NewsPage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Apr 11, 2010, 6:29 pm
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO- Despite a strong showing in the last game of the tournament, the Puck Ewes showed too little too late. In three games, the Ewes were outscored 0-9 and outshot 109-51, losing to the Vail Twin Peaks (#2), Glenwood Ice Queens (#6) , and Aspen Motherpuckers 2 (#3). Friday night proved to be a tough matchup against the Vail Twin Peaks. The Ewes hadn't been on the ice in weeks and their rusty legs and skills showed. Vail came out hard, pounding Ewe goaltender Kandice Torno, who kept her team in the game. It was 1-0 after two periods of play. Once fatigue and lack of conditioning set in for the Ewes, it was all over. Vail took advantage of Craig in their own zone and got three more in before the game was over. The game ended 4-0 with the shots lopsided heavily in favor of the Twin Peaks at 56-14. Embarrassed a bit by the Friday night game, the Puck Ewes game out stronger in the second game against Glenwood Springs, but all of a sudden found themselves behind 2-0 and they never made up ground. The Ice Queens kept the Ewes on their heels and scored another goal each period to make the final 4-0. The Ewes kept the shots a lot more closer, with 23-22 in their favor, but couldn't find the back of the net. The highlight of the tournament was the skills competition. The Puck Ewes came out in glorious fashion, in their brand new hoodies. Participants Annie Abdella, Gayle and Alexa Criswell, Tammy Strahan, Jamie Eckroth, and Kandice Torno. Set up in a team relay race this year, they raced, pushed and pulled nets, weaved through cones, shot against a fake goalie, then tested their skills 3 on 0 against a real goalie. The real Ewe goalie had her skills tested against shooters from another team, delaying and stopping play for over seven minutes! The Puck Ewes earned the golden bottle of Jose Cuervo, thus defending their Skills Competition title. Determined to go down fighting, the Ewes did just that in their last game. It meant nothing, unless they could pull of a huge victory against the Aspen Motherpuckers 2. Although Annie Abdella scored a goal from the blue line, the play was offsides and whistled off immediately. The game was still 0-0 until late in the third. Torno came up with some big saves, but on one defensive breakdown, the puck squirted loose and a waiting Aspen player flung it into the back of the net. The Ewes pulled their goalie with 2:00 left in the game, giving them a 6-4 advantage when Aspen went into the penalty box. Unable to tie it up, Craig went winless and scoreless during the entire tournament weekend. Final results from the tournament: 1st place Breckenridge Fatty's Fury (won in a shootout against the Storm) 2nd place Steamboat Storm 3rd place ?? Aspen Motherpuckers 2 or Glenwood Ice Queens 4th place ?? Aspen Motherpuckers 2 or Glenwood Ice Queens 5th place Down Valley Divas 6th place Vail Twin Peaks 7th place Steamboat Bobcats 8th place Craig Puck Ewes
Mar 28, 2010, 3:21 pm
The Puck Ewes will face the Vail Twin Peaks in the first game of the WACH Mountain Division Tournament. Quick history lesson. In 2005-2006, the Ewes took down a tough Storm team 3-2 on Steamboat ice and won their first ever title. The following season, 2006-2007, the Ewes did it again in a 1-0 defeat against the Vail Twin Peaks on Aspen ice. In 2007-2008, the Ewes fell just short of a shot at the championship game when the Twin Peaks enacted a bit of revenge in their own 1-0 defeat of the Ewes less than a minute into the game. The Ewes placed 4th in the tournament. Last year, Craig battled Breckenridge in a close consolation game, only to fall 1-0 in the third period. Two years in a row with a 4th place finish. This Year's Final Regular Season Standings.
The Match-Ups. Friday April 9th 7:00pm Howelsen Ice Arena The 4-10-0 Ewes against the 11-3-0 Twin Peaks looks a bit over matched on paper. Craig is 0-2-0 against Vail during regular league play. Craig was outshot 86-41, and outscored 8-2 versus Vail this season. Both games were a 4-1 victory for the Twin Peaks. Historically, the two teams have been a lot more evenly matched. Vail had a change in goal this year when Willow Murphy returned between the pipes for the Twin Peaks. Murphy (.909 save percentage) and her defense rank right in the middle with shots allowed and total goals against (1.64 goals against average). The Ewes have not beaten the Twin Peaks this season, and despite the odds weighing heavily in favor of Vail, Craig is craving a win against this team. Saturday 12:00pm Howelsen Ice Arena The Puck Ewes split games with the Ice Queens (4-10-0) this season, with neither team having home ice advantage in the contests. In fact, the split is darn-near even all the way across the board. The Ice Queens defeated the Ewes in Craig 3-2, but the Ewes beat the Ice Queens in Glenwood 2-1 in a strange game where the refs disallowed two goals that would have gone in favor of the Ice Queens. Scoring is even, with 4 goals a side. The shots are in favor of the Ice Queens, but only by a few with 49-44. The Ice Queens also had a goaltender change this year, when Sonya Hemmen returned to the team after taking a break. Glenwood Springs added some scoring to their lineup this year with Bekka Hilborn (14) who is quick on her skates and has an accurate shot. This game could go either way in the tournament. Saturday 7:15pm Howelsen Ice Arena The 9-6-1 Aspen Motherpuckers 2 are a team the Puck Ewes have not beaten this season. In fact, the Ewes failed to capitalize on any and all mistakes the MP2 made around their net. In Aspen, Craig got heavily outshot 23-12 and failed to score any goals. Aspen prevailed 2-0. When Aspen had to make the trip to Craig, the game got rescheduled, twice. The Ewes played a closer game when the shots ended up 23-20 for Aspen, but still couldn't put the puck in the net. The game ended in a 3-1 victory for the Motherpuckers 2. Aspen is ranked #3 and has an all around steady team. They have no standout ringers. Goaltending has been consistent between Margo Cuttita and Amy Snyder, who share the duties. The Motherpuckers 2 play well together as a team. Hopefully the Ewes can find their gel in this match and get the first win of the season against them, when it matters the most. Pool A Highlight Game An interesting matchup to keep an eye on in Pool A is the tournament game between the Steamboat Storm 7-6-1 and the Down Valley Divas 6-8-0. These teams were 1-1-0 against each other this season with the Storm winning one game 5-1 and the Divas taking the other game 4-2. The scoring was 7-5 in favor of Steamboat, but interestingly enough, the Divas had the shot advantage in the series by a 36-28 count. Steamboat does have the scoring advantage with Alexa Pighini (#5) as the leader. Eagle's leading scorer, Sarah Brubeck (#5), has 11 points. The goaltending advantage is in favor of the Down Valley Divas with less goals against allowed in all season games. The save percentage of both starting goalies is almost identical with one at .844 and the other at .845. Pool B Highlight Game In the B Pool, the Vail Twin Peaks (#2 seed 11-3-0 record) and the Aspen Motherpuckers 2 (#3 seed 9-6-1 record) game is the one to watch. These teams also split against each other this season and also in scoring with 5-5. The shots are in favor of the MP2, but only by a couple. 45-43. They also did not use home ice to their advantage, winning on each other's ice. Goaltending tilts a bit in favor of the Motherpuckers 2, but the Twin Peaks definitely have the advantage in scoring, with three of their leading scorers in the top ten of total in regular season play. Laurie Mullen (#21) with 16 points, Nicolette Dais (#24) with 14, and Kathy Bent (#11) with 13. The Other Stuff The Ewes finished 6th this year in overall seeding. They have a 1-5-0 record against the teams they are matched up against in the tournament finals. They have been outscored 17-7 and outshot 181-117 against these three opponents in regular season play. Jamie Eckroth was the Ewes' points leader with a total of 14; 10 goals and 4 assists. Lani Cleverly had 11 points; 3 goals and 8 assists. Annie Abdella was ranked 2nd in penalty minutes with a total of 18. Ewes' goaltender Kandice Torno saw the most rubber out of all other goalies in the Mountain Division with a total of 427 shots, but maintained the highest save percentage (.909%) out of teams with a losing record. Various Notable Awards President's Cup (Regular Season Champ)- Breckenridge Fattys Fury (27 points) Art Ross Trophy (Total points regular season)- Meredith McKissock (#27-Fury) 32 points; 23G 9A Fewest Goals Against (19) Breckenridge Fattys Fury Most Goals For (58) Breckenridge Fattys Fury Lady Byng Team (least penalty minutes)- Down Valley Divas Most Penalty Minutes- Alexa Pighini (#5-Storm) – 20 minutes Weekend Schedule April 9th-11th, 2010 @ Howelsen Steamboat Storm vs Steamboat Bobcats Fri, Apr 09 4:00 pm Fattys Fury Down vs Valley Divas Fri, Apr 09 5:30 pm Vail Twin Peaks vs Craig Puck Ewes Fri, Apr 09 7:00 pm Aspen MP2 vs Glenwood Springs Ice Queens Fri, Apr 09 8:30 pm Steamboat Storm vs Fattys Fury Sat, Apr 10 7:30 am Steamboat Bobcats vs Down Valley Divas Sat, Apr 10 9:00 am Vail Twin Peaks vs Aspen MP2 Sat, Apr 10 10:30 am Craig Puck Ewes vs Glenwood Springs Ice Queens Sat, Apr 10 12:00 pm Skills Competition – 1:30-2:15pm Down Valley Divas vs Steamboat Storm Sat, Apr 10 2:30 pm Steamboat Bobcats vs Fattys Fury Sat, Apr 10 4:00 pm Glenwood Springs Ice Queens vs Vail Twin Peaks Sat, Apr 10 5:30 pm Craig Puck Ewes vs Aspen MP2 Sat, Apr 10 7:15 pm B#1 vs A#2 Sun, Apr 11 8:00 am A#1 vs B#2 Sun, Apr 11 9:45 am A#3 vs B# Sun, Apr 11 11:30 am Championship Game Sun, Apr 11 1:15pm Consolation Game Sun, Apr 11 3:00pm Mar 5, 2010, 11:43 pm CRAIG- The Puck Ewes faced the Steamboat Storm in a mountain division matchup on Friday night. Craig played a steady game and after one period of play the scoreboard was tied at 0 with 6 shots a piece. The second period, Craig stepped it up a notch, but was unable to find the back of the Steamboat net. They kept a slow and steady stream of shots and finished the period with 17-16 shots. Late in the third period, the Ewes had a bit of a defensive breakdown at the blueline and allowed two Storm players into their zone, unattended. Goalie Kandice Torno made the initial save, but couldn't control the rebound that went right to the waiting stick of the trailing Steamboat player who put it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Craig attemped to tie it up, but couldn't. The game ended 1-0 for the Storm with the shot count 27-25 in favor of Steamboat.
Feb 27, 2010, 2:24 pm
GLENWOOD SPRINGS- The Ewes hit the road for an early morning game against the Ice Queens on Saturday. In the chilly morning breeze, the game plan was to keep the shifts short so everyone could have a chance to stay warm on the ice. Both teams played to an even first period. Craig goaltender Kandice Torno made some nice saves in the period, despite a slash to the back of the neck on one flury in front of the net. Craig also received the gift of an early whistle from the refs early on in the period to keep the score at zero. Jamie Eckroth, decided to take the risk of losing her front teeth during this game. She removed her face mask due to glass frost. With vision restored, she opened up the scoring in the second period on an unassisted goal with 8:39 left to play. Suddenly, the Ice Queens picked it up a notch and tried to tie it up, but Torno said no way. The Ewes led 1-0 after two periods of play. Eckroth rammed another puck into the back of the net, assisted by none other than Alexa "Skeeter" Criswell, with 14:28 to go in the third period. For a moment, it appeared as if the Ice Queens just had the life sucked out of them. They managed a breakaway against Torno, and scored, but the refs waved it off, saying the puck was frozen. Fortunately for the Ewes, there was little argument from the Ice Queens, and the teams took to the faceoff circle. Glenwood came to life when they found an opening along the blockerside post. The momentum shifted in favor the Ice Queens as they battled in the Ewes' zone. Toward the end of the game, Craig defender Gayle Criswell suddenly became a soccer player when she had her stick knocked out of her hand. She skated up the ice, kicking the puck out of danger. The final buzzer sounded during a flury of activity in the Ewes' zone, but Craig prevailed 2-1, picking up 2 points and another win on the season. The shots on goal were 21-18 in favor of Glenwood Springs. No penalties taken in the game by either team. The Ewes have a home game against the Steamboat Storm on Friday night at 6:00pm at the Moffat County Ice Arena. Come cheer on your Puck Ewes!
Feb 20, 2010, 2:05 pm
CRAIG- Even though the Ewes went 0-3-1 in their own Mardi Gras tournament and finished 4th place in the points standings, their costumes were #1 at the party. The Ewes travel to Glenwood Springs and face the Ice Queens at 7:30am on Saturday morning (2/27/10) The Ewes lost to the Ice Queens 3-2 earlier this season on home ice.
Mardi Gras pictures are up! Go check them out!
Many thanks to Sam Torno for his awesome game photos (check all of them out at www.tornophotography.com) and for everyone that had their camera out at the bowling alley for the party pictures!! Feb 1, 2010, 1:36 pm VAIL/EAGLE- The Craig Puck Ewes made their first stop in Vail on Friday night to face a Twin Peaks team that has been having a great season. And they proved it just in the first period when they outshot the Ewes 15-2, but the game remained tied at 0. The Ewes fell by two goals in the second period, and got outshot again by about the same count as the first. The game was a clean game, with only one penalty going to a Twin Peaks player for interference late in the third, but the Ewes couldn't convert on the powerplay. Jamie Eckroth scored the lone Ewes' goal and the game ended in a 4-1 loss for Craig who was outshot 40-11 in the contest. Craig stepped it up in the game against the Down Valley Divas the following night. Both teams were evenly matched through all three periods of play. No goals scored and no penalties taken. Less than a minute into sudden-death overtime, the Ewes capitalized on a mistake in front of the Divas' net and won the game 1-0 on a Stephanie Beckett goal. The Ewes were outshot 32-18 in the game. Upcoming, starting on Friday night, is the annual Mardi Gras Tournament, in Craig. The schedule is up under the Schedule link on the left side of the page. There should be a drop down bar with Mardi Gras 2010 in it. Click on that to look at all 10 games. Jan 28, 2010, 7:59 pm
Defender Annie Abdella looks on as goaltender Kandice Torno pushes a puck away from the net.
CRAIG- The Puck Ewes have struggled to score, keeps pucks out of their net, or even pick up wins for most the season. The now 2-7-0 team sits in sixth place in the Mountain Division, tied with the Down Valley Divas and Steamboat Bobcats, all with four points. This weekend the Ewes will take to the road against a 7-2-0 Vail Twin Peaks team Friday night and the 2-5-0 Down Valley Divas team on Saturday night. Last year, Craig played Vail three times; twice in the regular season and once during the WACH Tournament. The Ewes and Peaks played to a 1-1 tie on Moffat County Ice but the Twin Peaks won 3-1 at Dobson. During the tournament, the Ewes won 3-2, but only after having to hold back an angry onslaught of Vail players toward the very end of the game who nearly tied it up. Shots on goal were fairly even between the two teams last year, with 52-50 in favor of Vail. The Twin Peaks had to make a goaltending change this season when their regular for the past few years moved. Willow Murphy stepped back into the pipes once again and has been tough. The Ewes lost 4-1 at home this season after being outshot 46-30. Currently, the Twin Peaks sit in second place five points behind the undefeated Breckenridge Fattys Fury, who have 19 points.
The Ewes and the Divas split games last year, with each team having the home-ice advantage. Like the games against Vail, the shot count had been fairly even with Craig having a 48-46 lead. The Ewes and Divas did not see each other in the tournament last year, other than in passing. Craig and Down Valley have already faced each other once this season. The game against the Divas was Craig's first win of the year with a 4-2 victory, on home-ice at the Moffat County Ice Arena. Despite a decent core of defense, the Divas are struggling this season and sit in 7th place, just behind the Puck Ewes, but have two games in hand yet. Hopefully the Ewes can pick up at least one win on the road this weekend. In other Ewes News, next up for their annual Mardi Gras starting Friday night, February 5th with games on Saturday and a social Saturday night. The tournament finishes up on Sunday morning. Only five teams are slated to compete for the top honors this year. The Crested Butte Red Ladies have won it the last few years, but will not be attending the tournament this year, leaving the title up for grabs to a new team. Games should begin Friday (5th) night starting at 7:15pm. Come out and have fun at the annual Mardi Gras Tournament!
Jan 7, 2010, 11:25 am
Ewes Joanie Walt and Gayle Criswell plan their attack. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS- The Puck Ewes opened up the 2010 part of the season when they traveled to Steamboat Springs in winter conditions on January 2nd to face the Storm. The Ewes came out strong in the first period, with Joanie Walt getting her first goal of the year on a nice wrist shot that went up and over the Storm goaltender, early on in the game. The Ewes killed off a Storm powerplay when Jamie Eckroth went to the box for a tripping call. The Storm came out a bit stronger in the second period on a couple of scramble plays in front of the Ewes' net, that resulted in goals each time. The Ewes also managed to capitalize on a Storm penalty to make it a 2-1 game. Despite two powerplay chances in the third, Craig could not get any more goals up on the board, but they also killed off an penalty for an interference call on Annie Abdella. The Storm added two more goals- one on a high wrist shot when Craig's Kandice Torno lost her stick. Another goal almost immediately after when the Ewes left a player open in the slot. The Ewes lost 4-2 and were outshot 34-20. They fall to 6th in the Mountain Division with a 2-5-0 record. Craig takes a road trip to Aspen this Saturday night to face the Motherpuckers 2 in the Ice Garden at 6:30pm. Aspen is undefeated so far this season with a 4-0-0 record.
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