No. 1 Monarch beat No. 3 Ralston Valley 5-1 on Tuesday. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
ARVADA — In a closely contested game early on, Monarch hockey unleashed a touch of its firepower — two goals by Jake Young in two minutes — to close the first period in style.
The goals pushed a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead and the No. 1-ranked Coyotes (10-0) never looked back during a 5-1 handling of previously undefeated and No. 3 Ralston Valley (11-1) on Tuesday night.
In a road game at Apex Ice Arena in Arvada with major seeding implications and bragging rights on the line, Monarch kept the good vibes rolling with a win over a team that had been known to give the Coyotes trouble.
In fact, the Mustangs claimed the state championship over Monarch in both 2013 and 2014. Monarch also finished as the runner-up, this time to Cherry Creek, last season.
For a program with a ton of recent tradition, but also heartbreak while coming so close to winning state title No. 1, this group of Coyotes continued to play with poise and chemistry on Tuesday.
Senior forward Adam Tybor gave Monarch a 1-0 edge just one minute and eight seconds into the game. Then, after an equalizer by Ralston Valley’s Stefan Fruhwirth with 3:20 left in the first period, Young came to life.
“That first period was back-and-forth, but we ended up with two quick goals,” Young said. “I got lucky, had a good pass from my line mate, and I was able to find that top corner on the second goal. It kind of hit off the goalie’s shoulder and went in.”
Young’s second goal — he finished with three, a hat trick — came with only four seconds left in the opening period.
“Anytime you can score late in the period and carry that momentum into the next period, it’s huge,” Monarch coach Jimmy Dexter said. “Brendan (Van Haute) just made an unbelievable pass and Youngie was kind of all by himself and slid it by him.”
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
The Coyotes, a high-powered offense throughout the season, added scores by Young in the second period and Sean McGann in the third.
Entering the showdown against Ralston Valley, Monarch had outscored its opponents 100-7, averaging just over 11 goals a night. They’ve had three games of 18 goals. But, while the offense had its moments Tuesday, the Mustangs did well defensively in several stretches.
“Ralston is a big, strong team,” Dexter said. “They were real physical. Hunter (Ingino) played really well for us in the net, which made a difference also. They had some good chances that he had some big saves on.”
Ingino and the Monarch defense did their part.
“Keegan Lewis, one of our defenseman, had probably his best game of the year,” Dexter added. “He played real physical and he made great decisions with the puck. Keegan had a really great night.”
For as dominant as Monarch has been most nights thus far, their dominance hasn’t been too much of a surprise. After all, they were the preseason No. 1 team after reaching the state finals last season despite graduating 17 seniors from the 2013-14 team.
“We have a lot of returners, a lot of the same guys from last year,” Young said. “We kind of know where each other are on the ice. We don’t have to see each other to be able to pass the puck.”
Monarch’s chemistry also paid off with a dominant 9-2 victory over another previously unbeaten team, Cherry Creek, on Saturday. Young and his teammates hope this is the year they finally seal that elusive state championship.
“We are trying to earn our way back there and get the job done this year,” he said. “We want to take another shot at winning it.”
Monarch hosts No. 7 Steamboat Springs (8-3) on Saturday at the Boulder Valley Ice Arena at 2:00 p.m. in their next game. Ralston Valley will take on Cherry Creek at the Family Sports Center-Hamilton at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, as well.