Valor goalie all smiles after state championship
The Valor Eagles are all smiles at the big win. They finished the hockey season 20-1 and won the state championship, 7-3.
Cooper Robinson (17), a junior at Valor Christian High School, has a lot to smile about. He was the goalie on the school’s hockey team that won the 5-A state championship in March. The Eagles finished the season 20-1, winning state 7-3. Since the big win, Robinson has been awarded first team, all-state – the only goalie named for a 5-A high school in Colorado.
Robinson was born and raised in Castle Pines. He began his hockey career at 5 years old, playing on several club teams. He made varsity as a freshman in high school and went to state for the win two years ago. But during the 2022 season, Valor was not as lucky.
“I think after losing to East High School last year in the state final game, we were all hungry to win state this year,” said Robinson. “Coach Gwozdecky made sure we were ready for the championship game and we never took our sights off winning three straight in the playoffs.”
The Robinsons have lived in Castle Pines since 2001. Robinson has two older siblings, Chiara (22) and Cai (19) who also plays hockey. The family dog is Mikko, a 2-year-old Italian greyhound.
Robinson siblings (left to right): Cooper (17), Chiara (22) and Cai (19) are all Castle Pines natives.
After high school, Robinson’s goal is to continue playing hockey with USA Hockey’s Junior Program (known simply as “Juniors” to the hockey world), an organization that helps players from ages 16-20 continue to excel and improve their skills at hockey. (Cai will be entering the Juniors program this fall). Ultimately, Robinson wants to play in college, and he might get the chance.
Robinson was named to represent Team Colorado at America’s Showcase St. Louis in April, a national tournament with scouting/recruiting potential. This summer, Robinson is looking forward to traveling with his family, going on a service trip with Valor classmates to Nicaragua and mowing lawns. “I run a yard work and lawn mowing business to pay for my hockey equipment and extra training,” he said.
Robinson concluded that he wanted to thank his coaches and his teammates for the winning season. “All the boys were amazing – they scored a lot of goals and in the D-zone [on defense] they were really tough, which really makes my job easy.”
Goalie Cooper Robinson celebrating Valor Christian High School’s 5-A win in March.
By Hollen Wheeler; photos courtesy of Steven Robinson
