Jesse and Wyatt
Jesse Ellis is a junior playing for Boise State. Sophomore Wyatt Sheppard plays for Montana State University.
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Cole and Wyatt
Cole Sulenta and Wyatt Sheppard. Cole is a freshman at the University of Wyoming this year.
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Locals play college-level hockey
by Craig Sheppard
December 2, 2004
Three former Pinedale Glacier Hockey players are playing this year in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). They are Junior Jesse Ellis (Boise State University), Sophomore Wyatt Sheppard (Montana State University) and freshman Cole Sulenta (University of Wyoming). These three young men grew up playing for the local teams on the outdoor sheet of ice in Pinedale. Only Cole was around to enjoy the friendly confines of the new Sublette Indoor Ice Arena.
These players are playing in a division referred to as “collegiate club hockey” with Montana State and Boise State being in Division 2 and the University of Wyoming in Division 3. Wyoming won the ACHA Division 3 National title back in 2000-01 and were runner up in 2001-02.
At the beginning of the college school year hockey players that are going to that college participate in 2-3 weeks of tryouts, with each week more players are cut until they come up with a team with a roster of between 17-22 skaters and 2 or 3 goalies. Each team started out with about 100 hockey players competing for the coveted 22 roster spots. Players from all over the nation and Canada are on these rosters. They participate against University teams from all over the Western United States of which all are trying to be ranked high enough to go the National playoffs.
Boise State and Montana State are bitter rivals and play two weekend series against each other each year. The first meeting this fall in Bozeman saw the Montana State team take both games by scores of 5 to 3 Friday night and then Saturday night 10-3. Both games were fiercely contested and both are looking forward to the rematch up in Boise December 4-5.
On a road weekend to Denver, Montana State played Metro State and won both games and then on their way home on Sunday stopped by Laramie to play the University of Wyoming. Here the University of Wyoming got out to a fast lead before Montana State tied them and went on to win by a score of 3-2.
As far as their records so far this year, the Montana State Hellcats have 7 wins and 2 losses, the Boise State Broncos have 4 wins and 4 losses and the University of Wyoming Cowboys have a 2 win – 2 loss record.
These players all three grew up here in Pinedale and graduated from Pinedale High School. They learned to love the game of hockey here and are now continuing on with their passion. Come out and watch some of the local younger players trying to duplicate or even go farther than what these three have accomplished. There are games almost every weekend at our rink throughout the winter. Jesse Ellis is the son of Patty and Mark Ellis, Cole Sulenta is the son of John and Susie Sulenta and Wyatt Sheppard is the son of Ellen and Craig Sheppard.
Photos courtesy Craig Sheppard
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