The Santa Clarita Women’s Hockey Team faced a challenging situation when they took to the ice one day after a tragic accident in Colorado claimed the life of a teammate’s father. The 12-and-under team participated in a tournament in Littleton, Colorado, after a snowplow collided with their van carrying team members.
This incident, which occurred just outside Denver, left eight young athletes and an adult injured. Unfortunately, the driver of the snowplow, who was the father of one of the players, died in the crash.
Amid this heartbreaking event, one of the Lady Flyers bravely suited up and led the team to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies on Friday. A hockey mom shared that the girls, demonstrating remarkable resilience, voted to continue playing despite the ordeal.
“They won their first game today and are feeling the love and support from the hockey community,” wrote one of the mothers in a Facebook post, which included highlights from the game.
The accident reportedly happened shortly before 9 a.m. on a snowy stretch of Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, approximately 85 miles west of Denver.
The Lady Flyers were en route to the Western Girls Hockey League tournament when their van was involved in a head-on collision with a Colorado Department of Transportation snowplow.
The impact was considerable, damaging the snowplow and causing the van to veer off the interstate. Authorities confirmed that the driver of the snowplow was the sole fatality and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Out of the ten individuals in the van, eight sustained injuries, including three team members, as reported.
According to KTLA, the van had been rented by three families from the team to transport the young players to the tournament.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak we are experiencing,” said Prescott Littlefield, the President of the Santa Clarita Flyers, in a statement following the accident. “Please keep these families in your prayers.”
