A trip one hour east for the 15u Girls Grizzly Hockey team culminated in a first-place finish as they clinched the Vail Sportsmanship Hockey Tournament championship last weekend. The team’s resilience and skill were on full display, leading to a 2-1 double-overtime win against the Aspen Leafs.

In the final, player Brecklyn Heuschkel found herself in a crucial position. 

“I was super nervous when our team took a penalty and had to kill the three-on-five penalty in overtime as I was the only defense player not in the penalty box,” Heuschkel said. “I just really didn’t want to let the team down.”

The journey to the top was not easy for the Grizzlies. Coach Stu Heuschkel reflected on the team’s evolution. 

“The 15u Glenwood Grizzly Girls championship game was won in double overtime 2-1 in a nail-biter against a very good Aspen team,” Coach Heuschkel said. “This girls program has come a long way from not winning a single game their first year to winning most every game now.”

The tournament saw the Grizzlies dominate from the start, outscoring their opponents 18-4 in pool play. They defeated the Vail Mountaineers 7-3, shut out both the Summit Lighting and the Arapahoe Warriors with 4-0 scores, and overcame the Steamboat Springs Stampede with a 3-1 victory.

Key players Riley Aslanian, Maliah Callies and Keelyn Reynolds led the charge, each tallying six points in five games.

Coach Lynsey Pulliam praised the team’s growth and mindset.

“These girls played their hearts out. We saw a lot of growth this weekend and that’s encouraging as a coach,” Pulliam said. “Girls hockey is on the rise and has room for girls of all ages to find not only the skills for hockey but also leadership, determination and friendships.”

Grizzlies Director TK Kwiatkowski expressed his excitement for the direction that girls hockey is going.

“We love being able to give these girls the opportunity to play the game they love,” Kwiatkowski said. “It’s amazing to see the growth that our girls program has seen in the past five years.”

Kwiatkowski also expressed his excitement for the future of girls hockey, highlighting speculation that the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) is likely to pursue a girls hockey program in the coming years.

“It’s a big deal, and we have the talent for these girls to excel if CHSAA moves forward,” Kwiatkowski said. 

The 15u girls will next look forward to league playoffs, slated for Feb. 23-25.