Upstream battle for Cutties ends with state title
Teton Valley Cutthroats complete their miracle run, win it all
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Hot on the heels of Jackson Hole’s overall successful hockey season is a true rags-to-riches story still reverberating over the hill in Teton Valley.
How ‘bout those Cutties, eh?
This motley bunch epitomizes Drake’s “Started from the Bottom.” Crowned IAHA State Champions last weekend, it was a long slog to the top for the Teton Valley High School’s Cutthroats.
The core of the team has been hardened, honed and inextricably bonded together by hardship. Many of those hoisting the cup Sunday began a decade ago playing together at 380 S. Agate St. in Victor on natural ice. The kids played when Mother Nature made it cold enough to skate.
When there was no ice, which was often, they ‘dry floor’ practiced at the fire station. Years went by when the hardscrabble crew showed up at tournaments with zero ice time—the laughing stock of the state. Time and again they would get run out of the rink, beaten by everyone but never dismayed.
Five years ago, Kotler Ice Arena got quality refrigeration, a Zamboni, and other amenities that made hockey practice a more reliable reality. The first high school team was officially formed in 2018 and the Cutthroats were born.
They lost every game they played that season. No problem. At least they weren’t practicing in a fire station.
The following season was better, but not much. The Cutthroats won 2 games.
Perseverance paid off. Last season the Cutties won 11 games and had even parents and coaches believing these kids just might win it all one day. That day was last Sunday. After winning 19 games in the 2021-22 season, the Teton Valley Cutthroats brought home the state banner, beating out 7 other teams for the title including Coeur D’Alene and Boise during their playoff run in Sun Valley last weekend.
That left just the big bad Salmon Rapids for the Sunday showdown. On goals by Owen Matkin and Austin Vanskike, and shutdown goaltending from Lucas Moore, the Cutthroats won that championship game 2-1.
“Started from the bottom, now the whole team here.”
