The Poudre School District ice hockey team has officially secured the No. 1 seed in the Colorado high school Class 5A playoffs.
This comes as no surprise.
The Stars have had an outstanding regular season, arguably one of the best in the team’s history. Their top spot was clinched with a 3-1 victory over Cherry Creek in their final game last week.
The playoff brackets were released on Monday, and PSD dominated, finishing first in both the MaxPreps ratings and RPI averages used by CHSAA for the seeding.
As the top seed, the Stars earn a first-round bye and will face the winner of the No. 8 Mountain Vista and No. 9 Ralston Valley matchup in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 25.
With a record of 16-1-2, PSD has been unstoppable since their season opener before Thanksgiving. They’ve won 10 straight games and are unbeaten in their last 18 contests. The Stars are heavy favorites to claim their first state championship, nearly a decade into the program’s existence. While the team has come close in recent years, including two heartbreaking one-goal losses to Valor Christian in the 2020 and 2021 state championship games, this year’s squad has been nothing short of dominant.
In 19 games, the Stars have outscored opponents 80-36, with only two of their 16 victories being by a single goal. Since their 7-6 overtime loss to Mountain Vista on November 22, they’ve allowed three goals or fewer in every game except two.
The team also boasts incredible talent and depth across the roster. Senior winger Hayden Williamson is set to repeat as a 5A first-team all-state player, leading the state with 24 goals and ranking fourth in 5A with 35 points. Senior goalie Hayden Stolz is second in the state for goals allowed, averaging just 1.55 per game.
Other key players include Danny Campbell (8 goals, 18 assists), Jackson Siegel (8 goals, 8 assists), and Matthew Yunker (6 goals, 11 assists). Defensively, Vaughn Slocum and Zach Bucholt anchor a tough back line, while goalie Kody Cadwell has a save percentage over 90%. The Stars are coached by Riley Nelson, a former Colorado Eagles player and fan favorite, now in his fourth season as head coach.
The team has also “avenged” both of their ties this season, defeating No. 2 Monarch and No. 4 Cherry Creek. If Mountain Vista wins their first-round matchup, the Stars could face them again.
A state championship would be historic for PSD, and they could also break the program’s record for wins in a season with a 3-0 playoff run, reaching 19 wins, surpassing the 2020 state runner-up team’s record of 18.
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