Playoffs on ice for Mustangs

 

They are last and perhaps even the least.

Mullen’s Mustangs don’t care.

They’re in, as in the Colorado ice hockey playoffs that were announced Sunday. The Mustangs will have a first-round matchup vs. Monarch on Tuesday, 2 p.m., at Sport Stable in Superior.

The host Coyotes (11-6-2) are seeded No. 9; the Mustangs (7-11) are No. 24, or the final group to play extra ice hockey and, when weighing circumstances, quite proud of it.

“I’m super excited … super, super excited,” head coach Devon Brady said. “One of the year’s big goals was to make the playoffs. In light of everything going on and to still be together and turn into a playoff team, the kids worked to solidify that.”

Unexpectedly, three skaters being counted on to contribute heavily weren’t on the roster on opening day and high-end goalie Connor Mahon had a knee problem that kept him idle until January. The Mustangs were 2-8 and next-to-last in the Highlands Conference, and dropped three of their final four games while trying to clinch postseason play. They also had a game at No. 7 Doherty postponed, then cancelled.

However, Mullen won four-of-five games in the second half of January and put up two seven-goal outings, including a 7-0 victory over Steamboat Springs in the regular-season finale the past Saturday to help offset its main weakness, scoring. The Mustangs had only 14 goals in 10 conference games and have been outscored compositely 60-51 on the season.

Junior Robby Witwer tops four Mustangs scoring with seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. Nick Gilbert has 16 and is tied with Riley Watters with a team-leading nine goals (Watters has 13 points). Next is Larry Simons (5-6—11).

The Mustangs had to go out and land Denver’s Alex Covi (2-5) to fill in for Mahon, who has levelled his record at 5-5 after stopping 317 of 344 shots.

The Mustangs, Brady said, “did not give up on the things we’ve worked on.”

Plus, the Mustangs, he said, are better built for playoff hockey with good goalie play, “a seasoned defensive core that has been through the wringers and our offense has been a little better the past couple of weeks.”

Mullen doesn’t see much of Monarch, Brady admitted, calling the Coyotes “one of the powerhouses, a district team pulling everyone from Boulder County.”

The winner will take on No. 8 Pine Creek in the second round at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, at The Ice Ranch.

Below is a link to the bracket: