Although he had trouble seeing it for himself, Columbia Eagles head hockey coach Allen Lalk said the championship feeling was a bit more special this time around compared to seasons past.

“This one definitely meant a lot with everything I’ve gone through this year,” Lalk said. “Just to feel that joy was amazing.”

Lalk, now with a prosthetic left eye and 20/200 vision in his right eye, considers himself lucky to even be alive after being shot during a failed carjacking in the Columbia Police Department parking lot on May 31, 2025.

He’s especially thankful for all of the assistance provided by solid bench coaches this winter as Columbia secured its second straight Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association Varsity 1A title Monday night. 

The Eagles bested Triad in game three on Monday, 2-0, after having dropped game one last Tuesday and staving off elimination on Thursday. 

“I want to personally thank all of the players, coaches, board, parents and everybody else involved with Columbia Hockey Club for helping me through the last eight months during my recovery,” Lalk said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

In fact, fighting through injury became a predominant theme for the entire 2025-26 Eagles hockey squad.

Lalk said multiple players missed all or significant parts of this season due to injuries that included broken legs and broken  hands.

“It seemed like every game we had a new broken bone or torn something, but this group just kept going,” Lalk said. “We got healthy at the right time for the playoffs and these boys battled. They worked as a team.”

Starting goaltender Ryder Kelly missed the final five games of the regular season with a broken hand – only to return for the playoffs and record a 31-save shutout in Monday’s win-or-go-home title game.

In Monday’s clincher at RP Lumber Center in Edwardsville, a Cooper Reuss goal at 4:07 of the first period put the Eagles up 1-0. Tanner Roessler – who has missed multiple games with back issues – provided the assist. 

Kelly was able to hold the lead from there, stopping several solid Triad scoring chances. 

Finally, the Eagles put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal by Mason Niedbalski with just 1:30 remaining in the third period. 

Columbia played game three without its leading scorer on the season, Kaden Ross, who was suspended.

Facing elimination on Thursday, Columbia was able to survive with a 4-2 victory in game two at McKendree Metro Rec Plex in O’Fallon. It marked the Eagles’ first win over Triad all season following three prior attempts.

The best-of-three MVCHA Varsity 1A finals opened last Tuesday with a 6-2 victory for Triad in East Alton. Scoring for the Eagles in the loss were Cooper Reuss and Hudson Search.

Counting the regular season and playoffs, Columbia finished with an overall record of 16-14-2. The Eagles have now won the league’s Varsity 1A title in three of the past four seasons.

“Just as it was a team effort on the ice, it was also a team effort behind the bench,” Lalk stressed. “This wouldn’t have happened without the entire coaching staff.”

That staff included Chuck DeFosset, Patrick Kelly and recent Eagles hockey alumni Rece Sanderson and Jack Reuss.

“(It) took some time to gel as a group, but the team really came together during the playoffs,” DeFosset said. 

Kelly agreed, saying “it was a gritty performance to come back and win the championship after losing three straight to Triad.”

Sanderson and Jack Reuss – who currently play for the St. Louis Jr. Blues of the North American 3 Hockey League – also weighed in on the victory, both having enjoyed this moment previously as players.

“The team really came together during the playoff run and became a family,” Jack Reuss said. 

Sanderson said he was impressed with the upperclassmen who stepped up to lead the team.

Senior members of the 2025-26 squad are Broedy Furlow, Max Keeven, Mason Niedbalski, Kraig Spisak and Philo Speichenger.

“They pulled everyone together on the bench and supported each other,” Sanderson said. “I think that’s a huge part of how they pulled it out. I’m happy for the seniors and how they got to go out, and excited to see what the rest of the team can do in the future.”