GLENWOOD WINTER INVITE — SUMMIT HS GIRL’S SWIMMING

The final regular meet of the girl’s high school swim and dive season, held in Glenwood Springs on Jan. 30. The Tigers took fourth out of seven teams, including conference foes Glenwood Springs and Aspen and non-conference teams Durango and Gunnison.

Summit senior Maddy O’Malley dropped four seconds on her 100-yard backstroke to qualify for the Colorado High School Swimming Championships from Feb. 12-13. She’s the second Lady Tiger to qualify for state in the past 15 years.

50 yard freestyle, overall

1. Sarah Dipangrazio, Glenwood — 26.95

2. Violet Witchel, Durango — 27.02

3. Ellie Penney, Gunnison — 27.22

4. Emily Driscoll, Aspen — 28.30

5. Maddy O’Malley, Summit — 28.42

1 meter diving, overall (points)

1. Ruby Epstein, Durango — 170.85

2. Sophie Imamura, Summit – 156.60

3. Tess Burgwald, Durango — 155.15

4. Laurel Bonner, Summit — 147.45

5. Abby Charneskie, Summit – 145.80

100 yard backstroke, overall

1. Jessica Tittle, Glenwood — 1:02.67

2. Sarah Dipangranzio, Glenwood — 1:04.50

3. Anne Mummery, Durango — 1:05.52

4. Maddy O’Malley, Summit — 1:06.22

SUMMIT ICE HOCKEY FINDS FIRST WINS OF THE SEASON

After a slow (and winless) start in December, the Summit Tigers hockey team is beginning to turn things around.

Summit’s turnaround began in a penalty-ridden game against Standley Lake on Jan. 8, which saw the Tigers gain their first point of the year in a tie. They then faced the high-flying Dakota Ridge Eagles on Jan. 14, who demonstrated why they are a rising power in the Foothills Conference.

The Tigers finally got their elusive first win against Cheyenne Mountain, a 5-4 road win. Senior captain Sean Costello led the way with a hat trick and two assists. He even scored the game-winning tally in overtime.

The Tigers next returned home to face perennial powerhouse Regis Jesuit on Jan. 18. The Tigers elation from the first win was quickly dashed when Regis blew past them for a 13-0 victory, outshooting the Tigers 54-4.

The Tigers whirlwind week continued with a rescheduled game on Jan. 20 against the Battle Mountain Huskies, which held plenty of meaning for rivals, even though it’s technically a non-conference game. Rivalry aside, the Huskies skated all over the Tigers to eventually winning 7-0.

The Tigers then played the Columbine Rebels the following evening. Despite tough play from the Tigers, the Rebels managed to find the back of the net with almost every shot. Senior goalie Wyatt Dickerson was removed from the game in favor of Junior Kyle Rodgers. The Tigers attempted to mount a comeback, scoring several late goals and applying ample pressure, but they eventually fell, 6-4.

Jan. 25 brought a rebound game with the Chatfield Chargers. The Tigers gave up a power-play goal in the first period, then found their power-play stride later in the game as freshman Ben Carlson cycled a puck to captain Costello.

“After I put it deep to Sean (Costello), I just worked my way to the front and he created time and space for me by moving the puck behind the goal line,” Carlson said. “He gave me a great pass and I was able to put it right over the goalie’s pad as he went down.”

The power-play goal was Carlson’s first of his high school career and knotted the game at one. The Tigers capitalized twice more on power plays, while senior goalie Bode Culbreath played lights out to earn his first home win and second overall win of the season.

Summit’s game against Steamboat on Feb. 1 was canceled due to snow. The Tigers next face Mullen in Denver on Feb. 5. — WREN M. ARBUTHNOT

BRECK BUCKS SCORE 15 AGAINST YETIS

The Breckenridge Bucks looked to rebound Jan. 29-30 against the last-place Glacier Yetis (1-33) after disappointing home stands in early January, when the Bucks dropped three of four games to the Colorado Thunderbirds (12-22) and No. 1 Aspen Leafs (29-5).

The first game did not start auspiciously for the Bucks with two Yeti goals in the first three minutes. Nearly halfway through the first period, Bucks goaltender Lincoln Riley got his team on the board skating as forward. The Bucks ended the first period down 2-1 and again let the Yetis strike first during the second period to drop two more goals.

From that point on the Bucks scored 10 points, and no, that isn’t a typo. Nine of the 10 goals came in the second period. The third period saw another nine total goals: five for the Bucks, four for the Yetis. It was more reminiscent of an NHL all-star game than a junior hockey game. The final score was 15-7 — the highest for a Bucks game this season. Several Bucks players shined in the win: Drake Cole had three goals and eight assists, Jake Wener had four goals and four assists, Anthony Flores had two goals and three assists, and Milou Lofstrom put up three goals and one assist.

The Saturday night contest felt much different than the Friday circus. The Bucks scored first before giving up three points in the first period, then rebounded to win 7-3. Lofstrom scored his 50th goal to tie with teammate Wener for most overall points on the season.

The Bucks sit comfortably in third place in the RMJHL, but it’s still an uphill battle to catch No. 2 Pikes Peak (27-5) even with wins in all of the Bucks remaining games against the Miners, Rampage and Thunderbirds.

This means the Bucks will likely be forced to play more games in their quest to take the inaugural RMJHL championships. The Bucks next play a three-game away series against the Pikes Peak on Feb. 5-7 before returning home to play the Rampage. — WREN M. ARBUTHNOT