The Cheyenne Mountain hockey team was first to score but also first to unravel Friday afternoon when it hosted Aspen. The Indians allowed three third-period goals during their 5-3 loss at Sertich Ice Center.

Check out a gallery of photos from the game.

“We had a quick burst of energy there at the beginning, but we weren’t able to keep it going,” said Indians senior Ian Hodson, who scored in the second period. “We weren’t connecting well on passes, and things just weren’t happening right.”

Kevin Davis tied the game for Cheyenne Mountain at the 6:58 mark in the third period with his second goal.During a 5-on-3 advantage, Davis slapped the puck between Aspen goalie Zach Ware’s legs to tie the score 3-3. 

“That was big for us,” Indians coach Mike Provenzano said of Davis’ tally. “We had been struggling on the power play earlier, but we did a pretty good job getting back in the game there.”

Cheyenne Mountain (2-2) was unable to convert on four earlier power-play opportunities.

In order to seal the win, the Skiers (2-1-1) depended on senior James Pardee, who had a hat trick and an assist. Pardee gave Aspen the game-winner with less than 7 minutes remaining, and Taylor Mayer’s empty-net goal finished the scoring.

“James has been an integral player for us this year,” Skiers coach Al Butler said of the senior forward, who also scored three in Aspen’s 5-1 win over Summit. “He’s been a leader for us, and luckily we were able to transition the puck well today and get our forecheck going.”

Cheyenne Mountain’s early scores were immediately answered by Aspen. Davis put the Indians on the scoreboard first near the 13-minute mark in the first period, but Pardee’s score less than a minute later tied it up. Hodson put Cheyenne Mountain up 2-1 in the second, but Aspen’s Bo Writer was fed in front of the crease by Pardee to even the score again.

“It was kind of back and forth there, but they were able to keep up the pressure,” said Brenten Ward, one of several Cheyenne Mountain players returning from injury. “We just need to get everybody back out there and put it all together.”

Cheyenne Mountain’s Kevin Davis was denied by Aspen goalie Zach Ware and defenders Nicky Ufkes, left, and Coby Langley on Friday. Photo by CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE