SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Roller Hockey

Pass the torch: Vikings upend defending champion Barons for Mesa title

By Phillip Brents

NATIONAL CITY, Feb. 16, 2006 -- Bonita Vista head coach Keith Quigley wore a smile entering the Skate San Diego rink Thursday for his team's battle against the La Jolla Vikings, with the outcome to determine the rights to this year's Mesa League championship. Considering that Quigley's team had started the season 1-8, to be playing for a championship of any sort in the final game of the regular season had to be special.

"It doesn't get any more exciting than this," he said on his way to give his team a pre-game pep talk.

It certainly didn't any more exciting for the upstart Vikings, who overcome an early 1-0 Baron lead to score a breakthrough 6-3 victory to win their first-ever CIF-league title. La Jolla finished league play 8-1-1 to nose out defending league champion Bonita Vista (7-1-2) by one point in the standings.

The Vikings' dramatic win snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak by the Barons (7-0-2). La Jolla's lone loss and tie in league play both came against Bonita Vista. The Barons had won the opener in the teams' three-game series 11-10 before rallying to claim a 4-4 draw in the middle contest.

The Vikings finished the season on a rush, losing just once in their final 10 games -- and that by just one goal.

"It was a lot of fun. The defense being disciplined helped," said La Jolla's Johnny Noris, who collected six points on four goals and two assists in the game to fall just two points shy of tying Mar Vista's Ian Nicklen for the CIF/Metro Conference scoring title.

Linemate Nick Whaley also had a standout game with two goals and an assist before exiting the game in the waning stages after picking up his fourth penalty of the contest.

Both netminders in the game stood their ground in critical junctures -- Kenny Satterlee for La Jolla (11-6-1 overall) and Cody Mazzarella for Bonita Vista (8-9-2). Mazzarella was continually tested by the rapid fire antics of both Noris and Whaley, who seemed to come out of nowhere after collecting loose pucks or court-length passes from defenders.

However, it was the Barons who held the early lead when Eric Enciso scored a power play goal just 2:47 into the contest. The BV edge held up until 5:16 left in the period when Mike Shanahan fed Noris for the game-tying goal. Whaley, with an assist from Noris, gave the Vikes their first lead of the contest at 2-1 by scoring a man-advantage goal.

Enciso's jump goal was perfectly executed on the power play, with the Baron big man finding himself in prime position to tuck in a deft pass from teammate Max Ramos inside the near post. Enciso tied the game at 2-2 just 3:13 into the second period when he fought off a pair of La Jolla defenders near the face-off circle and drove toward net on a short solo rush, beating Satterllee.

The pace of the game picked up noticeably thereafter.

Noris scored on a defensive turnover to give his team a 3-2 lead heading into the final period. The Viking sniper pounced on an errant pass in front of Mazzarella and whipped off a quick snap-shot with 1:26 left in the period.

La Jolla took a crucial two-goal lead when Whaley scored on a scramble in front of Mazzarella with 3:14 gone in the final period. But it took only two minutes for Enciso, pouncing on a La Jolla defensive miscue, to complete his hat trick and bring the Barons back to within one goal on the scorebard.

A tie was as good as a win for Bonita Vista to retain its league title and it appeared the Barons were about to steal the game's momentum before Noris went top shelf on Mazzarella to increase the Vikings' lead to 5-3 with 7:20 to play. Bonita Vista then coughed up a power play goal to La Jolla with 1:38 to play to seal the deal for the Vikes, with Noris converting a feed from Matt Cox for the insurance tally.

Like several teams in both the Mesa and South Bay Leagues, La Jolla appears to be gaining momentum at the right time of the season. As a league champion, the Vikings are automatically entered in next week's Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs and will likely receive a bye to the quarterfinal round.

"We've improved a lot, especially in getting to know each other. At the beginning of the season, three of the kids hadn't played in five years," said Noris, who entered the game with 98 points on 72 goals and 26 assists.

Notepad
La Jolla's Noris finished regular season play with 104 points on 76 goals and 28 assists. He missed out on likely winning the season scoring title when Sweetwater forfeited its league make-up game to the Vikings the day before.

Mar Vista's Nicklen tallied 78 goals and 28 assists to finish with 106 points. Mariners teammate Jeremy Tanaka finished third in conference scoring with 98 points on 49 goals and 49 assists.