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Grizzlies 12U girls hoist first-ever banner in history after winning Steamboat Springs tourney

The Glenwood Springs Grizzlies 12U girls team celebrates winning the Adele Dombrowski Mountain Divas tournament in Steamboat Springs on Nov. 13.
Submitted/TK Kwiatkowski

Glenwood Springs 12U girls hockey have notched a first.

By winning the Adele Dombrowski Mountain Divas Tournament at Howelsen Ice Center in Steamboat Springs Nov. 13-12, it marked the first time in Glenwood Springs Youth Hockey Association history that a girls Grizzlies team has hoisted a team banner.

The GSYHA has been around for the past 25 years.



“We had a lot of fun,” Grizzlies player Brecklyn Heuschkel said. “Winning a banner was sick.”

Grizzlies coach Jesse Krause said she had three girls who refused to quit despite illness, and the team as a whole was bound and determined to win the championship game once they knew they were playing.



The Grizzlies beat Utah U12 Girls 4-3 in the championship.

“The girls figured out who the opponents’ top players were and made their own plans on how to neutralize those threats and prevent them from scoring,” Krause said. “Even when Utah put out their top line for the last two minutes, our girls rose to the occasion and shut them down.”

The tough Utah team beat Glenwood 6-5 on Nov. 12. But an assisted goal by Heuschkel in the third period of the championship game ended up being the game-winner.

“The turning point of the game was killing off a 5-on-3 advantage late in the game. Once we killed that penalty, the energy on the bench was massive and our girls knew they had what it took to win,” Krause said. “Utah came back within one goal of sending us into (overtime) again and the girls won a decisive face off and controlled the puck until time expired.”

Overall, the Grizzlies 12U girls outscored their opponents 24-10, playing four games. Glenwood also beat Vail 12U Girls 8-0 and the Steamboat Springs 12U Girls 7-1.

The Grizzlies’ Maliah Callies picked up five goals in the tournament.

“We played hard as a team and had good passes,” she said.

The Grizzlies ended the tournament going 3-1-0.

“Overall, the level of effort and grit, as well as hockey intelligence from our girls, was unmatched all weekend,” Krause said. “We played great hockey and I’m super proud of them.”


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