Colorado Springs – You can’t blame Ralston Valley hockey coach John McKibbon for slowly indoctrinating his Mustangs into the high school scene.
McKibbon called his team’s first three games a “trial by fire.” First on the docket was Cheyenne Mountain, the measuring stick when it comes to hockey success in Colorado.
Ralston Valley didn’t blink.
The Mustangs won their first hockey game in school history Friday, a 4-3 overtime thriller with the 14-time state champion Indians at Sertich Ice Arena.
“I don’t believe we came out looking to make a statement, but I’m pretty sure we did,” said junior forward Jeremiah Nemeth, who scored the first goal in Ralston Valley history. “They were probably trying to do the same thing.”
The No. 2-ranked Mustangs held a 3-1 lead late in the third period and had all but taken Indians star Alex Lofthus, the reigning All-Colorado player of the year, out of the game.
With freshman center Matt Tritsch knocked out of the game at the end of the second period and senior Matt Lee serving a one-game suspension for being ejected from the state title game last season, Lofthus was forced to put the Indians on his back.
Playing short-handed, Lofthus made it a 3-2 game by firing a laser over the right shoulder of Ralston Valley goalie Matt Hardiek.
Less than two minutes later, Lofthus beat Hardiek again, this time with a five-hole goal on a beautiful feed from Tyler Knafelc.
“He took it on his shoulders, didn’t he? I mean, the kid’s a player,” said Cheyenne Mountain coach Mike Provenzano.
With momentum seemingly lost, Ralston Valley caught its second wind in overtime, and with three minutes left, senior defenseman Al Bohlim back- handed a shot past All-Colorado goalie Sam Garcia of the Indians.
“This just feels awesome, and winning tight games just feels amazing,” said Bohlim, who spent eight minutes in the penalty box for four infractions. “They caught us by surprise, got us on our heels and showed us a game.”
Said McKibbon, whose team travels to Pueblo to play County’s Hornets on Saturday: “When (Bohlim) was logging minutes and staying out of the box, he was doing his job and performing great.”
Ralston Valley 2 1 0 1 – 4
Cheyenne Mountain 1 0 2 0 – 3
First period – RV: Nemeth (Hasse), 7:42; CM: Pacheco (Jervik, Gerrard-Gough), 2:36; RV: Greene (Stansbury), :46 sh. Penalties – Tritsch, CM (hooking), 9:44; Nemeth, RV (hooking), 5:05; Bohlim, RV (cross-checking), 2:11.
Second period – RV: Nemeth (Greene), 8:18 sh. Penalties – Bohlim, RV (holding), 13:03; Bohlim, RV (slashing), 8:36; Holmes, CM (interference), 5:50; Spray, CM (interference), 2:36; Hasse, RV (holding), 1:08.
Third period – CM: Lofthus (Knafelc, Brooks), 4:17 sh; Lofthus (Knafelc), 2:38. Penalties – Jervik, CM (tripping), 8:09; Bohlim, RV (interference), 6:59; Weller, CM (interference), 4:40; Stansbury, RV (holding), 1:19.
Overtime – Bohlim (Stansbury, Smith), 3:00. Penalties – None.
Shots on goal – Ralston Valley 7-4-11-5 – 27, Cheyenne Mountain 6-9-4-0 – 19. Saves – Ralston Valley (Hardiek) 5-9-2-0 – 16, Cheyenne Mountain (Garcia) 5-3-11-4 – 23. Power-play opportunities – Ralston Valley, 0-for-4; Cheyenne Mountain, 0-for-7.
