SD Prep Sports: Roller Hockey

www.sdprepsports.com

E-mail us at sdprepsports@cox.net

Home   Swimming/Diving   Cross Country  Track & Field   Roller Hockey   Water Polo   CIF Scorecard

CIF/Metro Conference
2007-08 Game Reports
College ice hockey: SDSU Aztecs are hot on ice

Prep Roller Hockey Statistics (Standings, statistical leaders)

Mustangs, Saints skate to 2-0 starts in Mesa League play

Posted Dec. 31, 2007
The Otay Ranch Mustangs and St. Augustine Saints are the early leaders in the Mesa League roller hockey standings after each team skated to identical 2-0 starts in games just prior to the holiday break. The Mustangs and Saints are joined in the league unbeaten ranks by the Eastlake Titans at 1-0.

Carlos Melendez scored four goals and added a pair of assists while Matt Nafarrete contributed a goal and assist to get Otay Ranch rolling with a 9-2 victory against Chula Vista on Dec. 19. The Mustangs led just 1-0 after the first period and 4-0 at the end of two periods before out-scoring the Spartans 5-2 in the final period. Otay Ranch led 9-0 before Mike Abas and Daniel Breon took turns scoring (and assisting) on Chula Vista’s two goals. Zach Johnson had a goal and two assists in the game for Otay Ranch.

Carter Pool and T.J. Acierno each recorded hat tricks to lead St. Augustine to its first Mesa League win of the season, 11-1 over Sweetwater, also on Dec. 19. Greg Park had a goal and assist for the Saints, who snapped a mild slump with the victory. St. Augustine blew the game open with six goals in the middle period. Robert Felizardo scored the lone goal for the Red Devils (0-1, 1-4).

Otay Ranch improved to 2-0 in league play with a 15-0 victory against Bonita Vista (0-1, 4-3) the following day. Melendez once again paced the Mustangs (7-2 overall) with three goals and four assists. Nafarrete (three goals, three assists) and Johnson (two goals, four assists) followed on the scoreboard. Otay Ranch broke the contest open with six second-period goals and added five goals in the final period.

St. Augustine (5-3-1 overall) matched the Mustangs’ fast start with an 11-4 win against La Jolla on Dec. 20 as Pool led all scorers with five goals and three assists. Park and Jordan Jodzio both scored twice for the Saints, who rang up five goals in each of the opening two periods. Johnny Noris paced the Vikings (0-1, 2-4) with two goals and two assists.

Eastlake rolled to its first league win by skating past Chula Vista, 8-1, also on Dec. 20. The Titans (1-0, 6-1) received points from seven players, with Justin White and Michael Oleata both scoring twice and Andrew Abuyo picking up a goal and two assists. Breon had the lone goal for the Spartans (0-2, 2-4).

Westview tops Poway, is Metro's lone unbeaten team
Dec. 19 at Escondido Sports Center: The Wolverines earned honors as the conference's lone undefeated team by defeating the previously unbeaten Titans. Garrett Taylor led Westview (3-0 in North County League play, 8-0 overall) with four goals and one assist while Shane Clements contributed three assists. The Wolverines, who took over sole possession of the league lead, broke out to a 3-0 first-period edge and never trailed. Poway (2-1, 7-1) made it 3-1 on a goal by Darren Barnes in the second period but Westview notched the opening goal of the final period to go up 4-1. The teams then traded goals. Ryan Smith trimmed the Wolverines' lead to 4-2 with 9:06 to play. But Westview tallied with one minute left to secure the win, courtesy of Taylor's fourth goal of the game and Clements' third assist.

Scripps Ranch 6, Vista 2
Dec. 19 at Escondido Sports Center: The Falcons (1-1, 3-3) got two goals apiece form Max Balaban and Christian Chang while Chad Ruhwedel tacked on a goal and assist. The Panthers (0-3, 3-4) scored first, as Ethan Gilchrist got the game's jump goal with 10:01 to play. However, Ruhwedel evened the North County League encounter with a dramatic goal with just one second remaining in the period. Scripps Ranch scored twice in the second period to take a 3-1 lead and scored the opening three goals of the third period to lead 6-1. Vista closed out the game as Broc Powell, set up by Jared Johnson, on a goal with 30 seconds left in the game.

Rancho Bernardo 9, Eastlake 3
Dec. 19 at Escondido Sports Center: The Broncos responded from their first loss of the season by handing Eastlake its first loss of the 2007-08 campaign in the non-league match-up.Ryan Heidrich led the Broncos (7-1 overall) with four goals and one assist while Kory Grahl and Matt Kresky each had a goal and two assists. Adam Child had a goal and assist while Tyler Grahl and Corbin Walters each were credited with one goal. Chris Clement drew an assist on the first goal of the game, scored just 1:28 into the contest by Rancho Bernardo. Eastlake (5-1 overall) scored twice in the second period but trailed 6-2 entering the final period. The Broncos opened up a 3-0 led in the game. The Titans cut it to 3-1 on a goal by Andrew Abuyo one minute into the middle stanza and Dante Patron scored the first of his two goals with 8:08 to play in the period to bring Eastlake to within a goal at 3-2. But Rancho Bernardo promptly responded as Heidrich scored 322 seconds later to hike the Broncos lead back to two goals. Rancho Bernardo out-scored the Titans 3-1 in the third period.

He shoots ... he saves!
Titan netminder is hero in 7-5 win over Hilltop

Posted Dec. 19, 2007
The Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs are not until February but the casual observer likely would not have known that by the high-paced action, grit and occasional flashes of sheer brilliance displayed on the floor Tuesday by the Eastlake and Hilltop high school roller hockey teams. The game was every bit as intense as a playoff game and by the contrast of emotions exhibited after the final buzzer — elation by Eastlake’s players and disappointment by Hilltop’s players — the result will be logged in memory by both teams should an actual post-season paring materialize.

In the meantime, Eastlake’s thrill-seeking 7-5 victory goes a long way in determining bragging rights to the best team in South County this season.

The next challenge for both teams: Otay Ranch, the only other South Bay team to own a victory against a North County League team this season.

“This was a test to find out just how good we are,” Titans head coach Rone Torres said in sizing up the teams’ non-league match-up. “We hadn’t really been tested recently by any other teams.”

Eastlake rolled off the Skate San Diego court with a South County-best 5-0 record but with the knowledge that it still hadn’t faced the best the CIF/Metro Conference has to offer. Hilltop, which saw its record dip to 6-4, has already battled such North County teams as Poway, Westview and Vista and was coming off a scintillating performance against a very good St. Augustine team the previous day.

Hilltop’s 8-6 non-league win against the Saints (3-3-1) easily ranks among the Lancers’ best showings in recent seasons. Eastlake’s showing against Hilltop can only be rated as something potent in the brew.

“It was all about figuring out the match-ups,” said Torres, whose team was coming off one-sided non-league victories against Castle Park (14-0), Southwest (11-1) and Mar Vista (10-0) after facing off the season Dec. 10 with a 6-4 win against West Hills.

Hilltop, keyed by conference scoring leader Ruben Benavides, broke out to early leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 to finish the first period of play. The Lancers penetrated seemingly at will through the Titan defense and swarmed in front of Eastlake netminder Jason Campbell, without whose acrobatic saves the score easily could have gotten out of hand.

Hilltop, however, would not score again until 5:15 remained in the third period. During that 25-minute scoreless stretch, a regrouped and revamped Eastlake squad managed to beat Lancer goaltender Skyler Travis three times to take a 5-3 lead. Hilltop then turned up the pressure, twice pulling to within a goal on the scoreboard, before Dante Patron’s empty net goal with seven seconds left finally sealed the victory for the Titans.

Patron scored Eastlake’s final two goals and finished the game with a hat trick. His first strike with 4:47 left gave his team a 6-4 lead less than 30 seconds after the Lancers had shaved the score to 5-4 on a power play goal by Austin McDonald. Patron took the puck on the ensuing face-off at center court and broke in alone on the Hilltop net.

Patron’s breakaway tally proved well-timed as Benavides made it a one-goal game again at 6-5 when he scored with 3:25 to play. Things got even juicier when the Lancers went on the power play with 2:30 remaining.

That’s when Campbell played his best between the pipes. The sophomore netminder blocked one-on-one shots, deflected rebounds and then simply got the proverbial lucky bounce to figuratively hold his finger in the dike. At least long enough until Patron’s empty netter finally quieted the waves of Hilltop sharp-shooters.

Senior captain Nate Scharmann finished the game with two goals for the Titans, who also benefited hugely from a goal and two assists from junior Andrew Abuyo and Justin White. White’s goal with 5:08 to play in the middle frame gave the Titans their first lead of the contest at 4-3. Scharmann’s second goal of the game — coming just 1:01 after White’s go-ahead tally to increase the lead to 5-3 — seemed to give Eastlake’s players both the emotional lift and confidence boost they needed while tangling with the fast-skating Lancers, who seemed ready to erupt on the scoreboard at any moment.

Campbell finished the game with 38 saves.

“We wouldn’t play into the emotional game they were trying to play by taking retaliation penalties,” Torres said. “They seemed to want to play a physical game. We wanted to play a hockey game.”

Could a rivalry be in the process of being rekindled?

The Lancers, who appeared to take their fair share of knocks and bumps on the court as well, owned the first period of play. Kekoa Latimore scored just 50 seconds into the contest to give Hilltop a pivotal 1-0 lead. The only thing the Titans seemed to have going for them in the early going were a couple of breakaway rushes — both of which they scored on. Benavides gave Hilltop a 2-1 lead with 7:55 to go in the period and McDonald beat Campbell with 30 seconds remaining to push the Lancers ahead by a goal once more at 3-2.

McDonald led Hilltop on the scoreboard with two goals and two assists while Benavides contributed two goals and one assist and Latimore had a goal and assist. Andrew Ries set up McDonald’s second goal on a perfectly executed two-on-one, with McDonald depositing the puck between Campbell’s pad and the post in a one-touch motion.

Campbell was otherwise flawless.

“Our goalie continues to stand on his head,” Torres said. “By the end of the season, he’s going to be one of the top goalies in the conference. He’s only a sophomore.”

Lancers spear Saints
In Monday’s exciting victory against St. Augustine, Hilltop could not have played any better, nor have a better on-court leader than its captain, Benavides. Few players could have played any better than Benavides did against the Saints, assuming the role of superstar on the floor. More of the same will make the Lancers an extremely difficult team to beat as the season wears on.

“Did we look good or what?” exclaimed Hilltop coach Dan Vacarro after the Lancers built an early 4-0 lead over the Saints and then hung on heroically for the victory. “I think these kids realized they can play with the other good teams. There’s no doubt that we came to play. We went ahead 4-0 and hung on. St. Augie is a good team. I’m proud of our team.”

There certainly wasn’t much for Vacarro to dislike in Monday’s affair. Hilltop held St. Augustine off the scoreboard for exactly half the game. By that time, Benavides had racked up points on all four Lancer goals with two goals and two assists. McDonald had a goal and assist and Latimore had one goal.

It would take four more goals before the Saints could finally be sent marching off the floor with a loss. St. Augustine’s offense finally found its groove with four second-period goals to trim the Hilltop lead to 5-4. But the Saints, owners of 7-6, 6-4 and 4-3 non-league wins over Scripps Ranch, West Hills and Vista, respectively, could not manage to close the gap any farther as the Lancers — courtesy of Benavides’ hat trick goal — got the critical first goal of the third period (just 30 seconds in, in fact).

The Saints made it 6-5 on the fifth goal of the game by Carter Pool with 9:25 to play and Jordan Jodzio narrowed the Hilltop lead to 7-6 with 8:46 left. But Hilltop appeared to save its best for last as Greg Watters, set up by Latimore, scored with 1:56 remaining on the clock to give the Lancers an 8-6 lead and what would prove to be the final margin of victory.

“I’m really happy for us,” said Benavides, who finished the game with three goals and three assists to lift his season totals to 23 goals and 19 assists. “In these really intense games, we tend to tire in the third period. I think everyone’s pumped up that we won this. Usually we lose these tight games like that. It was a huge game.”

More appear to be on the horizon before the season is over.

Bonita Vista 14, Castle Park 1
Dec. 17 at Skate San Diego: Ryan Kean collected three goals and three assists, Steven Micaleff had three goals and two assists and Daniel Ruelas had three goals and one assist to lead the Barons (4-2). Ryan Micallef and Taewo Kang both scored two goals in the non-league match-up. Bonita Vista led 5-0 at the end of the first period and 11-0 at the end of the second period. Mark Laminato scored Castle Park’s lone goal, assisted by Raul Medina.

Chula Vista 7, Southwest 2
Dec. 17 at Skate San Diego: Eric Sharp had two goals and three assists and Michael Abas finished with a hat trick as the Spartans evened their record at 2-2 with the non-league win. Daniel Breon had one goal while Bradley Bonny had two assists. Goaltender Ashley Smith shut out the Raiders until 27 seconds remained in the second period. Michael Farrell finished with a goal and assist for Southwest, which got its first goal of the game off the stick of Dewayne Adams.

Sweetwater 5, Mar Vista 3
Dec. 17 at Skate San Diego: The Red Devils (1-3) picked up their first win of the season, thereby keeping the Mariners (0-8) winless in the process. Robert Felizardo scored twice for Sweetwater while dishing out a pair of assists. Emmanuel Alcaraz led Mar Vista with a pair of goals.The Red Devils struck for a 3-1 first-period lead and nursed a 4-3 lead into the final period of play. Abraham Lopez got SuHi going, assisted by Rudy Garcia.

Eastlake 10, Mar Vista 0
Dec. 17 at Skate San Diego: Andrew Abuyo scored six points on two goals and four assists, Justin White had five points on three goals and two assists and Nate Scharmann scored two goals to lead the Titans to their fourth consecutive victory. Michael Kelley and Jace White each had a goal and assist for Eastlake, which opened up a 4-0 first-period lead and closed out the non-league game with four goals. The Mariners fell to 0-7 on the season.

Poway hands Broncos first loss
Dec. 17 at Escondido Sports Center: Just when it appeared that the Rancho Bernardo Broncos were ready to skate away from the competition, the Poway Titans made a statement: the pre-season favorite Broncos will not go undefeated in 2007-08. The Titans' tight 2-1 victory clearly sent a signal that the North County League title is up for grabs.

Poway (2-0 in league play, 7-0 overall) used goals by Ryan Smith and Darren Barnes to take a 2-0 lead before Rancho Bernardo, which had opened the season with a 6-0 start, including a 2-0 mark in league play, made it a one goal game on a goal by Kory Grahl.

Smith gave the Titans a 1-0 lead with 1:47 gone in the opening period by scoring unassisted. The goals came grudgingly after that. Neither team scored in the second period. Barnes scored with 11:48 to play in the final period to extend Poway's lead to 2-0. However, the Broncos promptly trimmed the Titans' edge to a goal 3:16 later but could get no closer than the Titans' final 2-1 margin of victory.

Westview 5, Vista 4
Dec. 17 at Escondido Sports Center: The Wolverines remained undefeated -- and in a first-place tie in the North County League standings with Poway --by nipping the Panthers (0-2, 3-3) in overtime. Greg Hawkesworth was credited with the overtime winner, assisted by Scott Corlisle, with just 1:36 left in the five-minute session. The goal was the second of the game for Hawkesworth, who had given Westview (2-0, 7-0) a 4-3 lead with an unassisted goal with 8:55 to play. Garrett Taylor led the Wolverines with two goals and one assist in regulation play while Phil Sansone scored once and Shane Clements had two assists. The Panthers trailed 3-2 after the first period and scored the lone goal of the middle frame to force a 3-3 standoff. Jared Johnson scored his second goal of the game with 4:28 left in the third period to tie the game at 4-all. Ethan Gilchrist and Guy Lemieux each scored single goals for Vista.

Westview's Garrett Taylor:
Next stop NHL?

Posted Dec. 15, 2007
Each season brings new challenges as well as a new cadre of players ready to take leadership roles on their respective teams. Thus, when the Westview Wolverines rolled into the Skate San Diego rink on Nov. 27 for their opening game in the 2007-08 CIF/Metro Conference season, it didn’t take long for the word to spread through the ranks that a very special player had just entered the building.

His name is Garrett Taylor and, if he has his way, he’ll be skating one day in the NHL.

“My Dad's from Maine. He played hockey. He got me playing. He put me on skates when I was two,” said Taylor, who has helped key the Wolverines to an undefeated 6-0 start.

This is Taylor’s second year on the Westview High School team but his first as the CIF/Metro Conference's undisputed marquee player. Playing over the summer in the 17-and-under Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic does have the tendency to elevate one’s game.

“It was a great experience,” said Taylor, who helped lead Team USA to a silver medal finish in the elite international tournament.

The junior standout appears to have his career all mapped out. After finishing roller hockey games with the Wolverines, he dresses at breakneck speed to make ice hockey practices. If you turn your head and then look back, he’ll likely be gone. Such is the dedication - and insane amount of time -- required to excel at the highest level.

Taylor’s senior year will not be spent at Westview High School but with a guest family in Canada. He’ll be playing next season in the Western Hockey League for the Red Deer Rebels. After further honing his skills in one of North America’s most recognizable Junior A hockey leagues, the next stop could be the NHL Entry Draft and a future in pro hockey.

Taylor plans to try out for a spot on 18-and-under national youth team next season.
.
He went through three rounds of tryouts at the state, regional and national levels before finally landing a spot on the 17-and-under Team USA roster

“They started with about 200 at all the tryouts and then cut it down to 20,” he said.

Taylor started playing roller hockey at four years old with the Rinkside Rockets. He practices four times each week for his current ice hockey team, the 18-and-under L.A. Jr. Kings. Games are played as far away as Michigan and Minnesota. He said he spends any free time studying and working out.

His favorite player remains Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks.

Taylor emerged on the national scene after winning a national title at the 14-AAA level with the L.A. Selects. But it appears that he finally blossomed during the time between his sophomore and junior years in high school.

Taylor was one of two Californians on the 2006-07 U.S. Under-17 select team, joining L.A. Selects teammate Dakota Eveland (Anaheim).

Team USA fell 7-2 to the Czech Republic in the gold medal game in August's Five Nations Tournament. The U.S. Team, which featured many of America's best hockey players born in 1991, finished 3-1-0 in the international showcase event.

He’s easy to spot on the floor. He’s the player with the USA decal on his helmet. That, he said, he wears with pride.

With 19 goals and 14 assists in his team's undefeated start, this season has become his breakout year.

The slick-skating Taylor had five goals and two assists in his team's season opening 15-4 win against the Hilltop Lancers, led Westview with five goals and three assists in an 11-5 non-league victory against defending Mesa League co-champion Otay Ranch and racked up 12 points on four goals and eight assists in a 30-0 non-league win against Castle Park.

Taylor said it was a big deal personally for him to represent his high school this season as next season he is slated to move to Canada.

Referee Dave McLean was so impressed by his play in the Wolverines' season opener that he had to take time to point him out to the press corps. "Unbelievable,” McLean said of Taylor.

Everyone else in the photo well whole-heartedly concurred.

CIF roller hockey faces off eighth season:
Can anyone stop the Rancho Bernardo Broncos?

Posted Dec. 15, 2007
The CIF/Metro Conference faced off its eighth season of CIF-sanctioned play Nov. 26. The high school league's season extends through February. The defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos are favored to repeat as champions with what may rate as the most potent lineup ever assembled in the conference's history.

"We’re hoping to have a perfect season,” Broncos team captain Kory Grahl said in enumerating the team's goals for this season.

After the team's 6-0 start -- outscoring opponents 116-8 in the process -- few might argue with that assessment. In fact, the question on everyone's mind at this point of the season might be: can anyone stop the RB Broncos?

Rancho Bernardo, keyed by a treasure trove of 14 returning players, is led by Grahl and assistant captains Tanner Woodbury and Matt Kresky. This is Grahl’s fourth year with the team.

The Broncos finished regular season play 16-4 last season before catching fire in the playoffs, defeating North County League rivals Vista (6-2), Westview (8-3) and Poway (6-3) in the championship game en route to a final 19-4 record.

Grahl said the Broncos have responded out of respect for the coaching staff, led by head coach Scott McKay.

“We have a game plan and we stick to it -- that’s the respect we’ve developed for our coaches,” said Grahl, speaking for the team.

Grahl said “determination and hard work” propelled the Broncos to last season’s championship title. He said the team’s goal is to repeat as (Kiwanis Cup) champions.

“A lot of us are coming back. We only lost a couple guys," he said."We play well together - we all know where each other is going to be on the rink.”

Rancho Bernardo topped the Castle Park Trojans, 35-0, in its season opener and proceeded to roll over the the West Hills Wolf Pack and the Southwest Raiders by scores of 11-0 and 26-0, respectively, before finally receiving some resistance in a 25-5 non-league win against the La Jolla Country Day Torreys to hike their record to 4-0.

The Broncos topped defending Mesa League co-champion Otay Ranch, 10-2, in another non-league encounter before rolling past Vista, 9-1, to improve to 2-0 in North County League play.

Grahl and Rob Pegler each scored five goals to lead Rancho Bernardo Broncos in its season opener. Grahl finished the game with three assists for an eight-point debut while Woodbury and Adam Child each collected seven points on four goals and three assists and Chris Clement scored four goals

Grahl (four goals, two assists) and Child (two goals, four assists) led the Broncos with six points apiece in the win against West Hills that served as the teams' North County League opener while Woodbury chipped in with two goals and one assist.

Five players registered hat tricks in the win over Southwest. Kresky (four goals, three assists), Child (three goals, three assists), Bryce Semonian (three goals, one assist), Pegler (three goals) and Woodbury (three goals).

The Broncos continued their undefeated start with the non-league win against La Jolla Country Day. Rancho Bernardo racked up the opening five goals of the game and led 9-1 after the first period and 16-3 entering the final period. Child led the RB scoring parade with 10 points on eight goals and two assists while Woodbury had six points on four goals and two assists and Clement and Pegler each had four points on three goals and one assist.

The Broncos became the first team to roll to a 5-0 start by topping the Otay Ranch Mustangs 10-2. Kresky led the defending Kiwanis Cup champions with three goals and one assist while Grahl had three goals and Ryan Heidrich contributed two goals and one assist.

Rancho Bernardo improved to 2-0 in North County League play as Grahl collected three goals and two assists and Child registered five points on two goals and three assists in the eight-goal victory against Vista.

Best of the rest
The Poway Titans, Scripps Ranch Falcons and Westview Wolverines all look to be able challengers should the Broncos falter in their quest for supremacy in the North County League standings. Poway and Westview both matched the Broncos with 6-0 starts to the season.

Greg Friedman, who is in his 11th season as Scripps Ranch head coach, said his team is in the midst of a rebuilding year by North County standards. The Falcons are carrying three freshmen on the varsity this season and are count two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors among their top eight players.

Besides C.J. Ruhwedel, a member of the Junior Kings AAA 18-and-under team, and Max Balaban, another ice hockey standout (Junior Gulls 16-AA squad), Scripps Ranch’s top returning players include senior defenseman Brent Friedman, sophomore forward Chang and senior goalie Flick.

“We’ve got a couple good solid defensemen but we’re not as physical as in the past,” Friedman said of his squad. “We’re in a rebuilding year. We had a senior-laden team last year. We graduated six seniors.”

Top newcomers include forward Steve Sherman and defenseman Aaron Peterson, both freshmen. Despite the influx of youth, the Falcons remain potent. Scripps Ranch finished runner-up to Rancho Bernardo in pre-season league competition.

“The last three or four years, I’ve had the luxury of going with three lines but this year we’ll be going with two lines,” the Falcons bench boss said.

Poway coach Dale Ingram agreed with Friedman about the race for this year’s North County League title. “Everyone is about dead even but Rancho Bernardo is heads above everyone else,” he said. "They don't have a weak player on their team."

The Titans paired up against the Broncos for last season’s Kiwanis Cup title but lost five seniors to graduation. Poway has integrated five freshmen into this year’s varsity roster after losing five players to graduation.

"That's about right for us each year," Ingram said. "We have a total of 60 kids in the program, from the feeder teams up, so losing five players every year doesn't hurt us so much."

Darren Barnes, Eric Eyler, Ethan Gormican and Chase Liebman have proven able scorers for the Titans in the early going.

The Eastlake Titans -- off to a 3-0 start -- rate to contend to defend their Mesa League co-championship. The Titans are braced between the pipes by sophomore Jason Campbell, an experienced AAA-level ice hockey netminder with the San Diego Junior Gulls.

“Otay Ranch is right there with us talent-wise, but I think we are the fastest team in the South County this year,” Eastlake head coach Rone Torres said.”Having a legitimate goalie is going to make everything easier for me as a coach, as I work to develop our young talent and bring our leaders along to be ‘the guys’ this year and not just role players ... We're taking it one win at a time."

So, it appears, are the RB Broncos.

Titans face off hockey season on a roll

Posted Dec. 13, 2007
The numbers are up – due mostly to an infusion of youngsters – and spirits are high. What could be in store for this season’s Eastlake High School roller hockey team? A strong chance to successfully defend its Mesa League championship banner, for one, and possibly an excursion deep into the Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs.

“Basically, we have set the bar extremely high this year,” Titans coach Ronald Torres said. “All of our goals are based on being better than last year, which was the best club in school history.”


Eastlake captured a share of last season’s Mesa League title with Otay Ranch as the Titans and Mustangs upended Bonita Vista and La Jolla, respectively, in the last two games of the season. However, Eastlake suffered a disappointing end to an otherwise thrilling season with a loss to West Hills in the opening round of the Kiwanis Cup playoffs.

“With games against West Hills, Rancho Bernardo and Scripps Ranch, we will be tested often,” Torres said of the team’s opening slate of non-league games. “We have our first league championship to defend and I expect us to compete for the title again. Otay Ranch is right there with us talent-wise, but I think we are the fastest team in the South County this year. Having a legitimate goalie is going to make everything easier for me as a coach, as I work to develop our young talent and bring our leaders along to be ‘the guys’ this year and not just role players.”

Top returners include senior Nate Scharmann, sophomore Justin White, senior Michael Kelley and junior Andrew Abuyo.Scharmann finished fourth in team scoring last season with 28 goals and seven assists while White was sixth in team scoring with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists). Kelley is the team’s top returning defenseman while Abuyo ranked third in team scoring last season with 46 points (including 31 assists) and was, in Torres’ words, the team’s “best all-around player.”

“Andrew Abuyo and Nate Scharmann both have the talent to be top guys in CIF and Justin White was one of the section’s best freshman (last season) and is bigger stronger and in a leadership role this year,” Torres said.

Top newcomers include sophomores Dante Patron and Jason Campbell and freshman Jace White. Patron moved from the Scripps Ranch area. Torres calls him “one of the fastest players I have ever seen.”

Campbell brings ice hockey experience from the AAA-level with the San Diego Junior Gulls. He did not play as a freshman but Torres expects him to be one of the top netminders in CIF play. Torres said Jace White has more skills and talent than his brother Justin did as a freshman.

Other returners include Eric and Derek Tamayo, seniors who both have drastically improved to add depth to the team, and Mike Oleata, who is fine-tuning his game to help on the team’s second line as a sophomore.

The Titans’ youth movement includes a pair of freshmen defenders: Jordan Hines and Sarah Cloonan. Torres believes both are ready to play at the CIF level. “There are five other players I am bringing along to help us out this year,” Torres said.

Because Torres serves as an assistant football coach and several players also play on the football team, the Titans’ roller hockey opener was pushed back until the section football finals were over. Eastlake made its 2007-08 debut Monday, defeating West Hills 5-3.

“We really wanted to get this one because they ended our season last year,” Torres said. “We’re taking it one win at a time.”

The Titans got on the scoreboard first, with Abuyo tallying his first of two goals for the game 2:35 into the contest. The Wolf Pack went up 2-1 on a pair of goals 1:42 apart midway through the period but Eastlake forced a 2-2 standoff when Patron scored the first goal of his eventual hat trick with 4:20 left in the opening stanza.

Campbell held West Hills off the scoreboard until the third period as his team steadily built a 4-2 advantage on goals by Abuyo and Patron. The Wolf Pack pulled to within 4-3 on a goal by Kellen McManus with 9:10 to play in the game but Patron scored his third goal of the non-league match-up with 12 seconds left to cap a dramatic ending.

Scharmann is playing his fourth season with the Titans and appears ready to lead as the team’s designated captain. “I’ve been waiting for this all my career,” he said in reference to the “C” now sewn on his jersey. “I’m going to lead my team as far as I can.”

Barons get jump goal, top Mariners 4-2
Dec. 13 at Skate San Diego: Bonita Vista continued to gain momentum in the early going of the 2007-08 campaign as Felix Garcia scored the only goal of the opening period and teammates Daniel Ruelas, Ryan Micallef and Ryan Kean added goals in the next to periods. Mar Vista tied the game at a goal apiece but the Barons never trailed, adding goals by Ruelas and Micallef to take a 3-1 lead. The Mariners closed the gap to a goal before the end of the period but the Barons posted the lone goal of the final period for the final margin of victory. Nelson Hoffman keyed Mar Vista with a goal and assist while Emmanuel Alcaraz scored one goal and Andrew Bronkema recorded one assist. The loss kept the Mariners winless at 0-6 while Bonita Vista improved to 3-2.

Lancers top Red Devils, 13-2, hike mark to 5-3
Dec. 13 at Skate San Diego: Hilltop won its second game in as many meetings against the Red Devils. Ruben Benavides (five goals, two assists), Austin McDonald (two goals, four assists) and Kekoa Latimore (three goals, two assists) continued to be playmakers for the Lancers, who also received a goal and three assists from Andrew Ries and a goal and assist from Greg Watters. Matthew Kuehn was credited with one goal while Tylor Spracklin was credited with one assist. Hilltop led 4-0 at the end of one period and 8-2 at the end of two periods. Robert Felizardo scored both Sweetwater goals.

Torreys roll over Spartans with third-period rush
Dec. 13 at Skate San Diego: Camille Corbin put on a showcase performance with seven goals to lead her team to the non-league victory. Ben Sweeney added four goals and two assists while James Owsiany contributed two goals and three assists. Cameron Eibl and Sam Brink also recorded goals. La Jolla Country Day rolled up a 14-0 lead before Chula Vista got its lone goal of the game courtesy of Eric Sharp, assisted by Mike Abas. The Torreys built a 6-0 first period lead and led 8-0 entering the final period. LJCD closed out the game with seven third-period goals.

Titans roll to 3-0 start, beat Raiders 11-1
Dec. 13 at Castle Park High School: Eastlake remained undefeated in three starts by rolling up a 9-0 edge through two periods. Andrew Abuyo paced the Titans attack with two goals and five assists while Dante Patron racked up five goals and freshm,an Jace White recorded his first prep hat trick. Michael Kelley also scored one goal while Jordan Hines was credited with two assists. Nate Scharmann and Alex Bule each were credited with one assist. Andrew Martinez (goal) and Gary Pendleton (assist) combined on Southwest’s goal with 6:30 left in the game.

Mustangs skate to 14-0 win, top Trojans
Dec. 13 at Castle Park High School: Danielle McAvenia was credited with three goals and three assists and Matt Nafarrete was credited with two goals and three assists to lead Otay Ranch. Carlos Melendez was credited with two goals and two assists while James Dionicio and Angelo Seganit both were credited with two goals. Zach Johnson was credited with a goal and assist.

Broncos skate to 2-0 North County League start
Dec. 12 at Escondido Sports Center: Kory Grahl (three goals, two assists) and Adam Child (two goals, three assists) each led the undefeated Broncos with five points in a 9-1 victory against Vista. Matt Kresky scored twice and Ryan Heidrich added a goal and assist for Rancho Bernardo, which jumped out to a 3-1 first-period lead and rolled across six unanswered goals in the next two periods. Zach Cameron notched the Panthers' lone goal, assisted by Owen Gilchrist, to cut into an early 2-0 lead by the North County League-leading Broncos (2-0, 6-0). Vista (3-2 overall) fell to 0-1 in its league debut.

Poway 4, West Hills 2
Dec. 12 at Escondido Sports Center: The Titans (1-0, 6-0) rolled across three third-period goals to win their North County League opener over the Wolf Pack (0-2, 2-4). Eric Eyler scored twice while Alex Metz and Zach Vachris each scored single goals. Darren Barnes and Jesse Stabler each picked up an assist for Poway, which trailed 1-0 before going on a run of four unanswered goals. Geronld Leslie got West Hills' last goal with one second to play in the game.

Westview 4, Scripps Ranch 2
Dec. 12 at Escondido Sports Center: The Falcons challenged but the Broncos prevailed to remain undefeated. The victorious Wolverines (1-0, 6-0) received goals from four players, with Garrett Taylor and Shane Clements leading the pack with a goal and assist apiece. Greg Hawkesworth and Greg Kurth each scored single goals for Westview, which opened up a 3-0 lead only to see Scripps Ranch strike twice in the final four minutes of the second period to make it a 3-2 game. C.J. Ruhwedel led the Falcons (0-1, 2-3) with a goal and assist.

Hilltop 16, Sweetwater 3
Dec. 11 at Skate San Diego: Austin McDonald tallied six goals and one assist to lead the Lancers’ scoring parade. Kekoa Latimore had six points on two goals and four assists while Ruben Benavides had five points on two goals and three assists. Andrew Ries had two goals and two assists while Greg Watters and Bobby Rude each contributed two goals. Tylor Spracklin recorded three assists. Hilltop (3-2) rolled to a 4-0 first-period lead and led 7-0 before the Red Devils (0-2) scored their first goal. Sweetwater received a goal and assist each from Robert Felizardo and Alex Mogo. Abraham Lopez also scored one goal for the Devils, who trailed 11-2 entering the final period.

St. Augustine 6, La Jolla Country Day 6
Dec. 11 at Skate San Diego: The Saints (3-2-1) scored twice in the final 3:10 to force a tie game with the Torreys (2-5-1). St. Augustine led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Greg Park and Carter Pool but LJCD stormed back with four goals in the second period as the teams skated into the final period locked in a 4-4 standoff. The Torreys went ahead 6-4 on goals by Ben Sweeney and Camille Corbin at the 12:05 and 642 marks of the third period and, braced by the goaltending of Eric Williamson, looked to pull off an upset. But the Saints increased their pressure in the waning minutes with dividends paying off. Pool led St. Augustine with three goals and an assist while Park had four points on two goals and two assists and Daniel Dieters contributed a goal and assist. Corbin keyed LJCD with a hat trick while Sweeney had two goals and three assists. Joey Bryant-Sowka had one goal for the Torreys, who also received one assist from James Owsiany.

La Jolla 13, Mar Vista 4
Dec. 11 at Skate San Diego: Johnny Noris (10 goals, two assists) recorded points on 12 of the Vikings’ 13 goals to push his team to its first win of the season against the winless Mariners (0-5). Matt Cox collected six assists for La Jolla (1-3) while Chris Cox, Matt Davis and Ranazph Chong each scored one goal. Mar Vista got two goals and one assist from Dillon Taylor in a losing cause while Emmanuel Alcaraz picked up a goal and assist and Andrew Bronkema scored once.

Titans score 14 goals, roll to 2-0 start
Dec. 11 at Castle Park High School: Eastlake got goals from 10 players and points from 12 players in rolling past the winless Trojans. Justin White had two goals and two assists, Mike Oleata had two goals and one assist and Dante Patron and Michael Kelley both scored two goals to lead the Titans to their second consecutive victory to start the season. Derek Tamayo was credited with a goal and two assists while Eric Tamayo was credited with a goal and assist. Andrew Abuyo, Jordan Hines, Jace White and Sarah Cloonan all were credited with one goal in the non-league game. Felipe Ramirez was credited with one assist. The Titans led 6-0 at the end of one period and 10-0 at the end of two periods.

Otay Ranch scores 9-1 win over Southwest
Dec. 11 at Castle Park High School: Matt Nafarrete scored seven goals to lead the Mustangs past the Trojans. James Dionicio had a goal and assist while Sean Gray also was credited with one goal. Gabe Beddoes, Zach Johnson, Danielle McAvenia and Angelo Seganti each collected two assists. Otay Ranch nursed a 2-0 first period lead into a 4-0 second period lead, adding five third-period goals to close out scoring in the non-leageu contest.

Saints hold off Panthers, claim 4-3 win
Dec. 10 at Escondido Sports Center: Greg Park scored three goals but it was Carter Pool’s goal, assisted by Daniel Dieters, that won the game with 18 seconds left. The game was tied three times, twice by the Panthers and once by the Saints. Park tallied the opening goal of the game with 7:46 to play in the opening period. Vista knotted the score at 1-1 on a goal by Jared Johnson, assisted by Sebastian Pardo, and each team scored once in the second period. Park scored just 26 seconds into the middle frame to give St. Augustine a 2-1 lead but Johnson scored four minutes later to knot the score at 2-2. The Panthers took their only lead of the game, 3-2, with 10:00 left as Ethan Gilchrist netted an unassisted goal. But the Saints struck in dramatic fashion to win the game. Park scored his hat trick goal, assisted by Pool, with 2:46 to play to tie the game at 3-3. St. Augustine won the game on Pool’s power play goal in the dying seconds after Vista had been whistled for a roughing call. Netminder Mick Hammock stopped 26 of 29 shots to buoy the Saints.

Hilltop 15, La Jolla 1
Dec. 10 at Skate San Diego: Ruben Benavides collected seven goals and four assists in the rout. The Lancers sped away from the winless Vikings with six second-period goals and led 15-0 before La Jolla’s Matt Cox broke Hilltop’s shutout bid with 2:08 to play in the game. Austin McDonald contributed a goal and four assists while Kekoa Latimore added five points on three goals and two assists.

Scripps Ranch 32, Castle Park 0
Dec. 10 at Skate San Diego: The Falcons were buoyed by 11 points from Christian Chang (six goals, five assists) and 10 points from Max Balaban (six goals, four assists) in the non-league encounter. Kendall Lindley contributed four goals and two assists while Steve Sherman had three goals and three assists. Derek Flick collected three goals and two assists while Lance Harrison and Brent Friedman each added two goals and three assists. Joey Iacouera was credited with two goals while Alex Reed was credited with a goal and two assists. Scripps Ranch led 12-0 at the end of the first period and 20-0 at the end of the second period, adding 12 more goals in the third period.

Rancho Bernardo 10, Otay Ranch 2
Dec. 10 at Skate San Diego: The Broncos became the first team to roll to a 5-0 start by topping the Mustangs. Matt Kresky led the defending Kiwanis Cup champions with three goals and one assist while Kory Grahl had three goals and Ryan Heidrich contributed two goals and one assist. Brett Ross and Tanner Woodbury each scored one goal. Woodbury also had an assist in the non-league game, as did Adam Child and Chris Clement. Rancho Bernardo wasted little time in scoring, as Grahl beat Otay Ranch netminder Victor Holland (28 saves) just 50 seconds into the game. The Mustangs tied the score at 1-1 just under four minutes later on a goal by Zach Johnson but the Broncos added two more goals for a 3-1 lead. RB rolled off six unanswered goals in total for a 7-1 lead before Carlos Melendez could respond for Otay Ranch. RB, which racked up a 38-17 shot total, closed the game with three unanswered goals in the final 4:27.

Torreys face rebuilding season, could finish with more

Posted Dec. 6, 2007
David Brink is in his third year coaching the La Jolla Country Day Torreys. This year he said the Torreys are facing a rebuilding season due to the loss of six seniors. "It's sort of a rebuilding year," said Brink, whose squad improved to 2-4 on the young 2007-08 campaign with a 12-3 non-league victory against La Jolla on Thursday at Skate San Diego. "We got a short bench and a new goalie. We're trying to work on team chemistry. If our new goalie comes along well, I think we could contend for the league title and a good spot in the playoffs."

LJCD returns a pair of top performers in juniors Ben Sweeney and Eric Williamson. Sweeney is an all-league defenseman whose season was cut short last year because of an ice hockey injury; Williamson is being asked to play a new position this season -- that of goaltender. Impact newcomers include freshmen James Owsiany, a defender/forward, and Camille Corbin, a member of the Lady Ducks ice hockey team. Owsiany plays for the San Diego Ice Arena Bantam AA team while Sweeney is a member of the 18AA Junior Gulls ice squad.

The Torreys received points from five players in Thursday's victory against the Vikings (0-2). Owaiany (four goals, three assists) and Sweeney (three goals, four assists) tied for the team lead with seven points each while Sam Brink recorded four points on three goals and one assist, Joey Bryant-Sowka registered a goal and assist and Cameron Eibl had one goal. Corbin did not play due to other commitments but has been an integral part of the teasm's scoring machine thus far this season.

LJCD led 6-1 after the opening period and 7-2 entering the final period. The Vikings were not playing with standout scorer Johnny Noris because of work commitments. He had La Jolla's lone goal in an 18-1 setback the previous night to Poway at the Escondido Sports Center that doubled as the Vikings' delayed season debut. Matt Cox had all three La Jolla goals in Thursday's game.

Hilltop 10, Chula Vista 0
Dec. 6 at Castle Park High School: Ruben Benavides (two goals, three assists) and Kekoa Latimore (three goals, one assist) paced the Lancers’ offense in handing the Spartans (1-1) their first loss of the new season. Austin McDonald had two goals for Hilltop, which rolled to a 4-0 lead after the first period and closed out the non-league match-up with five third-period goals.

Saints steal win from Wolf Pack
Dec. 5 at Escondido Sports Center: Greg Park scored four goals and added an assist to lead St. Augustine (2-2) to its second consecutive win against a team from the North County League. Carter Pool got things going for the Saints with the opening goal of the non-league match-up as St. Augustine took a 1-0 lead. The teams were tied 2-2 after the opening period, with Park adding the first of his four tallies on the night and Keith Gurr scoring twice for West Hills (2-2). The Saints scored the lone goal in the second period as Jordan Jodiio gave his team a 3-2 edge, assisted by Park. Park upped the St. Augustine lead to 5-2 with a pair of goals to open the third period but the Wolf Pack rallied to narrow the score to 5-4 with 3:26 to play on goals by Josh Huff and Gurr, who completed a hat trick on the night. Park scored his fourth goal of the game with 15 seconds to play to ice the victory. Daniel Dieters registered two assists for the victors while Mick Hammock made 26 saves on 30 shots. "West Hills played a great game and had some chances through period two and three to pull even," St. Augustine coach Christian DaLuz said. "Greg Park continues to find ways to score. Carter Pool played a solid game on both ends of the rink. (Our) defense played solid, although missing Cameron Kayfish (a sophomore serving a suspension) changed the dynamic of (our) attack."

 
Poway steam-rollers Vikings, wins 18-1
Dec. 5 at Escondido Sports Center: The Titans (4-0) spread around the scoring with nine players getting goals and 11 players picking up points in the non-league encounter that served as the delayed season debut for La Jolla (0-1). Chase Liebman keyed Poway in the goal department with five goals while adding an assist. Eric Eyler had two goals and five assists while Ryan Smith had three goals and one assist and Zach Porter collected a pair of goals to go with a pair of assists. Joroan Gallen recorded two goals in the game. Zach Vachris, Luke Richard, Nick Maresh and Darren Barnes also picked up goals. Barnes also had an assist. Ian Wilson and Ethan Gormican both dished out one helper in the game. Johnny Noris, assisted by Matt Cox, scored the Vikings’ lone goal. Poway led 3-0 at the time of Noris’ goal but went on to build a 7-1 advantage by the end of the first period. The Titans led 12-1 entering the final period.

Westview stays perfect on season, rolls up 30 goals
Dec. 5 at Skate San Diego: The Wolverines received points from 12 players in hiking their unbeaten mark to 4-0 while rolling over Castle Park. Garrett Taylor led Westview with 12 points on four goals and eight assists while Ian Rogers and Alex Brugeras each registered five goals and one assist. Anthony Mata tallied nine points on four goals and five assists while Greg Hawkesworth had seven points on four goals and three assists. Jason Kurth racked up three goals and one assist while Phil Sansone contributed one goal and two assists. Shane Clements and Stephen McDowell each added a goal and assist while Ryan Amyot scored one goal. The Wolverines blitzed to an 11-0 first period lead and added 13 goals in the second period to lead 24-0 entering the final period.

Bonita Vista avenges early seasson loss to Southwest
Dec. 5 at Skate San Diego: Steven Micallef scored three goals and added one assist while Ryan Kean potted a pair of goals to lead the Barons to a 5-3 revenge win against the Raiders. The Barons, who had dropped a 10-3 decision against Southwest the previous week, led from the onset in the non-league rematch. Bonita Vista entered the final period nursing a 3-2 lead and outscored the Raiders 2-1 in the final 15 minutes to capture the win. Dewayne Adams led Southwest with two goals while Michael Farrell scored once and Antonio Meza collected two assists.

Lancers continue to roll with the times

Posted Dec. 5, 2007
While the CIF/Metro Conference roller hockey circuit might be celebrating its eighth season of operation in 2007-08, Hilltop High’s program predates that by several years. The Lancers were the pioneering club in the South Bay – and over a decade later continue to remain one of high school roller hockey’s most competitive teams.

“We started this in 1997 and it’s still going today,” Hilltop coach Dan Vacarro said. “We’ve kept the league going. We keep getting new players out each year. I’ve been happy. Every year we’ve had a competitive team.”

It’s no different this season. The Lancers are favored to win the South Bay League title, wrestling it away from a defending league champion Mar Vista team that has entered a rebuilding mode after several seasons at the top of the standings. The La Jolla Country Day Torreys appear game this season but Hilltop stands as the preseason favorite.

“We’re favored to win our division this year,” Vacarro said. “I have an exciting, good first line. After that we have some young kids. There’s a drop in depth. It’s a learning curve issue. The key is to mesh everyone together.”

So far, it’s been feast or famine for the Lancers, who have rolled to a 1-3 start in non-league play. Hilltop has had the luck of the draw to face three of the top teams in the 18-team conference to face off the season. The games have been fiercely competitive, especially Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to Vista. The Lancers trailed by a 2-1 score for the bulk of the contest before the Panthers (3-0) struck for a goal midway through the third period and added another with just 29 seconds left in the game.

Hilltop gave Poway, a finalist in last year’s Kiwanis Cup playoffs, everything it could handle for the first half of the game before losing a step and eventually falling by a misleading 9-1 score.The Lancers jump-started the season Nov. 27 with a 15-4 loss to Westview, possibly the second-best team in the conference this season behind the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos, before toppling a rebuilding Bonita Vista team, 16-1, on Nov. 29.

The game Vacarro is really looking forward to is after the holidays against Mesa League preseason favorite Otay Ranch on Jan. 7. The Mustangs lost, 11-5, to Westview on Tuesday to suffer their first loss after three straight wins to face off the season.

“They (the Mustangs) have showed me they’re one of the premier teams this season. It will be a good test for us,” the Hilltop skipper said. “In the game against Westview, that was the first time a lot of our younger kids had seen speed like that. It was like ‘wow!’ – so this is what we’re in for.”

Top returners include Ruben Benavides and Austin McDonald, both fourth-year forwards, second-year forward Kekoa Latimore and third-year defenseman Greg Watters. The recent return of stalwart defenseman Andrew Ries completes Vacarro’s dynamite first line. Benavides, McDonald, Latimore and Ries have extensive travel team experience with the Chula Vista Hawks.

“Ruben is a fabulous skater – just that alone makes him a great player,” Vacarro said. “Austin has grown up. He’s faster, bigger, stronger. If anyone’s come along farther, it’s Greg. He’s 6-2 and grown into his body.”

The team is braced between the pipes by Skylar Travis, whom Vacarro said may be the key to the team’s championship aspirations. “I think Skylar is going to be a key to whether we win it or not,” the Lancer coach said. “When he has his head in the game, he’s as good as any goalie in the South Bay.”

McDonald had two goals and an assist in the season opener against Westview while Benavides collected a goal and two assists and Latimore netted one goal. Nine players picked up points against the Barons, led by McDonald’s six points on three goals and three assists and five points by Bobby Rude (four goals, one assist). Latimore and Benavides each racked up four points on three goals and one assist while Tylor Spacklin contributed a goal and two assists and Watters added a goal and assist.Latimore had the team’s lone goals in the losses to Poway and Vista to start this week.

Westview 11, Otay Ranch 5
Dec. 4 at Skate San Diego: The Wolverines racked up a 3-0 lead and then held off a persistent Mustangs squad in the high profile non-league match-up. Team USA’s Garrett Taylor led Westview with five goals and three assists, though Otay Ranch managed to hold the 17-and-under World Championship participant to two goals through the opening two periods. Westview received goals from seven players in the game.

The Mustangs closed the score to 4-2 late in the first period but trailed 8-3 entering the final period. Matt Nafarrete keyed Otay Ranch with four goals, his last three making the score 9-5 with 2:35 to play. Zach Johnson tallied a goal and two assists while Victor Holland and James Dionicio each were credited with one assist. The Wolverines out-shot the Mustangs 30-20 in the game.

“They have more skilled players farther down the line-up than us. It’s a matter of depth,” Otay Ranch coach Mark Holland said. “To play against a team with speed and depth is always a challenge.”

The Mustangs will get a chance to test themselves against the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos in another non-league engagement on Monday. The Broncos have regularly dispatched their opening season opponents in blowout fashion, winning by scores of 35-0 (Castle Park), 26-0 (Southwest), 11-0 (West Hills) and 25-5 (La Jolla Country Day).

Otay Ranch will focus on winning sole possession of this year’s Mesa League title as non-league play wraps up. “We still have two games against Eastlake, St. Augustine and La Jolla. We haven’t seen any of those teams play yet, so we don’t have a clue what to expect.”

St. Augustine, which previously dropped close contests against Poway (6-5) and Westview (6-4), topped Scripps Ranch by a 7-6 score on Monday. The Mustangs faced off the season with a 6-2 win against the perennial North County powerhouse Falcons.

Taylor received support from teammates Shane Clements (one goal, two assists), Ian Rogers (one goal), Ryan Amyot (one goal) and Greg Hawkesworth (one goal), Jason Kurth (one assist) and Greg Kurth (one assist). Westview rolled to a 6-2 first period lead on the strength of three rapid-fire goals in the opening 3:20. TheWolverines responded with a pair of quick strikes in the final 1:18 of the opening frame to regain control of the non-league match-up. Westview outscored the Mustangs 5-3 overt the balance of the final two periods, finally putting the game out of readch with three third-period goals.

RB Broncos continue undefeated start, win 25-5
Dec. 4 at Skate San Diego: The Rancho Bernardo Broncos were tested by the La Jolla Country Day Torreys but continued to improve on their quest for an undefeated season by rolling to a 25-5 non-league victory. The Broncos, who improved to 4-0 following the non-league victory, racked up the opening five goals of the game and led 9-1 after the first period and 16-3 entering the final period. Adam Child led the RB scoring parade with 10 points on eight goals and two assists while Tanner Woodbury had six points on four goals and two assists and Chris Clement and Rob Pegler each had four points on three goals and one assist. Corbin Walters also had four points on one goal and three assists. Tyler Grahl had two goals and one assist while Matt Kresky had three points by scoring one goal and adding a pair of assists. Roman Mendoza and Bryce Semonian both collected a goal and assist. Ben Sweeney had three goalos for LJCD while James Owsiany scored twice. Camille Corbin and Joey Bryant-Sowka both dished up a pair of assists.

Panthers outlast Lancers, 4-1, in non-league clash
Dec. 4 at Skate San Diego: The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Guy Lemieux and Jared Johnson and held off a persistent Hilltop team for the balance of the non-league game. The Lancers halved the deficit to 2-1 with the only goal of the second period as Kekoa Latimore finished off a pass from teammate Andrew Ries. However, Hilltop could not get any closer despite repeated pressure in the Vista defensive zone. The Panthers finally got some much needed breathing room when Lemieux notched his second goal of the game with 7:41 to play in the third period to put his team up 3-1. Johnson netted his second goal with 29 seconds to punctuate the gritty Vista win.

Barons find offense in 14-1 win over Castle Park
Dec. 4 at Castle Park High School: Bonita picked up its first win of the season in grand style as Daniel Ruelas and Steven Micallef each scored five goals. Ruelas led the Barons in points with nine by contributing four assists while Micellef, the team’s early scoring leader, added two assists for seven points. Felix Garcia had four points on a goal and three assists while Ryan Kean scored twice and Ryan Micallef contributed a goal and two assists. Bonita Vista led 5-0 after the first period and 9-1 after two periods. Ranee Mayoral was credited with the Trojans’ lone goal, assisted by Johnny Cruz.

Saints score major prestige points, edge Falcons 7-6
Dec. 3 at Escondido Sports Center: The 2007-08 edition of the Saints looked to be good out of the gate but just how good? That question as answered with a come-from-behind 7-6 victory against perennial conference power Scripps Ranch. The Falcons led 6-2 early in the final period before St. Augustine erupted for five goals to skate to the upset victory. Carter Pool led the Saints with four goals and three assists – a point on every St. Augustine goal – while Greg Park scored twice and Steven Curran had one goal. The Saints’ comeback began when Pool scored his second goal of the game with 9:57 left in the game. Carter completed his hat trick with a goal just over a minute later to bring his team to within 6-4 on the scoreboard. Curran made it 6-5 with 7:27 left and Pool notched the game-tying goal with 5:27 to play. Park, set up by pool, recorded the go-ahead goal with 2:44 left in regulation play. Christian Chang (two goals, one assist) and Aaron Peterson (two goals) led Scripps Ranch in scoring. The Falcons also received one goal each from Max Balaban and Alex Reed. Scripps Ranch led 2-0 after the opening period and out-scored the Saints 3-2 in the second period for a 5-2 edge. Peterson scored 1:06 into the third period to push the Falcons’ lead to four goals. The Saints had six penalties in the game to five for Scripps Ranch.

Panthers claw Torreys, claim 12-2 victory
Dec. 3 at Escondido Sports Center: Jared Johnson scored four goals and four players – Zach Cameron, Ethan Gilchrist, Guy Lemieux and Broc Powell -- each scored two goals to lead the Panthers to their third consecutive win without a loss to face off the season. Vista, after getting off to a 2-0 first-period start, led 9-1 after two periods on the strength of seven second-period goals. La Jolla Country Day’s goals came off the sticks of Ben Sweeney (second period) and James Owsiany (third period). The game featured 13 penalties, including seven by Vista.

Mustangs prevail 9-3 in battle of league champions
Dec. 3 at Skate San Diego: Otay Ranch roller to a 3-0 start after skating past Mar Vista in a match-up of last season’s Mesa League champions (Mustangs) and South Bay League champions (Mariners). Zach Johnson was credited with points on Otay cRanch’s first eight goals with three goals and five assists. However, the Mustangs only could take a 2-1 lead after the opening period as Mar Vista responded with perhaps its best showing of the early season. Johnson gave Otay Ranch a 1-0 lead with 9:55 left in the opening period off a pass from Gabe Beddoes but the Mariners tied the score with 3:14 left in the first period on an unassisted goal by Dillon Taylor. Johnson then set up teammate Matt Nafarrete for the 2-1 go-ahead goal and the Mustangs took off from there by outscoring Mar Vista 5-1 in the middle period. Nafarrete finished the non-league contest with three goals and one assist while Carlos Melendez and James Dionicio each were credited with one goal. Andrew Bronkema scored twice for the Mariners, adding one goal in each of the last two periods. Taylor collected an assist to go with his one goal while Jeff Longley picked up one assist. The strong play of goaltender Federico Alcaraz was crucial to a young Mar Vista team keeping the score close, especially in the early going.


Titans win battle of the green, top Lancers 9-1
Dec. 3 at Skate San Diego: Poway faced off against a gritty Hilltop lead, leading just 1-0 through the opening 15 minutes of play. Chase Liebman got the Titans’ jump goal. Poway added six goals in the second period, building a 4-0 lead before the Lancers got their lone goal in the non-league contest off the stick of Kekoa Latimore with 6:24 left in the period. The Titans responded by scoring twice more in the middle period to pile up a 7-1 advantage entering the final period of play. Ryan Smith keyed Poway with three goals and one assistn while Eric Eyler added a goal and three assists. Darren Barnes, Chase Liebman and Jordan Gallen each collected one goal and one assist while Alex Metz and Nick Maresh each scored one goal.


Broncos roll up 26-0 win, hike record to 3-0
Dec. 3 at Skate San Diego: Defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo continued to punish teams on the scoreboard by downing the Southwest Raiders in the non-league match-up. The Broncos rolled up a 5-0 first period edge, then blasted 12 unanswered goals in the second period to lead 17-0 after two periods. Five players registered hat tricks in the game: Matt Kresky (four goals, three assists), Adam Child (three goals, three assists), Bryce Semonian (three goals, one assist), Rob Pegler (three goals) and Tanner Woodbury (three goals). Kory Grahl collected four points on two goals and two assists while Corbin Walters (two goals, one assist), Tyler Grahl (one goal, two assists), Roman Mendoza (one goal, two assists) and Evan Lomnitzer (three assists) all picked up three points.

Hungry like the wolf
West Hills faces ‘rebuilding season’

Posted Dec. 3, 2007
The West Hills High School roller hockey team embarks on its third season of play in the CIF/Metro Conference in what new head coach Dennis Morris terms “a rebuilding year.”

The Wolf Pack, which advanced as far as the quarterfinal round in last season’s Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs, lost six key players over the course of the off-season – three to graduation and three to East Coast prep schools.

Andrew Delgadillo, Travis Peters and Travis Lopez all left the program due to graduation while Matt Gage, Logan Boehm and Tim Shaw were recruited to play high-level hockey at out-of-state prep schools.

While the three prep school recruits may give the West Hills program a sense of pride, it left the team in a rebuilding mode.The team’s line-up for the 2007-08 campaign is underclassmen-laden with two freshmen, four sophomores and three juniors. The team has two seniors: Jason Addie and Geronld Leslie, the Wolf Pack’s captain.

Goaltender Cameron McIntrye, an all-conference second team selection last season, highlights the returners.

“We’re young this year but are going to be very good next year,” Morris said matter-of-factly.

The West Hills roller hockey program got its start 10 years ago, first gaining club status at the Santee school and then inclusion in the first officially CIF-sanctioned league in the state. The Wolf Pack now awards letters to players at the end of each season just like football, basketball, soccer and other official CIF sports in the San Diego Section.

“The school has been very supportive of the sport and that helps,” West Hills assistant coach Randy Leslie said.

The Wolf Pack looks to be competitive this season after rolling out to a 2-1 start. West Hills topped La Jolla Country Day, 10-3, in its season opener Nov. 26 at the Escondido Sports Complex and roller over defending South Bay League champion Mar Vista, 12-1, in a game played Nov. 29 at Skate San Diego in National City.

Spencer Gaalaas led West Hills with three goals and one assist in the season opener while Leslie and Colton Bohen both scored twice.The Wolf Pack broke open its game against Mar Vista with six third-period goals. Donnie Keffer was credited with four goals while John Gerrard had three goals and one assist.

West Hills faced off North County League play Nov. 28 with an 11-0 loss to defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo. The Broncos are favored to win the conference championship again this season.

North County League games are played at the Escondido Sports Complex. The roller hockey season runs through the end of the traditional winter sports season.

Otay Ranch cuts down Torreys, rolls to 9-2 win
Nov. 29 at Skate San Diego: Zach Johnson scored four goals and added one assist while team captain Matt Nafarrete led all scorers with six points on three goals and three assists as the Mustangs rolled to their third consecutive victory to face off the 2007-08 CIF/Metro Conference season. Otay Ranch led 3-1 after the opening period but began to pull away from La Jolla Country Day with four unanswered goals in the second period to lead 7-1 entering the final period. James Dionicio contributed one goal and one assist while Josh Simpson scored one goal and Danielle McAvenia had two assists. Winning goaltender Victor Holland also had an assist in the non-league contest while stopping 14 of 16 shots. Ben Sweeney racked up both LJCD goals.

Wolf Pack rolls over Mariners, wins 12-1
Nov. 29 at Skate San Diego: West Hills (2-1) led points from 10 players in the non-league match-up, gradually pulling away from Mar Vista with six third-period goals. Donnie Keffer was credited with four goals while John Gerrard had three goals and one assist and Josh Hoff had one goal and three assists. Other goals came off the sticks of Jason Addie, Jerrin Beach, Colton Bohen, Keith Gurr, Geronld Leslie and Alex Wallace. Andrew Bonkema scored the Mariners’ lone goal. MV goalie Federico Alcaraz continued to play well despite the flurry of shots he once again faced while manning the net for a rebuilding Mariners’ squad.

Hat tricks reign for Hilltop Lancers in 16- 1 win
Nov. 29 at Skate San Diego: Four Lancers registered hat tricks: Bobby Rude (four goals, one assist), Austin McDonald (three goals, three assists), Kekoa Latimore (three goals, one assist) and Ruben Benavides (three goals, one assist). Tylor Spracklin had three points on one goal and two assists while Greg Watters had a goal and assist and Adam Wetzel scored once. Steven Micallef scored the lone marker for Bonita Vista (0-2), his fourth goal in two games. Hilltop led 5-0 after the first period against their longtime rivals and held a 13-0 advantage skating into the final period.

Can anyone stop the RB Broncos?
Nov. 28 at Escondido Sports Center: Defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo rolled to its second consecutive blowout victory by defeating the West Hills Wolf Pack, 11-0, in the opener of North County League play for both teams. The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 19 but West Hills asked the game be moved up because of a potential conflict with final exams at the Santee school.Kory Grahl (four goals, two assists) and Adam Child (two goals, four assists) led the undefeated Broncos with six points apiece while Tanner Woodbury chipped in with two goals and one assist. Tyler Grahl scored two goals while Corbin Walters scored once and Ryan Heidrich added an assist.Rancho Bernardo led 3-0 after the first period, scored three more goals in the second period and closed out the contest with five goals in the third period.West Hills dropped to 1-1 overall with the loss.

Wolverines outlast Saints 6-4 in tight match-up
Nov. 28 at Escondido Sports Center: St. Augustine continued to show it can play with the best in the North County League after falling 6-4 in Wednesday's non-league encounter against Westview at the Escondido Sports Center. Greg Park led the Saints with four points on three goals and one assist while Carter Pool contributed a goal and two assists and Daniel Dieters added one helper. Netminder Mick Hammock stopped 29 of 35 Wolverine shots. But Westview had just too much on the night. Five of the Wolverines’ six goals were scored unassisted. Shane Clements led the victors with three goals while Garrett Taylor, Anthony Mata and Greg Hawkesworth each scored single goals. Phil Sansone added an assist.Westview led by a slim 1-0 margin after the opening period on Taylor’s tally with 45 seconds left in the period. The Saints tied the game early in the second period on a shot by Park. Three rapid-fire goals left the Wolverines with a 3-2 edge at the end of two periods. Clements put Westview back on top, 2-1, with 2:29 left in the period. However, Park scored his second goal of the night with 30 seconds to play in the frame to knot the score at 2-all. But Clements swooped in for another unassisted goal with just five ticks left on the scoreboard clock to quickly untie the game.The teams combined for five goals in the final period, with the Wolverines skating to a 6-2 edge on goals by Clements (14:00 left), Mata (5:00 left) and Hawkesworth (2:00 left). St. Augustine pulled back into contention with a pair of goals as time wound down. Pool scored with 1:30 to play to trim the deficit to 6-3 and Park completed his hat trick on a goal with 34 seconds left.

Otay Ranch's Zach Johnson, left, and Victor Holland
Game on! Otay Ranch rolls past Scripps Ranch Falcons in 6-2 stunner Posted Nov. 28, 2007
The opening two nights of action at Skate San Diego in National City displayed the dichotomy that defines the sport of roller hockey in the CIF/Metro Conference. The scores: 21-2, 35-0, 12-0, 14-1 and 15-4.

South County teams once again took it on the chin from by-and-large superior North County teams. Few South County coaches would argue the gulf in level of competitiveness that separates teams from the two geographic regions.

But then there are the Otay Ranch Mustangs.

These South County skaters apparently can play with the best the 18-team conference has to offer as evidenced by Tuesday’s rather impressive 6-2 victory against the defending North County League champion Scripps Ranch Falcons.

The Falcons have been members of the state’s first CIF-sanctioned league for seven years now and have developed rivalries against the top South County squads. Over the years, Scripps Ranch has come to symbolize the measuring stick for the sport of high school roller hockey in San Diego County.

The Mustangs, in their brief four-year history, look to measure up quite nicely.

“This may be the best team we’ve had,” Otay Ranch coach Mark Holland said succinctly following Tuesday’s heroic victory.

Led by junior Zach Johnson’s two goals and three assists, two goals and two assists from senior captain Matt Nafarette, two goals from young forward Carlos Melendez and the stellar goaltending of senior Victor Holland, the Mustangs topped a fast-skating Falcon squad that looks to contend for a high seed in February’s Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs.

Down twice by one-goal margins, Otay Ranch reeled off the game’s final five goals to post the shocking victory. Holland was particularly effective in the final period when he stopped all six Scripps Ranch shots on net. He finished the game with 19 saves on 21 shots – a .905 save percentage.

Said Johnson: “Our goalie’s good.”

The Mustangs out-shot the Falcons 27-21 in the non-league contest.

The elder Holland said the key to his team’s solid win was to short shift two lines. Otay Ranch skaters proved particularly adept on breakaways against Scripps Ranch senior netminder Derek Flick. Just when it appeared the Falcons were poised to creep closer on the scoreboard, the Mustangs would come up with a timely goal.

Ahead 3-2, Otay Ranch took a momentum-shifting 5-2 advantage on a pair of goals 2:14 apart early in the third period. Melendez scored an unassisted tally while Johnson converted a power play feed from Nafarrete. The Mustang captain scored on a neat breakaway with 2:07 left to punctuate the dramatic win.

“We only had six skaters but the right six skaters,” Mark Holland said. “It was the right game plan. One minute into the game, I changed lines and we changed every two or three minutes after that. We wanted to slow the game down. Carlos is normally a forward but we had to use him on ‘D’ because of the guys who weren’t here. ”

The Falcons were playing without ice hockey standout C.J. Ruhwedel while Otay Ranch was missing three players, including all-league defensemen Josh Donaldson and Angelo Seganti. Ruhwedel had five goals and four assists in Monday’s 21-2 victory against Southwest.

Nafarette, Seganti, Donaldson and the younger Holland are the remaining players from the Mustangs’ first-ever team.Max Balaban keyed Scripps Ranch with a goal and assist while Christian Chang scored once.

“The expectations for the season would be to win our league outright,” the elder Holland said. “We’ve shared league titles with Mar Vista and Eastlake before.”

The Falcons look to be trailing the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos for this year’s North County League title. Scripps Ranch looks to match up well against Poway and Westview for the likely No. 2 spot in the league standings, with a Vista Panthers team looking to improve on last year’s last place finish.

Vista defeated defending South Bay League champion Mar Vista, 9-2, on Monday; Poway topped the Mariners, 12-0, on Tuesday.Rancho Bernardo, led by 14 returning players, rolled past Castle Park, 35-0, on Monday while Westview, keyed by junior Garrett Taylor, a member of Team USA’s 17-and-under national ice hockey team, sped past Hilltop 15-4 in Tuesday’s final game at the NC rink.

Greg Friedman, who is in his 11th season as Scripps Ranch head coach, said his team is in the midst of a rebuilding year by North County standards. The Falcons are carrying three freshmen on the varsity this season and are count two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors among their top eight players.

Besides Ruhwedel, a member of the Junior Kings AAA 18-and-under team, and Balaban, another ice hockey standout (Junior Gulls 16-AA squad), Scripps Ranch’s top returning players include senior defenseman Brent Friedman, sophomore forward Chang and senior goalie Flick.

“We’ve got a couple good solid defensemen but we’re not as physical as in the past,” Friedman said of his squad. “We’re in a rebuilding year. We had a senior-laden team last year. We graduated six seniors.”

Top newcomers include forward Steve Sherman and defenseman Aaron Peterson, both freshmen. Despite the influx of youth, the Falcons remain potent. Scripps Ranch finished runner-up to Rancho Bernardo in a preseason league.

“The last three or four years, I’ve had the luxury of going with three lines but this year we’ll be going with two lines,” the Falcons bench boss said.

Poway coach Dale Ingram agreed with Friedman about the race for this year’s North County League title. “Everyone is about dead even but Rancho Bernardo is heads above everyone else,” he said. "They don't have a weak player on their team."

The Titans paired up against the Broncos for last season’s Kiwanis Cup title but lost five seniors to graduation. Poway has integrated five freshmen into this year’s varsity roster after losing five players to graduation.

"That's about right for us each year," Ingram said. "We have a total of 60 kids in the program, from the feeder teams up, so losing five players every year doesn't hurt us so much."

Darren Barnes had two goals in Monday’s 6-5 victory against a maturing St. Augustine squad. In Tuesday’s shutout win against Mar Vista, Poway received points from 11 players. Eric Eyler led the scoring parade with two goals and two assists while Nick Cochran and J.T. Landon also both had two goals and Barnes, Ethan Gormican, Chase Liebman, Alex Metz, Zach Porter and Ryan Smith each scored one goal. Smith had three points by also contributing a pair of assists.

Rancho Bernardo is led by captain Kory Grahl and assistant captains Tanner Woodbury and Matt Kresky. This is Grahl’s fourth year with the team. He said the team has responded out of respect for the coaching staff, led by head coach Scott McKay.

“We have a game plan and we stick to it – that’s the respect we’ve developed for our coaches,” said Grahl, speaking for the team.

Grahl said “determination and hard work” propelled the Broncos to last season’s championship title. He said the team’s goal is to repeat as (Kiwanis Cup) champions.

“We’re hoping to have a perfect season,” he said. “A lot of us are coming back. We only lost a couple guys. We play well together – we all know where each other is going to be on the rink.”

Westview’s slick-skating Taylor had five goals and two assists in Tuesday’s win against Hilltop. He has been on skates since age two and went through three rounds of tryouts at the state, regional and national levels before finally landing a spot on the Team USA roster

.“They started with about 200 at all the tryouts and then cut it down to 20,” he said.

He won a national title at the 14-AAA level with the L.A. Selects and got the chance to represent his country over the summer at the 17-and-under World Championships in the Czech Republic where the Americans skated to a silver medal finish.

“It was a great experience,” said Taylor, who said it was a big deal personally for him to represent his high school this season as next season he is slated to move to Canada to play for the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League.

Referee Dave McLean was so impressed by his play that he had to take time to point him out to the press corps. “Unbelievable,” McLean said of Taylor.Everyone else in the photo well whole-heartedly concurred.

Slap shots
Adrian Avalos had both of Mar Vista’s goals in Monday’s 9-2 loss to Vista.Hilltop got two goals and one assist from Austin McDonald in Tuesday’s loss to Westview while teammate Ruben Benavides collected a goal and two assists. Keloa Latimore also scored for the Lancers. Westview got three goals and two assists from Shane Clements in the win while Jason Kurth had two goals and three assists, Ryan Amyot had three goals and one assist and Anthony Mata scored twice.



Improved Raiders skate to 10-3 win over Barons
Nov. 27 at Castle Park High School: Dewayne Adams scored four goals and three assists and Jose Castro added three goals and one assist to lead the Raiders in the non-league match-up. Michael Farrell, Trevor Pierce and Alex Martinez each scored one goal for Southwest while Andrew Martinez and Antonio Meza each contributed two assists. Steven Micallef scored all three Baron goals.The win evened the Raiders’ record at 1-1 following Monday’s season-opening 21-2 non-league loss to Scripps Ranch. “We just want to show steady improvement. That’s our main goal,” Southwest coach Jerry Nestlerode said. “We’d like to earn a little more respect from the other teams. We want to play hard for a full 45 minutes, regardless of the score.”


Spartans blast Trojans 21-1
Nov. 27 at Castle Park High School: Chula Vista started off its season 1-0 with the breakaway win. Michael Abas (six goals, three assists) and Bradley Bonney (five goals, four assists) each led the Spartans with nine points while Daniel Breon contributed eight points on four goals and four assists. Eric Sharp added one goal and four assists for five points while Tony Laezza had two goals and two assists for the winning team. Joseph Garcia had a hat trick while Samuel Cadvieco, Matt Diaz and Lorri Washington each had one assist. Raul Medina scored Castle Park’s lone goal.


Torreys spoils Red Devils' return
Nov. 27 at Skate San Diego: Ben Sweeney had four goals and five assists to lead the Torreys to their first win of the season. Camille Corbin tallied six goals and one assist in the non-league contest to spoil the return of the Red Devils to active play. Robert Felizardo scored Sweetwater’s lone goal

Wolf Pack skates past Torreys 10-3
Nov. 26 at Escondido Sports Center: Spencer Gaalaas led West Hills with three goals and one assist while Colton Bohen and Geronld Leslie were each credited with a pair of goals and Jerrin Beach dished out three assists in the non-league victory. Keith Gurr and Alex Wallace each scored single goals for the Wolf Pack, which broke the game open with five second-period goals. Camille Corbin led La Jolla Country Day with a pair of goals while James Owsiany scored once. The Torreys received one assist apiece from Joey Sowke and Ben Sweeney.


Poway nips St. Augustine with first period goal rush
Nov. 26 at Escondido Sports Center: The Titans blitzed to a 5-0 first period lead and then held off a ferocious third-period charge by the Saints to register the non-league win. Darren Barnes scored twice to lead the first-period assault while Poway also got goals from Zach Vachris, Ryan Smith and Eric Eyler. St. Augustine trimmed the Titan lead to 5-2 on goals by Greg Park and Daniel Dieters in the second period but Poway ended the frame with a 6-2 edge on a goal by Luke Richard with 13 seconds left in the period. The Saints closed out the contest with three unanswered goals in the final period as Carter Pool scored twice and Cameron Kayfish picked up his first goal of the season. Park led St. Augustine with a goal and two assists for three points while Trent Robinson and Pool each collected one assist. Eyler collected three points on a goal and two assists for Poway while Chase Liebman collected two assists and J.T. Landon and Ethan Gormican both registered one assist.


Rancho Bernardo posts 35-0 shutout win
Nov. 26 at Skate San Diego: Kory Grahl and Rob Pegler each scored five goals to lead the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos to a 35-0 win against Castle Park.Grahl also finished the game with three assists for an eight-point debut while Tanner Woodbury and Adam Child each collected seven points on four goals and three assists and Chris Clement tallied four times.

Scripps Ranch scores early, often in 21-2 win
Nov. 26 at Skate San Diego: Scripps Ranch senior forward C.J. Ruhwedel scored the opening goal of the 2007-08 CIF/Metro Conference season just 43 seconds into the first period and the defending North County League champion Falcons went on to build a 5-0 lead before the Raiders got on the scoreboard. Ruhwedel finished the game with five goals and four assists while teammates Steve Sherman, Aaron Peterson and Lance Harrison each added hat tricks in support of senior goaltender Derek Flick. Michael Farrell and Dewayne Adams each scored for Southwest.

CIF/Metro Conference Preview
Scorer’s touch is in the genes

Noris, the son of former NHL and WHA player Joe Noris, has been shredding the scoring charts the past three seasons as a member of the Vikings’ roller hockey team. He has finished second the past two seasons among scoring leaders in the San Diego County-based Metro Conference, the state’s first CIF-sanctioned high school roller hockey league. He was third as a freshman. He could be the favorite to finally win it his senior season.

But if he doesn’t, well … that’s OK with him.

The younger Noris has developed a keen sense of maturity, both physically and mentally, over the past few seasons. What was once a heated race against rivals with an emphasis on goals and more goals has turned into a remarkable affinity for sportsmanship in a sport that still rewards scoring feats.

“An assist is just as good as a goal to me,” Johnny Noris said. “I see guys out there who are puck hogs and it's not so cool to me anymore. I like to score goals when I have the chance but I’ll also pass the puck to a teammate if I see he has a better chance to score. I like passing the puck as much as shooting it, especially if it's going to help out my team.”

Joe Noris has helped coach the Vikings since their inception, though he has taken on more of an assistant role the past few seasons. He has placed no pressure on his son to follow in his footsteps.

What both share an intense passion for, however, is surfing. The younger Noris was in Hawaii catching big waves over the Thanksgiving school break.

‘He’s loving it over there. He might not even be back for our first game,” the elder Noris said with a good-natured laugh.

The Metro Conference faces off its history-making eighth season on Nov. 26 with 18 teams scheduled to take the court. The Sweetwater Red Devils return to active status this season while the San Diego Jewish Academy has placed its program on hiatus. The conference will once again be split into three competition leagues for regular season play, with teams skating in non-league contests to start the season.The Rancho Bernardo Broncos are the conference’s defending Kiwanis Cup champions. The Scripps Ranch Falcons are the defending North County League champions while the Mar Vista Mariners have won or shared the last three South Bay League championships last season. The Eastlake Titans and Otay Ranch Mustangs shared last season’s Mesa League title.

Graduation will definitely impact the fortunes of many programs in the conference this season. The teams to watch among Mesa and South Bay squads include both Eastlake and Otay Ranch as well as the Hilltop Lancers, who will be out to return to glory. The Lancers were the first league champion in the conference’s inaugural 2000-01 season.Noris and teammate Nick Whaley combined last season to form one of the conference’s more prolific dynamic duos (as juniors).

Last season, Noris finished runner-up in the conference scoring race with 114 points (57 goals, 57 assists) while Whaley finished third with 99 points (70 goals, 29 assists). Noris finished second to Metro Conference Player of the Year Ian Nicklen of Mar Vista in the scoring race, trailing Nicklen by four points. In 2005-06, the pair racked up 137 points between them, with Noris collecting 76 goals and 28 assists and Whaley totaling 33 points on 19 goals and 14 assists. Noris was named the Mesa League Player of the Year during La Jolla league championship season. Noris finished two points behind Nicklen his sophomore year. The chemistry that developed between Noris and Whaley was a prime reason the Vikings battled for the Mesa League title down to the very last game of last season.Both can be terrors on the court, especially in highly competitive games.

Noris started playing roller hockey at age six and later starting playing ice hockey. He discovered surfing at 12 and has since found that he is suited more for roller hockey.

He is also an accomplished sports fisherman and recently hauled in a junior world-record sea bass.“He’s a great kid for being a very competitive athlete,” his father said. “He’s a nice young man. He hasn’t caused a lot of trouble. He’s a great kid and it’s neat that he’s competitive.”

The elder Noris played in 55 NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres from 1971-74 (after spending one year on the USA national team) and finished his major league professional playing career in the World Hockey Association with the San Diego Mariners (1975-77) and Birmingham Bulls (1977-78). He discovered surfing when he was sent on assignment to the Penguins’ AAA affiliate in the original Western Hockey League, the San Diego Gulls. After playing one season in Birmingham, he returned to San Diego to play minor pro with the San Diego Hawks of the Pacific Hockey League, recording 27 goals and 77 assists for 104 points in 58 games.

He collected 72 goals and 116 assists for 188 points in 198 WHA games.

Now 56, Joe Noris continues to play roller hockey at the senior level after serving as president of the San Diego Barracudas of Roller Hockey International. He said he was more jealous of his son’s life than his son would have been of his. “We live four to five blocks from one of the best surf breaks in southern California,” Joe Noris said. “He’s developed an appreciation of the things that are afforded to him. He loves it and respects it and feels he’s truly lucky to have what he has.

”The younger Noris started playing hockey on his own. “The only time he had any conflict with it was the last year he played ice hockey,” Joe Noris said. “The season started and he wanted to go surfing. I told him he had committed to the team and that he had to finish the season.”

Noris’ team, the La Jolla Jaguars, were very successful at the state Pee Wee AA level and included a number of players who have since made their mark in roller hockey as well. They include Whaley, Greg Park, C.J. Ruhwedel, Kory Grahl, Max Balaban, John Parker, Garrett Taylor and Rory Hansen.

However, the demands of the sport were too great for a fit alongside roller hockey and surfing for the younger Noris. Noris and Whaley have since developed a unique chemistry on the court as members of their high school team.

“They seem to know where the other is. They’ve both matured in their own ways,” the elder Noris said.

Whaley has since moved to Sacramento, however, to pursue a career in ice hockey at the Junior A level.

In the meantime, Johnny Noris has two words to sum up his ongoing pursuit of the scoring title: “It’s exciting.”