Chatfield’s big win has it on brink

One doesn’t have to ask Chatfield head coach Mark Glombecki twice. There was no question this was the Chargers’ biggest win of the season. And it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.
With Aspen and Summit nipping out its heels for one of the final playoff spots in the Foothills Conference, Chatfield, behind two Tyler Seltenreich goals, scored a 7-1 victory over the visiting Sailors at the Edge Ice Arena.
The win was not only Chatfield’s ninth of the season, but the two points pushed it to 13 overall in conference play entering final regular-season games with Dakota Ridge and Mullen on Feb. 15-16.
“It was a huge win. We’re both tied for that last-place seed to get in the playoffs. We knew going into this game we had to get this game. We basically treated it like a playoff game. The rest of them the rest of the year are playoff games,” Glombecki said. “We’re not losing anymore this year. That’s what we told them and they brought into it.”
It was Chatfield’s first win against a team with double-digit wins since beating Monarch on Dec. 17. And the Chargers (9-6-1, 13 points Foothills Conference) won this one every way they could.
Seltenreich opened the scoring with a power-play tally 11 minutes, 55 seconds into the first period. Then early in the second period, Connor Elliott scored short-handed before Seltenreich scored again to push Chatfield’s lead to 3-0 before Steamboat Springs (11-6-1, 13 points) even knew what hit it.
“We were just playing together, getting the puck going, getting men in front and getting shots on net,” Seltenreich said.
Yes, Steamboat Springs answered Seltenreich’s second goal with a short-handed score of its own from John Wharton, but that would be the only answer the Sailors had for Chatfield goaltender Matt Smith.
“Steamboat’s a good team, but I think we stuck with them. It was a lot of fun to play out there,” said Smith, who finished with 17 saves.
Chatfield closed the game with four unanswered goals from Kurtis Youse, Grady Mcguire, Nick Heffner and Kyle Davis. For Mcguire, who deflected in a one-timer from Riley Barta, it was the fourth-liner’s first goal of the season.
“I don’t know,” Mcguire said if the shot ricocheted off his shoulder pads, “I’m just happy I got it.”
The way Chatfield played on this day everything was going in. It just may have been the awakening this sleeping giant needed with the playoffs around the corner.

Gabriel Christus

Chatfield’s Kurtis Youse (10) celebrates with Tyler Seltenreich after scoring a goal against Steamboat Springs on Feb. 10 at the Edge Ice Arena. The Chargers pounded out a 7-1 win to inch closer to a postseason berth.

Buy this photo

Gabriel Christus

Chatfield’s Conner Elliot scores a goal on Steamboat Springs goaltender Trent Trask on Feb. 10 at the Edge Ice Arena.

Buy this photo

Gabriel Christus

The Chatfield Chargers, clearing the bench after their win over Steamboat Springs, will close out the regular season Feb. 15-16 against Dakota Ridge and Mullen at the Edge Ice Arena.

Buy this photo