Steamboat Pilot & Today

There's a chance the members of the Steamboat Springs High School hockey team may have been looking ahead to today's game in Colorado Springs, but there is no question the team looked past Pueblo County on Friday night at home.

"I was disappointed in our effort on the ice tonight," coach Jeff Ruff said. "Our guys were looking past this team. They out-skated us, they beat us to the puck and they wanted to win more than we did."

The Hornets opened the scoring late in the first period and dictated the pace of the game for all three periods en route to a 3-1 win.

Pueblo County forward Brent Gerrett found the back of the net with just a few minutes left in the first. The two teams were scoreless in the second period before Steamboat tied the game early in the third, when Jon Winkelblech scored after getting a nice pass from teammate Cody Fritz to make the score 1-1 with plenty of time remaining.

But lapses in the Sailors defense allowed the Hornets to put the game away later in the third. Gage Henrich scored the go-ahead goal at the 10-minute mark, and Marcus Giebel got an insurance goal a few minutes later.

Despite the team's flat performance, Ruff complimented the blue line of Lance Ostrom, Gus Worden and Blayne Conroy.

"I'm really proud of those guys and the job they did for us tonight. They were a real bright spot," Ruff said. "But you need more than one line if you hope to win."

The coach expects a better effort from his team today when the Sailors travel to Colorado Springs to take on the 7-2 Rampart Rams.

-To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com