PALMER LAKE – It took months of planning and effort for 40 minutes of hockey to get played on Palmer Lake. And every minute was worth it judging from the smile on Scott Bradley’s face.
The Lewis-Palmer hockey coach was the mastermind and the architect behind the foundation pond hockey game between Lewis-Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain. He was supposed to be part of a regulation outdoor game a couple years ago when the NHL brought the Winter Classic to the Air Force Academy. L-P and Pine Creek were set to play on the final night of a triple-header, but a blizzard cancelled the game.
Since then, outdoor hockey has been on Bradley’s mind. That dream became a reality as his team battled the Red-Tailed Hawks. Cheyenne Mountain won the game 4-1, but it technically doesn’t count. But no one would know it when looking at Bradley’s reaction, along with the reaction of both teams.
“The athletes had fun, goals were scored, penalties were had and no one got hurt,” Bradley said. “And we got a ton of people out here at Palmer Lake.”
The crowd would’ve been an impressive draw for any regular season hockey game. The threat of cool temperatures driven by windy conditions turned away no one fans came out in droves.
The Red-Tailed Hawks scored the first goal of the game before Trevor Bradley tied the game up for Lewis-Palmer. The biggest issue for the players was an adjustment in eyesight. On a normal sheet of ice, the white surface allows for picking up the puck very easily while the black surface of Palmer Lake made seeing it a tad more difficult.
“Eyesight was rough and we couldn’t see the puck a lot of the time,” Trevor said. “We just kind of made out with what we did and had some fun playing pond hockey.”
The game remained tied late into the second half where both teams received power play opportunities – which in pond hockey means it’s the goalie who comes off the ice – but neither could convert on those opportunities.
With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Noah Bonnett scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal. But it was the start of a wave of goals as the Hawks netted two more before time ran out to get the win.
“It was awesome just to be out here with the boys and celebrate with the team,” Bonnett said. “I’m thankful to (Lewis-Palmer) for having us out here. We had a great time.”
In Bradley’s mind, this is just the first game of what hopefully becomes an annual tradition. Unseasonably warm weather threw a fair share of hiccups into the process. Bradley was thrilled to see the game get played and has already started thinking about things he would change or potentially do better in the future.
“We knew Round 1 was going to be a lot of lessons learned,” he said. “We’ll go back and have a hot wash, if you will, get a debrief on items that could’ve gone better. I was taking mental notes the whole time.”
But for now, he gets to celebrate a successful venture to provide a unique atmosphere to high school hockey. The ability to create an event such as a pond hockey game and share it with his players, community and family is something he’ll never forget.”
“I’m a coach but I’m also a dad and a husband,” Bradley said. “It’s great having my family out here. I don’t have the words.”
