Following a dominant campaign with the hometown team, seven Steamboat Springs girls hockey players have continued their reign of success on the ice with the Mountain Select 19U Tier II team. 

The Mountain Select team traveled to Dallas over the weekend to compete in the Rocky Mountain District Tournament against the top six 19U teams in the Rockies. 

Players who represented Steamboat Springs include: Brynn Becker; Taylor Bennett; Megan Boos; Reagan O’Connell; Violet O’Connell; Claire Shea and Mira Smith. They earned their selection to the team based on tryouts from the summer. Members of the team come from all areas of Colorado’s Western Slope. 

The district tournament began Thursday and the Mountain Select team was pinned against the tournament host, Dallas Stars Elite. 

“We hadn’t played them at all during the season and that was arguably one of the best games the girls played all season,” head coach Kerry Shea said. “We shut them out 4-0 to kick-off the tournament. That was a huge vote of confidence going into the next games.” 

From there, the girls played the New Mexico Mustangs, and a 5-0 win qualified the team for the district semifinal round Saturday night against the Boise Jr. Steelheads from Idaho. 

The Mountain Select team had little trouble with the Steelheads, winning 4-1, and was into Sunday’s district championship. Their opponent? The same Dallas team they faced to open the tournament. 

This time around, Dallas was quick to the punch and capitalized on two power plays early in the first period for the lead. 

Down 3-1 in the second period, Steamboat’s Mira Smith put things back on track for Mountain Select with a goal. That sparked a four-goal rally for the Colorado girls with no answer from Dallas. Mountain Select won 5-3, punching its ticket to the national competition. 

For a number of girls on the team, the national stage is a familiar place. Many of them competed for last year’s Mountain Select team that reached nationals in Michigan. The girls craved a return trip to the nationals heading into this season. 

“As we went through the goal setting process early on, the girls set that as their top goal,” coach Shea said. “I think they learned a lot from last year’s experience but that was at the top of the list. I’m super proud of them for being able to meet that goal and finish as strong as they did as the No. 1 seed in our district.” 

The national tournament begins April 2 in Cleveland. The Mountain Select team will face the best 19U girls hockey teams in the country, many of which come from much smaller regions and get to practice with consistency. Coach Shea said some of his girls have to travel 5-7 hours just for practice. The lack of time with the team puts added pressure on the players. 

“It’s something we try to schedule out in a rhythm and a cadence throughout the season to keep the chemistry and familiarity with the team,” coach Shea said. “At least once a month we get together from September through March but that really is about it … Win, lose or draw, I am super proud of these girls.”