SPORTS

For Brighton soccer teams, friends are rivals

Brighton stays undefeated, tops Prairie View in cross town matchup

BY JUAN ARELLANO SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

What better way to add some lateseason drama than a rivalry game that has playoff implications.

The Brighton Bulldogs came into the April 26 East Metro Athletic Conference match against their cross-town rivals, the Prairie View ThunderHawks, with a record of 6-5-1, undefeated with a record of 6-0 in conference play. On the other hand, Prairie View went into the game with a record of 4-7-1, 4-1 in the EMAC.

On top of that, many players from Prairie View and Brighton are familiar with each other as they played club soccer together. So, as Prairie View’s senior midfi elder and captain Elle Haas described the feeling before stepping onto the pitch, this isn’t a regular game.

“Exciting. It kind of is very scary ... always nervous,” said Haas.

Although the game was important for Brighton’s junior midfi elder Karly Lambert, she tried not to think too much about the other factors when facing the ThunderHawks.

“Honestly it’s the same thing. Like you play the same way, but you’re defi nitely still family at the end because they were a team before,” said Lambert.

Many times “friendly competition” brings out the best in teams and it did for both squads this time. Prairie View created multiple goalscoring opportunities in the fi rst half, which eventually led to senior midfi elder Chloe Gray’s goal from the penalty spot.

“I think we played well, we played one of the best games of the season, passing well. We had some opportunities, but sometimes it just happens,” said Haas.

The second half was fought with the same intensity as the fi rst. But Brighton’s offensive game was too much to handle for the ThunderHawks. As Lambert said, “We were defi nitely down at fi rst, but I think we all brought it together and realized that we really wanted this and just went back and fought at it.”

Jayla Sheeded got the fi rst goal for the Bulldogs while Faith Rivero scored an amazing goal late in the second half to give Brighton the win.

“It was a shot opportunity and yeah, you just got to take them. It was just crazy,” she said.

With the 2-1 win, the Bulldogs remained undefeated in conference play at 7-0 while the ThunderHawks fell to 4-2 against league opponents. Once the fi nal whistle blew and the ball stopped rolling, there were smiles, hugs, and no hard feelings between the friendly rivals.

“It was fun because I played with some of those players,” said Haas.

Rivero said, ”Before you go in as friends. When you play the game, you’re rivals. And then at the end of the game, you can just shake it off. It’s honestly fun competition.”

Sarah Cardillo of Brighton, right, and Prairie View’s Cienna Rush fi ght for the possesion of the ball during their league match. Brighton defeated Prairie View 2-1 on April 26. PHOTOS BY JUAN ARELLANO

Brighton native takes next step toward pro hockey career

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ISANTI, MINNESOTA – When he gets older, Brighton High School alum Tyler Samson will have some stories to tell about the early stages of his hockey career.

There was the pandemic that, among other things, caused at least one game to be postponed shortly after a six-hour bus trip to the rink.

Then there was a bus fi re that cost him all of his hockey sticks before his participation in a showcase game before Christmas 2021.

Then there was his trade from the Hudson, Wisconsin, Havoc to the Rum River Mallards in Isanti, Minnesota, a swap he heard about after Mass.

Now, there is the draft for the North American 3 Hockey League, a junior ice hockey league with teams in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. (Samson wound up in Ulm, Minnesota).

So when he says he’s back to a normal routine – and away from COVID – he means it.

“Fans are back in the arenas, I can show up to the rink whenever I want to, and I don’t have to wear a mask anymore inside of the arenas,” Samson said. “It feels good to have my normal routine back and to have no more worries and distractions.”

The draft and the trade

The North American 3 Hockey League draft was April 20, and it was online. Samson said the league is “high-skilled” for players to move up to play Tier 2 Junior Hockey in either the NA3HL or the National Collegiate Development Conference. Another option is to move up to NCAA Division II or II level hockey. There’s no affi liation with the NHL, and Samson wasn’t in college at the time.

“There were a couple of commentators that were commenting on the draft,” Samson said. “I was at work at the time, I had my airpods in, listening to the draft, and what the commentators had to say.”

The draft paused at the beginning, so Samson refreshed the screen.

“I saw my name at sixth (the sixth pick) overall. I was shocked, surprised, and happy all at the same time,” Samson said.

The New Ulm Steel in Ulm, Minnesota, selected him. Samson hasn’t had any experience with that team yet. He went to the Hudson Havoc before the team traded him to the Rum River Mallards. Both squads are tier 3 junior level hockey teams in the United States Premier Hockey League.

“I got traded last season around