Leafs hockey finally gets best of Miners
The Aspen Leafs U20 hockey team got its biggest win of the season Sunday, defeating the Pikes Peak Miners, 4-2, in the final game of a three-game series.
Entering Sunday’s finale, the first-place Miners had been 25-2, their only two losses coming Dec. 2 to the Colorado Rampage (4-3) and Dec. 17 to the Colorado Thunderbirds (4-3).
The Miners, last year’s regular-season Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League champions, had been 7-0 against Aspen this season before the Leafs finally got the best of them Sunday.
Aspen, which knocked off the Miners in the inaugural RMJHL championship game last year, lost 6-3 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday at the Sertich Ice Arena in Colorado Springs.
Down 1-0 after a period Sunday, the Leafs got a goal from Boston Lindlahr in the second period to even the game at a goal apiece. The Miners retook the lead early in the third period, but the Leafs scored the final three goals — two by Alec Johnson and one by Tyler Perry — to pull off the upset.
Apsen outshot the Miners, 39-22, and the two teams were a combined 0 for 11 on power plays.
At 25-3 overall, the Miners still have a comfortable lead over the second-place Leafs, now 15-11-1. Steamboat continues to hold down third place at 12-13-1.
Aspen next plays at Steamboat on Jan. 27 and 28. The Leafs will play the Miners two more times, each in Aspen, on March 3 and 4. The regular season wraps up March 10 and 11 at home against the Thunderbirds.
