LHA uses home-ice advantage to secure 14U Tier II 3A national title at Edge Ice Arena

Continued from Page 6 fever pitch when Makowski tallied a goal of his own with 8:26 to go to give Littleton its first lead.

For the final five minutes, the Warriors dominated possession in their offensive zone, eventually breaking through on Joseph Aiello’s scrappy rebound with 47 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.

The Hawks had the extra gear in overtime, consistently winning battles for loose pucks and maintaining more possession on the offensive end.

Lien credited sustained success to the forecheck.

“We changed our forecheck about 10 minutes into the first period and right after that, the whole attitude changed,” Gour said. “I remember saying, ‘OK, we’re ready to go now, boys,’ because we really started getting all over them.

“At the end of the day, that was the best thing for us because the other team was exhausted.”

The Hawks are yet another champion for the self-anointed Hockey Capital, USA, in Denver.

Last year, the Colorado Avalanche, the University of Denver, Denver East High School and the Pee-Wee Jr. Avs all secured national championships at their respective levels, kicking off a combined hockey celebration in the city.

That celebration continued today, as the Littleton Hawks won the 3A titles in the 14U and 16U Tier II tournaments.

Goeb said hockey has always been strong in the Denver suburbs, particularly those south and west of the city. But the coach hopes that this championship will further spur growth for the sport for local kids.

“It’s a dream come true. We’ve been pushing it hard after (Sunday’s) late OT win,” Gour said, referencing the Hawks’ 4-3 win over the Ashburn Xtreme. “Late OT-winner in that one and again today. It’s a surreal feeling and there’s nothing but smiles.”

“It’s even more special because our 16U team brought it home in New York, and the 18s had a great showing as well,” Gour said. “All of the Hawks organization had a great showing this year. We just want to continue to grow and continue down this path that we’re on.”