The Glenwood Springs Demons varsity hockey team made a statement in their 2024-25 home opener Saturday night, cruising to an 8-2 victory over the Crested Butte Titans.

“It’s a cold night in the cave,” legendary announcer and hockey mom Amy Roggie said before the game. But the Demons showed no signs of feeling the chill as they stormed to a 2-0 start to the season.

The Demons opened their campaign Friday with a thrilling overtime win against Summit, scoring with four seconds left. They carried that momentum into their home opener at Glenwood Ice Rink, dismantling the Titans in front of an energetic home crowd.

“Our captains and seniors have been great setting the tone and educating our underclassmen about our culture and expectations on and off the ice,” Demons head coach Tim Cota said. “They know we are a family and how to bring that family together.”

The Demons’ second line delivered a standout performance in the home opener, contributing four of the team’s eight goals and tallying at least one point each. Junior Brady Luetke scored the first goal of the season late in the first period, taking a feed from senior Brayden Dacuma in the high slot and firing a shot past the Titans’ goalie.

“We want to have multiple threats and multiple waves of offense throughout the game,” Cota said. “Our gold line was buzzing offensively for sure. We want to be able to ham and egg it when necessary.”

The Titans briefly tied the game at 1-1 with two minutes left in the first period, capitalizing on a cherry-picking play. Freshman goalie Isaac Zevin made two initial stops, but a deflected shot found the back of the net. The Demons quickly responded, retaking the lead 30 seconds later with a highlight-reel passing play involving the entire second line. Dacuma buried a quick snapshot in front of the net off feeds from Luetke and junior Luke Phillips.

From there, Glenwood never looked back. The Demons exploded in the second period, outscoring Crested Butte 3-1 to build a commanding 5-2 lead. Senior co-captain Jacob Roggie, senior Beck Weatherred, and Phillips each netted goals in the period.

“There were some home ice butterflies last night, but we settled in quickly,” Cota said. “Our senior core knows how important each game in our conference play is, and we always look forward to playing in front of our fans in our own barn.”

The Demons poured it on in the third period, adding three more goals to seal the blowout. Luetke finished with two goals, while Roggie contributed a goal and an assist. Dacuma, Weatherred, Phillips, senior Mikal Martin, and senior Jacob Stockdill rounded out the scoring.

Since moving to 4A, the Demons have cemented their status as a powerhouse. Under Cota’s leadership, the team has earned consecutive top-three finishes in state rankings, including a trip to the state championship in 2022-23. Despite offseason questions about their ability to maintain dominance after graduating key seniors, Glenwood has shown no signs of slowing down.

With 13 underclassmen on the roster, the Demons have already scored 13 goals in two games, solidifying their position as the team to beat. Their next challenge will be maintaining this momentum as they aim for another deep postseason run.