Four months ago, they won their first national title. Today, they are history. Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin, the Colorado Springs pairs team who took Nationals in January, announced Wednesday they are ending their partnership.
They gave no reasons for the decision in a prepared statement and refused to comment.
“Emotionally, this has been a roller-coaster year for us,” Coughlin said in the statement. “Our finishes on the Grand Prix circuit and at the U.S. Championships and Worlds are something we are very proud of together and will cherish always.” It was their fourth and most successful season together.
It’s a shocking development in one of the more emotional stories in U.S. figure skating this season. Coughlin’s mother, Stacy, died from a chronic respiratory disorder in February 2010. She got Coughlin into skating as a young boy in Kansas City, Mo., and the team dedicated the song in their long program, “Ave Maria,” to her.
Coughlin, 25, will weigh his future options. Yankow-skas, who turns 21 on Friday, will search for another partner.
“I will forever cherish the memories and success that John and I had together,” she said in the statement.
John Henderson, The Denver Post
Avalanche prospect wins WHL honor.
Avalanche prospect Stefan Elliott was named the Western Hockey League’s defenseman of the year after leading WHL defensemen with 31 goals and 81 points, the league announced.
Elliott, 20, a second-round pick of Colorado’s in the 2009 NHL draft, edged another Avs prospect for the award. Tyson Barrie, 19, a third-round pick in 2009, finished second. Barrie won the award last season.
Elliott, who plays for the Saskatoon Blades, is the first WHL defenseman to score at least 30 goals in a season since 2006-07. Barrie, of the Kelowna Rockets, had 11 goals and 58 points last season.
Pioneers announce next season’s hockey schedule.
The University of Denver hockey team will open its 2011-12 season on the road Oct. 14-15 against 2010 NCAA champion Boston College and at 2009 title-winner Boston University.
DU also will play a two-game series against last season’s national champion, Minnesota-Duluth, in Denver on Nov. 4-5. The Pioneers will play rival Colorado College in two home-and-home weekend series, starting on Nov. 11 in Colorado Springs.
DU’s regular season ends March 2-3 with a road series at Nebraska-Omaha.
