The Colorado Junior Eagles Girls U19AA team participated in the Adele Dombroski tournament in Steamboat Springs this past weekend and played in one of the most memorable championship games in a long time.

The Eagles Girls started off the tournament with two straight shut-outs over Arvada and Co Springs. That setup a "make or break" game with another undefeated team: The Lady Grizzlies from Utah. Both the Eagles and the Grizzlies played their hearts out and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Jr. Eagles eliminated Utah's chances to make the championship game based on a better goal differential. The Eagles were now the number one seed moving into the championship against one of the strongest AA teams in the region, the host team of Steamboat Springs (who were also 2-0-1 in pool play).

Sunday's championship game was by all accounts one of the most well played, competitive games anyone had seen in a long time. Steamboat got on the board with an early goal but the Eagles fought back and tied it up in the second period. In the third period the Eagles took the lead but the Steamboat team quickly matched that goal and the teams were tied 2-2 at the end of regulation play. Neither team could crack the other teams goalie in overtime so the game went into a shoot-out. The standard 5 player shoot-out was still not enough to settle this game and it wasn't until the 9th player deep that Steamboat was able to take the championship. Both teams were completely drained by the end of this epic battle and congratulations and compliments were well deserved as both teams played clean and put on a great show for the fans.

Photos courtesy of Ann Hemminger.