On a night in which capes were the order of the day and perspective in great abundance, Nolan Williams rose to the occasion Jan. 24.
The Regis Jesuit senior scored go-ahead and insurance goals as a part of hat trick in a 5-3 victory over Cherry Creek at Family Sports Center that was about so much more than the final result.
The Raiders — and some of their fans — donned yellow capes for the game in honor of Kick Ash Cancer, an organization dedicated to helping children and teens battling cancer.
“We wore the capes for them and they were watching the game, so we made videos for them during the intermissions,” Williams said. “What they are going through is way harder than we’re going through on the ice, so hopefully we give them a little bit of hope.”
Coach Terry Ott’s Raiders — the defending Class 5A state champions on the ice — have created annual traditions designed to contributors to their community when they are off their skates.
Earlier in the season, they had their annual Teddy Bear Toss, where stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice after Regis Jesuit’s first goal and then were collected and distributed by the team at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Later, the Raiders continued a recent partnership with Kick Ash Cancer, which was founded by Taylor Ash, a hockey player herself at Summit High School who diagnosed with bone cancer in 2018. It is one of the organizations that seek to make an impact on childhood cancers, which the American Cancer Society estimates could include 9,550 newly diagnosed children under the age of 15 in 2025.
Regis Jesuit wore yellow capes during warmups and introductions and collected donations to contribute to Kick Ash Cancer as in years past.
“We really focus on the bigger picture,” Ott said. “Before the game, we were really concentrating on why we were wearing the capes. They use sports analogies all the time like ‘this is going to be a war’ or ‘this is going to be the fight of your life.’
“But when you really step back, sports are not war and we’re really not fighting for our lives. The young boys and girls who are suffering from osteosarcoma and other childhood cancers are in a fight for their life. …We hear from Taylor Ash all the time about what it meant to her to have people that she didn’t even know send her a card or words of encouragement. Getting to see just how much these videos and cards mean to somebody who is in a battle means a lot. Don’t take it for granted.”
Cherry Creek coach Jeff Mielnicki was glad his team got to be a part of the night.
“We got a chance to donate to the Kick Ash Cancer and those things make me really happy,” Mielnicki said. “I don’t think any child should have to suffer like that.”
Williams said everything the team does goes along with what Regis Jesuit aims for as a whole.
“One of our mottos at school is to be men with and for others,” he said. “It’s about doing something bigger than yourself and making an impact on your community.”
On top of their impactful contributions in the community, Regis Jesuit is playing well — at least in spurts — on the ice on an 8-5-1 start.
Ott has grown tired of his team facing early deficits as it has for two straight games, after it fell down 3-0 and rallied before losing 4-3 to Heritage Jan. 17 and then spotting the Bruins two goals before roaring back to earn the victory.
“This team in particular has a tendency to not start on time and we’ve dug ourselves a lot of holes,” Ott said. “But we appreciate the character they show and we know it will shine through regardless of what happens. …If we can figure out how to play a full three periods, we might be dangerous.”
The Raiders had to display plenty of grit to work their way back into a contest against Cherry Creek, which they tied 2-2 in the first meeting Dec. 20. The Bruins matched their goal total through the first 17 minutes in the rematch, however, as Austin Katz and Jack Linville scored early in the opening period.
Regis Jesuit, however, came out with three goals in the first five minutes of the second period as junior Alexander Warot and Williams scored even strength and senior Harry Sorensen tallied on the power play.
Cherry Creek got some momentum back a few minutes later with a tying goal from Matthew Lopez, but Williams made sure the momentum lasted just 12 seconds when he skated up the wing, switched to his backhand and scored in traffic.
“I was going to shoot it and when I was lining it up, the goalie took the bait,” Williams said. “I brought it backhand went far side. It felt good, but to be honest, it was a little lucky.”
Not as lucky as his last goal in the third period, when he passed in front to a teammate, but the puck deflected off a Cherry Creek defender and went into the net.
Sophomore goalie Easton Sparks made it stand up with a wild sequence of saves in the final two minutes with the Bruins playing 6-on-4.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
