Varsity boys hockey’s charge to a trophy was cut short in a 4-3 loss to Poudre School District in a semifinal matchup on March 1 in Colorado Springs. But before their loss, they led a strong postseason effort, getting a bye in round one and beating Regis on Feb. 25. Even in the semis, they came close to victory – until they opened the door for the Stars to make a comeback victory.

But for senior defenseman and assistant captain Cooper Huang (#10), it wasn’t the worst ending.

“My senior season was unlike any other season I’ve had,” Huang said. “It was truly one of the most enjoyable hockey seasons I’ve ever had. The team this year had so much chemistry and love for each other which made every moment together so fun.”

See moments from the postseason below.

Creek’s season record against Regis didn’t bode well for their postseason matchup at South Suburban Sports Complex, despite Creek being seeded fourth to the Raiders’ fifth. They drew 2-2 on Dec. 20, 2024, but lost 5-3 on Jan. 24.

Yet, the Bruins steamed through the game: a stalemate 0-0 first period signaled a tough matchup – until Creek dominated the second with a trio of goals in the second, followed by an insurance goal and an empty net goal to seal it 5-1, with Regis’s one goal coming late.

“Total team effort,” Head Coach Jeff Mielnicki said afterwards. “They won all 51 minutes. The effort that they gave today, 100% wasn’t enough, so they gave 120.”

Mielnicki wasn’t looking to change their playstyle going into the Poudre game, impressed by the game he had just seen his players skate.

“They just got to play the same way,” he said. “There’s no reason to change something for any single team. The heart of a good team is you play to your best and just execute.”

Two quarterfinal barnburners set the stage for a big semifinal game against Poudre, the top seed in the state. As Creek came out on top 5-1, the Stars had dramatically beat Mountain Vista 8-2 the same night.

Poudre had been a juggernaut all season, winning all games except for a couple draws (one of them against Creek) and a loss to, coincidentally, the same Mountain Vista squad they had dismantled the previous round.

As the teams met in the Ed Robson Arena on Colorado College’s campus, Creek got off to a good start, with Huang scoring in the first period while senior goaltender Payton Mills (#31) shut out Poudre.

After knocking in an own goal credited to junior center Davis Ritter (#9), the Stars struck back with a score to make it 2-1. But with seconds left in the second, Creek launched one last counterattack – Junior attacker Shotik Badashyan (#27) took a shot, which rebounded onto the stick of junior attacker Brady Kopeck (#13), who scored.

The goal came with 0.7 seconds left.

“That goal gave us the energy we needed going into the third,” Huang said. “After letting a tough goal up just before that, we needed to end the period off strong, which is what we did.”

But Poudre stormed back in the third, pushing Creek to overtime with a powerplay goal one minute in and an equalizer with one minute left.

A tense first overtime passed with no scoring, and Poudre sealed their invitation to the finals with a goal just 30 seconds into the second.

“Definitely was one of the most tough losses I have been a part of and it definitely sucks knowing how good of a team we had,” senior attacker Garrett Linville (#6) said. “Such a great group of guys with amazing leadership but no results to show for it.”

Huang was still happy with the season overall, compared to his expectations for 2025.

“Although we fell short during playoffs, I’m insanely proud of what we accomplished this year,” he said. “After losing 19 seniors last year, a Frozen Four appearance and a trip to nationals exceeds all expectations.”

Mielnicki shared Huang’s sentiment.

“I’m really proud of every player that bought into a role in the playoffs, players that were in the lineup, players that weren’t in the lineup,” Mielnicki said. “They’ve all been there trying to create one effort to represent Cherry Creek the best they can.”

See more moments below.