For the third consecutive year, the Eagles have advanced to the CHSAA State Tournament "Frozen Four" Semifinals.  Valor accomplished this by winning Friday's Second Round Playoff match against Kent Denver and then Saturday's Quarterfinal game versus Pine Creek.

For the #1 ranked Eagles, this was not an easy task as both opponents played hard and executed their game plans well in an attempt to slow down their top-seeded adversary. 

On Friday afternoon, the Eagles defeated the #16 ranked Kent Denver Sun Devils by a score of 5-2. 

The game was hard fought and tight from the start. 

Valor scored twice in the first five minutes of the game to take a comfortable 2-0 lead on goals by senior Mason Hoehn and freshman Aiden Owen. Kent Denver responded with a power play goal midway through the period to make the score 2-1.   

The game went back and forth throughout most of the second period with no scoring. Finally with under three minutes remaining in the period, senior Colton Carlson gave Valor a two goal cushion. That "comfortable cushion" lasted less than a minute as the pesky Sun Devils came right back to make it 3-2. 

With only a minute remaining and the final period looming, the tension was mounting for the Eagles and their fans as their hopes on advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round seemed to hinge on their slim one goal lead. 

It's occasions such as this that all teams look to their veterans to provide leadership and direction. In Valor's case, it was senior Colton Carlson and junior Jake McCall who took command and scored goals in the final minute of the second period to give Valor a 5-2 lead and a huge momentum swing heading into the intermission. A huge sigh of relief from Valor's loud cheering section was almost discernible.    

With a comfortable three goal lead, the Eagles controlled play throughout the final period and denied any hope of a Sun Devil comeback. The final score remained 5-2.

Although the game wasn't Valor's best performance of the season, the Eagles had successfully dealt with Kent's upset bid. More importantly, the Eagles learned about dealing with the unique pressures that come with being the tournament's top seed. 

Senior goaltender Brendan Williamson made 17 saves in the winning effort.

The Standing Stone award winners were junior Jake McCall and senior Mason Hoehn. 

The Quarterfinal matchup on Saturday night with Pine Creek was another great test for Valor as the #8 ranked Pine Creek Eagles came into the game having lost only once all season! 

Pine Creek had dominated the Summit Conference and won the conference title on the strength of their high-octane offense which included two players with 25 or more goals. 

On Friday afternoon, Pine Creek had defeated Monarch 3-1 in their Second Round playoff game.

Although Valor carried a majority of the play in the first period, the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 as Pine Creek's strategy seemed designed to defend, block or redirect Valor's shooting chances off their intended target.

With an understanding of their opponent's game plan, Valor increased their forechecking pressure in the second period. The constant pressure disrupted Pine Creek's breakout and transition game and created continual "takeaways" for Valor. As the period wore on, Valor's pressure began to wear down their opponent. The pressure finally paid off late in the period with the game's first goal scored by junior Evan Pahos off a breakdown in Pine Creek's defensive zone faceoff coverage.  

With a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, Valor continued to "push the pace" against the tiring Pine Creek team. With just under five minutes remaining, junior Blake Rollison banged home a loose puck at the net front to increase Valor's lead to 2-0. 

With under two minutes left and desperate to create any kind of offense, Pine Creek pulled their goalie for an extra attacker but senior Colton Carlson retrieved a loose puck in Valor's end zone and fired it the length of the ice into the empty Pine Creek net to seal the 3-0 win. 

Senior goaltender Trey Hirschfield recorded 12 saves in the shutout victory including just 3 shots in the final period. 

The Standing Stone award winners were seniors Merrick Stein and Trey Hirschfield. 

This coming Thursday, Valor will take on their archrival #5 ranked Regis Jesuit in the first of two semifinal matches at the Pepsi Center. Game time is 5:00pm. 

In the second semifinal game at 7:30pm, #2 Chaparral will play host to #3 Fort Collins.