Ensign led the Demons to the state championship last season.
Head coach Brian Ensign receives the puck from his team to celebrate their final game in the Colorado High School Athletic Activities Association Class 4A finals Tuesday at Magness Arena. (Laura Domingue/Durango Herald Special)
Laura Domingue/Durango Herald Special Feature
The Durango High School hockey team is looking for a new head coach.
After leading his team to the CHSAA in 2022 and the 4A state championship last season, Brian Ensign is stepping away from his head coaching position to spend more time with his family and focus on his career. Ta.
“I moved here about 13 years ago after coaching at Minnesota State and it’s been a real pleasure to coach here,” Ensign said. “The children, parents and community have always been really supportive. It started out as a small program and has grown and grown. It has been great to be a part of its growth and development.”
Ensign said he has been a coach for 30 years and the decision to leave was made before the start of the 2023-2024 season. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, all players and parents knew in advance that this would be his last season.
This past season, the Demons went 11-6 in the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Durango defeated No. 5 seed Cheyenne Mountain in the quarterfinals and No. 1 seed Glenwood Springs in the semifinals before defeating No. 10 seed Summit 4-2 in the final on March 5, leading the program. They competed for the first state championship in history.
Although Ensign is done with his time as head coach, he said he is open to helping out in the future whenever and wherever possible.
“We're very grateful to have him here,” Durango High School athletic director Ryan Knorr said. “It's pretty incredible to come in and get a program off the ground and go to CHSAA and go into a fresh environment and set the bar as high as possible and hand over the keys. That's tough for any coach to follow. It's an act, but he's leaving the program better than he started it.”
Knorr is looking for a strong leader who can manage the many moving parts and is willing to learn how CHSAA hockey is run. He wants coaches who will give his students a positive experience and help them grow as students.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
