In case you thought I was done writing about hockey for a while, I assure you there’s always something hockey to write about. My Pioneers may have recently entered the offseason on the highest of high notes, NCAA trophy in hand, but now my Avalanche just started their run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avs lead the series 2-0 over the Kings after winning in OT late last night (did you hear about the shattered glass delay?)! Today, however, I’m still thinking about the Pioneers.
Following the 11th national championship celebration in Magness Arena, it hit me that the Pioneers’ 2025-2026 hockey season is actually over. I both knew it and didn’t know it. And then, it wasn’t until I started paying attention to the transfer portal and seeing pictures of Pioneers signing contracts that it really clicked: this exact team will never play another game together. It’s rare for just about any hockey roster to stay perfectly intact from one season to another, but for some reason, the thought struck something familiar in me.
I’m not the only one who found similarities between DU’s 2022 and 2026 Frozen Four appearances. I’m still finding connections between the two years—including some personal parallels.
In 2022, I remember saying I wished I could bottle what I was feeling. That year, the Pioneers hosted (and triumphed in) the Loveland Regional then won their 9th national championship. I had the same thought then: this exact team will never play together again. About two months later, the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. The same week as Game Six, I finished one of my most ambitious writing projects that I had ever attempted up to that point. I didn’t have a trophy to hoist over my head, but I had worked hard and won many battles and though I’d been tempted to quit several times, the work was finally done. That project was among the major steps I took that year toward my goal of becoming a fiction writer.
Now, back to 2026. I have made more, and perhaps more visible strides toward my career goals this year. In January, I bought a domain, made a website, created business cards, and completed an ambitious novel revision project, just in time to attend my first conference in February. I continued polishing that novel in March and submitted short stories to contests and markets. The Pioneers hosted (and triumphed in) the Loveland Regional then won their 11th national championship.
So hey, Avalanche, now it’s your turn to continue the 2022 parallels. We want the Cup!
Time passes. Rosters change. Projects vary. History is rarely made of carbon copies, but history often rhymes with itself. I can’t bottle feelings like wine or travel in time, but in a way, through my writing, I will try.
I’ll keep you posted on my writing life and pursuit of publication, and as always, LET’S GO PIOS! GO AVS GO!
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