(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
The CHSAA state hockey bracket was released Sunday and, as expected, Monarch and Mountain Vista go into the tournament as the top seeds.
The seeding is based on the final regular season standings with in the Foothills and Peak leagues.
Defending champion Cherry Creek will have a tough road ahead of them as they sit in the No. 4 Foothills spot, which means a potential showdown with the Golden Eagles in the second round.
The Bruins beat Mountain Vista 3-2 in the regular season finale on Saturday.
Regis Jesuit earns the No. 2 Foothills spot which means that a rematch from the Raiders’ 3-0 loss to the Coyotes wouldn’t come until the state championship.
Also noteworthy is that Valor Christian, under first year coach George Gwozdecky is back in the hockey playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The first two rounds of the tournaments will be played at host sites with the Final 4 and state championship games being played at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
The Final 4 games will be played Mar. 3 with the state championship game two days later on Mar. 5.