Denver, Colo. --  Goalie George Maresh made six saves in the final 46 seconds, and Gary Skogen and Chris Norris scored goals to give the Coors Light Colorado Climax a 2-1 win over Regis University and its fifth divisional championship in the mainstream Ice Centre Adult Hockey League on April 18 in Westminster, Colo.

Skogen scored the first goal at 12:44 of the first period to give the Climax a 1-0 lead. The Climax took a 2-0 lead at 9:01 of the second period when Norris swept in a rebound off of Matt Archer’s shot. 

Regis scored a short-handed goal at 15:23 of the second period, but Maresh’s stellar goaltending held them to the lone goal.  He stopped six shots on goal in a wild flurry of scoring chances in the final minute of the game, including successive pad saves in the crease.

Erik Kirkland was awarded the championship trophy by his teammates after the game, in recognition of his consistently outstanding contribution to the team’s success.

The Climax had split the regular season series against Regis, a team of university students with years of experience and the advantages of youthful endurance and quickness. 

Climax Notes – Climax forward Brian Free led the division with 58 points including 38 goals and 20 assists. Chris Norris finished fifth with 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points …  George Maresh led all goalies in the division with 3.24 goals against average and save percentage of 88% … In an ironic twist, the goalie for Regis in their championship game loss to the Climax was substitute Matt Jenkins, who had also substituted for the Climax during the regular season … The Climax finished the regular season with a 19-3-2-1 record, second only to their undefeated championship season of 2002.