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Repeat Jesuit
By Ryan Boldrey
photo credit. Courtney Oakes/ The Aurora Sentinel
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With a 7-2 shellacking of No. 3 Lewis-Palmer on Feb. 28 at World Arena, Regis Jesuit became the first team to repeat as state champs in Colorado High School hockey since Cheyenne Mountain did it in 1996-97.
“Our senior leadership just really stood out,” said Regis head coach Dan Woodley afterwards. “Going into the locker room tied at one after one, our seniors stepped up and said get on our backs boys we will carry you to victory, and that’s exactly what happened.”
One of those seniors, Justin Johnston netted a career-high four goals in the championship game. Heading into the contest Johnston had only recorded one hat trick before in his time at Regis.
“I was surprised when I got the third,” Johnston said. “They just kept falling for me. This year has kind of been the opposite for me; I mean I hit three posts in one game. Today everything seemed to drop, it was unbelievable. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
With Johnston’s four goals, and fellow seniors Gregg Davis and Connor Hayes each adding one, the only non-senior to find the back of the net in the title game truly put the re- in repeat.
On March 1, 2008, the Raiders were in double overtime in the state championship game with Battle Mountain when then little-used freshman Nick Davis took a pass from his older brother Gregg for the game winner on just his fifth shift of the night.
This year, albeit in the second period on a goal that put them up 3-1, the two did it again as Gregg found his younger brother again for the game winner.
“For him and I to come through again, it makes our family happy, it makes us happy and makes us proud,” Gregg said. “We went through some rough spills towards the end there and he got a new stick Thursday (the day before the frozen four) and we got some confidence back last night and it really came out and showed today.”
Last year both brothers commented that they couldn’t have scripted a better ending. This year they were surprised the game wasn’t closer, as Lewis-Palmer has been the one team to continuously give them fits.
Regis, who closed out the 2008-09 season at 22-0-1 to move its unbeaten streak to 36 games, has not lost since Jan. 14, 2008, when it fell to those very same Rangers 2-1 in Aurora. That loss was the only blemish in two years for the Raiders, who finished 2007-08 at 20-1-1.
“It’ll probably be them again next year,” Lewis-Palmer coach Steve Fillo said after the game. “Their depth is unbelievable.”
I guess the question now begs, how long will they remain there.
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