Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The second half of March was a tough one for the Steamboat Springs Chix with Stix women's hockey team, but the players will be looking to rebound during a two-game trip to Denver April 6 and 7.

The last four games have proven to be a tough run for the Chix.

They tied the University of Colorado team at Howelsen Ice Arena on March 10 but have since lost to CU (3-0) and to Aspen twice (3-1, 2-0) in the final stretch of March.

The most recent games were heartbreakers as the Aspen Motherpuckers swept past the team at Howelsen Ice Arena.

Aspen won the first game of a two-set series in a thriller Saturday. Aspen scored first in the contest, but Steamboat shocked the visiting team by netting a short-handed goal to tie things up.

Liz Schnackenberg stole the puck in her own zone, skated the length of the ice and then set up teammate Sue Heineke from behind the net.

The game remained tied until the closing minutes, when a penalty led to another Aspen goal.

Steamboat pulled its goalkeeper in an effort to gain the advantage, but Aspen closed things out with an empty-net goal at the buzzer.

On Sunday, the two teams returned to the ice. Steamboat came out on the offensive firing 17 shots on the Aspen goalkeeper. But Aspen won on the war on the scoreboard by slipping two of the team's 13 shots past Steamboat goalkeeper Carol Vittore.

The losses came on the heels of another tough weekend for the Chix. On March 10, the team tied CU in a 2-2 game at Howelsen Ice Arena.

The Buffaloes jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, but the Steamboat women rebounded with a goal early in the second.

Lee Cox fed the puck to Jen Rose, who poked it in during a battle in front of the net. Steamboat took the lead about five minutes later.

This time Heidi Chapman broke down the ice and fed the puck to Schnackenberg, who scored.

But in the third period, back-to-back penalties hurt the local team. The Chix managed to kill the first infraction, but CU netted a goal just seven seconds into the second penalty.

The next day, the Chix lost to the Boulder team. This time the two teams played two scoreless periods, but the CU women exploded for three goals in the third to earn the 3-0 win.