Park City hockey players win Utah’s national Grizz Cup

The Grizz Cup Champion Ogden Jr. Mustangs, with some students of the Park City High School. Photo: Branden Clark Photography // courtesy of Jennifer Traeger

NORTHERN UTAH — Youth ice hockey teams from around the country converged in Northern Utah from Friday to Monday for the Grizz Cup.

Park City High School (PCHS) Sophomore Cooper Ford was born and raised in Park City. Like multiple hockey players in Park City, however, including Park City Treasure Mountain Jr. High School eighth grader Evan Snihurowych, he travels the hour to Ogden for after-school practices to participate on different teams for different reasons.

Ford’s 16U AA Ogden Jr. Mustangs won the whole division, receiving the Grizz Cup trophy and banner.

Mustang’s Tournament Results:

• Colorado’s Littleton Hawks, Mustangs  won 5-1
• California’s San Diego Saints, Mustangs lost 3-4
• Florida’s Tampa Bay Crunch, Mustangs won 7-0 
• Nevada’a Vegas Jr. Golden Knights, semis, Mustangs won 6-3
• Littleton Hawks, championships Mustangs won 3-1

“Winning is always fun, but winning at home makes it even better. The best part of the weekend was that we played together as a unit. Every person on the roster was essential and did their part to help us win.” Ford, Mustang’s forward, told TownLift.

The Mustangs include athletes from PCHS, Brighton High School, Roland Hall, DaVinci Academy in Ogden, and several Provo and Spanish Fork schools.

In the championship game, the Mustang’s Hunter Jaques scored a crucial goal in the first period taking a shot from the blue line, and evening, the score at 1-1. Cooper Ford, assisted by Anders Waugaman, scored off a pass from behind the net to take the lead. Camden McDonald scored the final goal during a Mustangs penalty kill.

B through AA teams made up of 9-year-olds to 17-year-olds traveled to the Salt Lake Valley from, among others, Idaho, Washington, Virginia, and Montana.

Games were contested throughout Northern Utah, from the County Ice Center in Murray to the semifinals at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden to the Steiner Ice Arena in Salt Lake City championship game.