Mile High Blizzard Sweeps Black Forest Thunder to Advance to Rocky Mountain North Final

📅 Date: March 8, 2025
📍 Venue: Pepsi Roller Sports Arena
🔢 Final Score (Game 1): Mile High Blizzard 6, Black Forest Thunder 1
🔢 Final Score (Game 2): Mile High Blizzard 5, Black Forest Thunder 2

Series Recap

The Mile High Blizzard wasted no time asserting their dominance in the Semi-Pro Rocky Mountain North Division Semi-Finals, sweeping the Black Forest Thunder in two games to secure their place in the division final.

Game 1 saw the Blizzard come out firing, scoring three unanswered goals in the first period and outshooting the Thunder 31-16 overall. Shaun Linger led the way with three points, while goaltender Ryan Wass-Tursick turned aside 15 of 16 shots in a commanding 6-1 victory.

Game 2 was more of the same, as the Blizzard capitalized early, building a two-goal lead in the first period and never looking back. Linger struck again with two goals in the second period, including a shorthanded tally. The Blizzard’s defense held strong, allowing just 14 shots on goal as they closed out the series with a 5-2 win.

With the sweep, Mile High advances to the Rocky Mountain North Division Final, where they will face the winner of the highly anticipated Littleton Fire vs. Des Moines Leaf Ray series, which saw an overtime thriller in Game 1.

Game 1 Highlights (Mile High 6, Black Forest 1)

1st Period:

✅ 08:07 – Mile High Goal (1-0): Austin Resseguie opened the scoring with an even-strength goal, assisted by Colton Davis.
✅ 05:01 – Mile High Goal (2-0): Collin Fitzgerald extended the lead off a setup from Shaun Linger.
✅ 00:10 – Mile High Goal (3-0): Fitzgerald struck again just before the buzzer, giving the Blizzard full control.

🚨 Black Forest Held Without a Goal: The Thunder struggled to generate offense in the opening period, managing just three shots on goal.

2nd Period:

✅ 08:53 – Mile High Goal (4-0): Logan Baker added to the lead, finishing a feed from Resseguie.
✅ 05:19 – Black Forest Goal (4-1): Koby Jones put the Thunder on the board with an even-strength goal.
✅ 04:34 – Mile High Goal (5-1): Jason Reiger responded quickly, assisted by Mickey Phillips and Skyler Davis.
✅ 01:06 – Mile High Goal (6-1): Reiger added his second of the night to seal the Game 1 win.

🛑 Goaltending Performance:
🏆 Ryan Wass-Tursick (Mile High) – 15 saves on 16 shots
💪 Vance Grabow (Black Forest) – 25 saves on 31 shots

📌 Final Shots on Goal: Mile High 31 – Black Forest 16

Game 2 Highlights (Mile High 5, Black Forest 2)

1st Period:

✅ 07:40 – Mile High Goal (1-0): Logan Baker gave the Blizzard an early lead.
✅ 06:09 – Mile High Goal (2-0): Shaun Linger struck off assists from Austin Resseguie and Dylan Acker.

🔥 Blizzard Defense Controls the Game: Black Forest struggled to find open ice, only managing two first-period shots.

2nd Period:

✅ 09:50 – Mile High Goal (3-0): Jason Reiger extended the lead with an unassisted goal.
✅ 05:42 – Black Forest Goal (3-1): Jeremy Harbour finally broke through for the Thunder.
✅ 02:22 – Mile High Goal (4-1, SH): Linger added a shorthanded goal, showing why he’s one of the league’s best two-way players.
✅ 00:55 – Mile High Goal (5-1, EN): Linger completed his dominant night with an empty-net goal.
✅ 00:30 – Black Forest Goal (5-2): Landon Menard scored a late consolation goal for the Thunder.

🛑 Goaltending Performance:
🏆 Shawn Bulduck (Mile High) – 12 saves on 14 shots
💪 Vance Grabow (Black Forest) – 13 saves on 17 shots

📌 Final Shots on Goal: Mile High 18 – Black Forest 14

Series Takeaways:

🔥 Blizzard’s Offensive Depth Shines: Mile High got production from all areas, with multiple players stepping up in both games.
💪 Shaun Linger is a Game Changer: Linger finished the series with five points, including two crucial goals in Game 2.
🔄 Black Forest Struggles to Generate Offense: The Thunder were limited to just 30 shots across two games, struggling to break through Mile High’s defensive wall.

🏆 What’s Next?

With the sweep, the Mile High Blizzard advance to the Rocky Mountain North Final, where they will face the winner of Littleton Fire vs. Des Moines Leaf Ray in a battle for a spot in the PIHA Finals.

📅 Next Game: Rocky Mountain North Division Final – March 9, 2025

Can the Blizzard continue their dominant run, or will their next opponent provide a bigger challenge? Stay tuned! 🔥🏒