In a season filled with uncertainty, it was still Valor Christian’s time again.
In a season filled with dominance, the Poudre School District Stars were left wondering when it can possibly be theirs.
Valor roared to a quirky, unexpected lead and fended off a serious comeback attempt Monday night at Magness Arena, defeating PSD, 7-4, and claiming the Class 5A state hockey championship.
“It’s amazing,” Valor senior captain Drew Jenkins said. “We won my sophomore year, but this seems a lot more valuable. Being the captain, I love my team and l love leading them every day.”
This is the fourth state title for Valor. The Eagles have made the 5A final six straight years, alternating between losses and wins in each of the past four.
Valor (15-7-0) played PSD twice before this season. The first matchup was a 7-1 rout. The second was the Eagles’ last lost of the year, a 1-0 decision on Feb. 1.
The tide began to turn there.
“That was a huge confidence boost for us,” Jenkins said. “They’re a pretty scary team, especially this year.
“I’m really happy we were able to bounce back after going 0-2 against them in the regular season.”
If you believe in good omens, Valor found plenty in a hurry Monday night. The Eagles scored 10 seconds in on an odd own goal.
The next two goals were both protested by the PSD coaches and players because of potential goalie interference, but both remained on the scoreboard. By the time Jenkins got behind the defense for a beautiful rush goal, it was a 4-0 lead.
There were dicey moments as PSD whittled away the lead, but Jenkins provided another highlight-reel goal — Valor’s third shorthanded tally of the night — to end any doubt.
Maddux Charles, the hero who sent Valor to Magness with an overtime winner at Robson Arena two days prior, capped the night with another weird goal, rolling one in on its side from his own zone into an empty net.
“A month ago, I was saying we could very easily be eliminated in the first round, but we also had enough experience and enough talent that we could win it all,” Valor coach George Gwozdecky said. “We had more losses this year than we’ve had in the past five years combined.
“But you preach and you push and you teach and you pull your hair out and finally things start to sink in a little bit.”
PSD (18-2-2) lost its first game of the season, in overtime, then didn’t lose again until Monday night. The Stars, coached by Colorado Eagles legend Riley Nelson, allowed only four goals twice all season before they faced a 4-0 deficit to deal against Valor.
They fought, scoring three times in the second to have life in the third. Weston Nerby scored twice, both times pulling the Stars within two goals. They needed a big comeback in the semifinals to keep this incredible ride alive, but this time the magic ran out.
When the clock struck 10 p.m, Magness was empty and quiet. Stars senior Dylan Hice returned to the bench in full uniform. Several of his teammates, out of their gear, joined him. The emotions were still raw, more than 30 minutes later.
This was going to be the coronation of a dream season, until it wasn’t.
“They were the best team in the regular season. They proved it time and time again,” Gwozdecky said. “They deserved the No. 1 seed. However, being back on this stage time and time again has real value.”
PSD, or when it was Fort Collins, has now been the state title game three times, including 2020 and 2021. Each has ended with a loss to Valor.
In the end, it looked like a typical Valor season. Five straight wins to close, a dramatic 1-0 overtime win in the semifinals and an electric title game performance as an exclamation point.
Those along for the journey will remember it as anything but.
“There’s valuable lessons to be learned for these guys. Life lessons,” Gwozdecky said. “When things aren’t going well, just keep pushing, keep grinding away, because you at least give yourself a chance.
“We were that kind of team this year.”
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