SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Roller Hockey

Trojans say 'Goodnight' to Titans

By Phillip Brents

Posted Jan. 27, 2004

Castle Park's Matt Goodnight did not pick up a goaltender's stick or put on the oversize padding until the summer in preparation for the 2003-04 Metro Conference roller hockey season. Midway through his first campaign between the pipes, he has been gaining confidence -- and wins.

The junior netminder (pictured at right) may have scored his biggest victory of the season Tuesday after leading the Trojans (11-3-0) to a commanding 8-3 win against Eastlake (9-3-0).

The victory was the eighth consecutive for a Castle Park team that seems to be gathering steam for a run at both the South Bay League and Kiwanis Cup championships. In those eight wins, the Trojans have outscored opponents 82-21.

"It was beautiful. It was perfect," Castle Park coach Gene Garcia said after the end-to-end contest that saw the Trojans grab an early 3-0 lead and never look back.

The game, as one might expect, was played at playoff tempo.

Donny McGraw scored the game's first two goals, both assisted by Richard Garcia, and Everett Hinojosa added another off an assist by McGraw to stake Castle Park to its early advantage. The Titans, who got a goal from Kyle Hughes to trim the score to 3-1, had difficultly all game long contending with the Trojans' swarming offense.

And Goodnight.

Eastlake received back-to-back power plays to close out the opening period while trailing by a pair of goals but could convert on neither. After opening the second period with intense action around Goodnight, the Titans went down 4-1 when McGraw -- isolating himself in front of Eastlake goaltender Dustin Tewilliager -- banged home a centering pass.

Captain Chad McElory pulled the Titans -- winners of four consecutive games -- back to within two goals at 4-2 to end the period but McGraw struck again, this time on the power play, to boost the Trojans' lead to 5-2. Castle Park would score three more unanswered goals to lead 8-2 before Chipper Castro closed out game scoring.

The Trojans played the game with just four skaters on the court -- McGraw, Garcia, Hinojosa (pictured at left) and Houston Fry -- before being able to substitute more freely late in the final period.

McGraw led the speedy Castle Park foursome with six goals and one assist while Hinojosa added two goals and one assist. Garcia had four assists while Fry added two helpers.

"Eastlake was the hardest so far. They've got a lot of skaters. We'll take it one game at a time," the Trojans coach said.

Castle Park, which defeated the Titans by a 6-5 score to open the season, plays top-ranked Scripps Ranch (12-0-0) next Tuesday at Skate San Diego (5:30 p.m. face-off).

Goodnight may have played his best game of the season against the Titans, who had dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to Scripps Ranch on Jan. 8.

"He told all the players before the game to not screen him -- to let him see the puck all the time," the elder Garcia said.

If the Trojans hope to have a chance at handing Scripps Ranch its first loss of the season, Goodnight will have to continue to play up the form he displayed against Eastlake.

"I have been trying to see the puck through the screen and working on closing up all the holes, especially through my legs. Hopefully, next Tuesday against Scripps Ranch will be my best," Goodnight said.

The loss hurt the Titans' hopes of grabbing the top seed in the upcoming playoffs. "Castle Park is great with the puck. We played hard. We always give 100 percent effort. We just didn't play smart tonight," Eastlake coach Jeff Mechling said.

In other games Tuesday at Skate San Diego, goals by Mike Mortenson and Manny Simental seven seconds apart in the final two minutes of play enabled Montgomery (7-7-1) to force a 7-7 standoff against La Jolla (6-5-1). The Vikings held a 7-3 lead at one point of the game.

Simental led the Aztecs with two goals and four assists. Josh Royal and Bobby Palma both added two goals for Montgomery, which had played Eastlake to a scoreless draw midway through the second period the day before.

Jacob Glover paced La Jolla with three goals and two assists while Cameron Cerone scored twice.