SUPERIOR — Spreading the wealth is a pretty timely phrase in December. On the ice hockey rink, the Monarch Coyotes are certainly living up to it.
After nine players scored in their opening game last week, the top-ranked Coyotes were back at it Friday night with a depth that No. 6 Mountain Vista could not match. Five different players scored for the Coyotes against the Golden Eagles, and MoHi improved to 2-0 on the season with a 7-1 win at Boulder Valley Ice.
It’s been the start that everyone hoped for, given a fourth straight trip to the state championship game is the intended destination.
“We’re trying to play with championship habits, and we’re not going to hold back trying to get back there after coming up short three years in a row,” said Jake Young, a senior forward who himself is off to a torrid start. “We have like 14 or 15 seniors this year, so we’re pretty deep with guys that have been on this team. We’re all working toward the same thing.”
Young scored his team-leading fourth goal of the year in a physical second period as part of a hat trick, but almost everyone on the roster has pitched in so far. Adam Tybor, Brendan Van Haute, Blake Bride and Andrew Pickner all scored as well Friday, and in two games 17 players have tallied a point.
As could be expected, the contest against the Golden Eagles was a little tougher sledding than their 13-0 win against Summit. Monarch came out with two strong minutes of play without a goal before it evened out a little bit. However, Monarch was able to take advantage of an in-the-zone opportunity when Pickner circled behind the net and fed Bride on the post with 8:11 to play in the frame.
Monarch killed off a penalty and almost made it 2-0 with a blocked shot and breakout by Young, but Tanner Munn made a nice stop on Van Haute on the 2-on-1. MoHi out-shot Mountain Vista 8-4.
Beginning the second stanza on a power play, Monarch’s offense really took over. Young cleaned up a rebound at the 7:17 mark to make it 2-0, and it was 3-0 just a few minutes later when Van Haute struck the net on a cross-crease pass from Drew Wagner.
Pickner put the game away for good scoring just 8 seconds after Mountain Vista erased the shutout, as Monarch won the faceoff, gained the zone and Bride played a perfect centering pass for Pickner to re-direct with 3:22 to go in the third.
Young added two goals in the third, giving Monarch its first win against a premium team.
“You chalk some of it up to first period jitters … and we had a little lull there early,” Young said. “But we started that second period, got our head set, and starting off with a power play helped us to get some momentum. It was a good team win.”
“We still know we have stuff to clean up, because we missed a lot of passes there in the first period, a lot of tape-to-tape stuff,” added head coach Jimmy Dexter. “We definitely played better late.
“We settled down and played two real good periods.”
Monarch is right back on the skates Saturday, taking on Kent Denver.
Adam Dunivan: dunivana@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/AdamDunivan24
Monarch 7, Mountain Vista 1
At Boulder Valley Ice
Mountain Vista (2-1)
0
1
0
—
1
Monarch (2-0)
1
3
3
—
7
Goals (assists) — Monarch: 1st Period, Blake Bride (Andrew Pickner assist), 8:50; Monarch: 2nd Period, Jake Young (Brendan Van Haute), 7:17; Monarch: 2nd Period, Van Haute (Drew Wagner), 12:47; Mountain Vista: 2nd Period, Tanner Gillis (Jordan Cox, John Newman), 13:30; Monarch: 2nd Period, Pickner (Bride, Mason Peterson), 13:38; Monarch: 3rd Period, Young (Issac Diasabeygunawardena, Adam Tybor), 3:04; Monarch: 3rd Period, Young (Bride), 10:49 (sh); Monarch: 3rd Period, Tybor (unassisted), 11:55.
Goalies (Min-Goals allowed-Saves) —
Mountain Vista: Tanner Munn (51-7-22); Monarch: Hunter Ingino (51-1-9).
