Boys’ varsity hockey went into Feb. 2’s matchup against Regis Jesuit at Family Sports Center with hopes of gaining a place from third in the 5A metro division standings and solidifying their national rank at tenth. Instead, they were met with devastating defeat.

It wasn’t a normal defeat, though: A 7-1 blowout, which Creek Head Coach Jeff Mielnicki called a “one-sided affair.”

Senior goalie Jack Ryan (#31), who stood on the receiving end of the Regis attack, couldn’t pin the defeat on any one aspect of the team. “I don’t want to blame it all on the defense, I don’t want to blame it all on the offense, I don’t want to blame it all on me,” Ryan said. “I think everybody had a bad game tonight.”

Every Regis goal was scored by a different player. But players like senior defenseman Jake Crowell (#27, three assists) and senior forward Reece Peterson (#25, one goal, two assists) led the Regis offense to a not-so-narrow victory.

“They played strong,” Ryan said. “They had a lot of chemistry. This is a tough day for our whole team.”

But Ryan wasn’t completely dejected. “We just had a rough game all around,” he said. “I think it’s something to reflect on and get ready for next week.”

Mielnicki had a similar outlook. “This is an example of the team knocking you down. You got to find a way to…fight back,” Mielnicki said. “What it does is it tests how much you value this game.”

The one moment of hope for Creek came with junior center and right winger Austin Katz’s (#20) goal in the second period, which brought the score to a momentary 3-1, before Regis returned the score to a three goal-deficit.

“Obviously, it felt good,” Katz said. “The game wasn’t really that bad at the time.”

A major factor in the loss was penalty time; Creek allowed four power plays to Regis’s two. Armed with those eight minutes of four-on-five player hockey, Regis converted two goals.

After the loss, Creek now has three opponents remaining before the postseason, two of which they have already defeated. First up: Denver East, who they beat 5-2 on Jan. 20, then Monarch, who they beat 4-3 on Dec. 2, and Resurrection Christian, who lies 26th in Colorado standings. vs. Creek’s 3rd. Both Mielnicki and his players took this loss as a way to prepare for the valuable matches coming soon.

“The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to have the most success and I think we got exposed a little bit tonight,” Mielnicki said. “The closer you get to the playoffs, the more important the games are, and the teams tighten up their offensive and defensive zones.”

The team’s top assister, senior center and left winger Eric Burggraf (#8) was glad to get the loss over with, with time left in the regular season. “We know what we did wrong and we know what to improve on,” Burggraf said. “I think it’s great that we got this out of the way this early on.”

Mielnicki has full confidence with his players as they get to the stressful playoffs.

“These are mentally tough kids,” he said. “They didn’t expect a result like this. [But] They work hard. I [have] full faith in them.”

Katz doesn’t care about the stats. He’s seen his team’s energy and chemistry firsthand. “We’ll bounce back,” he said. “I think we’re still the best team in the state.”

See moments from the game below.

Gallery | 22 Photos

Peter Philpott

Senior goalie Jack Ryan (left, #31)) and junior defenseman Cooper Huang (#10) line up on the rink before the national anthem plays.