Sometimes a team’s record is not everything, as the Fort Collins area hockey team has qualified for the postseason as a teen seed despite being well below .500. 

The Lambkins were victims of their circumstances, as they were one of the top seven teams last year that all got moved into the same conference. As a result, their record in conference play was abysmal, finishing 0-11-1 in the 5A Metro league. Senior goaltender, Bennett Johnson, was absolutely aware of how this difficult schedule affected the psyche of the squad.

“There’s been some ups and downs,” Johnson says. “Kind of a disappointing result in the conference but we are going against the top teams in the state so you have to take that with a grain of salt.”

As a result this added plenty of pressure to their non conference schedule, as Collins was in desperate need of wins down the stretch. Luckily, the team was up to the challenge, going 3-1 in those games, including a win against playoff opponent Chaparral.

“It was important for us to get those wins at home as well,” Johnson says. “It’s important to keep it in our minds that we can beat a lot of these teams.”

The Lambkins pulled out the 6-5 overtime win on senior night to defeat Chaparral, even after trailing by three goals after the first period. But this experience in dealing with their early firepower has taught Fort Collins plenty that they hope to take into their rematch.

“They definitely get out to some quick leads,” Johnson says. “Going forward we’re going to try and shut down their defensemen, take away their time and space…slow the game down and just swarm them.”

Fort Collins will be looking for their first road win of the season in this playoff matchup, after going 0-5-1 away from home during the regular season. Chaparral is an extremely talented team at home, with a 6-1 record during the regular season to give them a clear edge in that department. 

However, even with the odds stacked against them, the Lambkins are ready to show up and shock the world. 

“It definitely took us a while, but I think we’re getting hot at the right time,” Johnson says. 

The #10 Fort Collins Lambkins will play the #7 Chaparral Wolverines at the Family Sports Center in Centennial on Friday, February 24 at 7:50 p.m.