just 1:19 into the first period. Less than 30 seconds later, New Mexico forward Johnny Johansson parked at the edge of the crease and tipped a shot from the point underneath Erickson to tie the game, 1-1, with 18:11 to play in the period. Both teams had a power play opportunity midway through the frame, but were unable to convert. The scoreline remained knotted at 1-1 headed into the first intermission.
The two teams battled through an even second period with few chances for either side for the duration of the frame. Both teams had a power play chance and neither could convert. The Grit penalty kill has been perfect over the past three games and used the success to buoy their offense late in the period. Poirier forced a takeaway in the defensive zone and steamed the length of the ice, powered to the front of the net, and punched the puck past Schahn to give Colorado the lead, 2-1, with 1:57 left.
Looking for an insurance marker, Colorado’s second line came through. Alex German sped over the Ice Wolve blue line and laid a drop pass for a trailing Lucas Mann. Mann blistered a wrist shot over the left pad of Schahn and into the net for his first goal of the season to double the lead, 3-1, with 15:41 remaining in regulation. From there, Erickson became the star of the show. The netminder was peppered with a 22-shot onslaught in the final period, punctuated by a late New Mexico power play and extra attacker for the final three minutes. Erickson made five saves on the power play and as the Ice Wolves got back to full strength, an Andrew Earl snapshot finally pierced the Grit defense to make it a one-goal contest, 3-2, with 10.7 seconds left in regulation. Aiming for a tying goal, a post-whistle skirmish broke out between Evan Smutney and Tanner George. The two tossed shoves and attempted punches before the linesman separated the pair with five seconds left. The crowd of 450 rose to their feet as the final buzzer sounded and Colorado poured off the bench to close the book on their third win in four games.
Dec 6, 2024 | Game Recap
A three-goal second period coupled with a sensational effort from Grit goaltender Jack Erickson delivered a 3-1 victory for Colorado over the visiting New Mexico Ice Wolves on Friday night in Greeley.
A tight, defensive first period didnt yield much offense for the Grit. Neither team was able to generate anything other than shots to goal until late in the period. Ice Wolve defenseman Max Matthews snapped a shot that was redirected by Stanley Hubbard and skittered past Erickson to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 3:49 left in the period. The Grit’s lone power play opportunity was turned aside in the final two minutes of the period.
The Grit offense got to work early in the second period when Chris Graves banged a rebound past New Mexico goaltender Jackson Fuller to tie the game, 1-1, just 2:39 into the period.
Despite only two combined power plays, the physicality turned up a notch when Alec Babineau and New Mexico defenseman Sean Smith exchanged punches a mere 30 seconds after Graves tied the game. The penalty boxes got more crowded right away when Lucas Mann and Johnny Johansson got into a scrap with 14:40 left in the frame. After the fisticuffs, Graves’ third goal of the season held the scoreline level until Ben Rakowski took advantage of a freak carom to give Colorado the lead. A wrist shot pinged off the end glass and hit Fuller in front of the net; Rakowski got his stick to the puck and jabbed it home to give the Grit a 2-1 lead with 12:57 left in the second period. Right before the intermission, Nick Noble received a cross-ice pass from Willy Johnson and rifled a shot past Fuller to open up the lead, 3-1, with 35 seconds left in the second period.
The third period settled into a scrappy, defensive twenty minutes as the Grit looked to finish off the win. Erickson was a perfect 11-for-11 on save attempts to curtail any comeback efforts from the visitors. Midway through the period, New Mexico forward Bryce Johnson rang the crossbar and the puck sailed out of play and keeping it a two-goal deficit. With 2:45 remaining in regulation, the Ice Wolves pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. The Grit had multiple efforts at the empty net, but couldn’t hit the target. A late minor penalty to Alex German meant New Mexico had a two-man advantage for the final 45 seconds, but still couldn’t solve Erickson. After two more stops, the final buzzer sounded and the Grit picked up the victory.
