SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Roller Hockey

2005 Kiwanis Cup CIF/Metro Conference Championships

Scripps Ranch dynasty rolls forward

By Phillip Brents

Posted March 5, 2005

The Poway Titans had placed their stamp firmly on the face of CIF-sanctioned high school roller hockey in their first season of play in San Diego County with an 18-2 regular season record and two victories in North County League play against the defending conference champion Scripps Ranch Falcons.

What the Titans could not accomplish, however, was to defeat the Falcons a third time in what was inarguably the most important game of the 2004-05 season: the Kiwanis Cup championship game.

Scripps Ranch captured its second consecutive CIF/Metro Conference championship by virtue of a 2-1 overtime victory in a game played March 2 at the Escondido Sports Center. Andrew Reinhold scored the game-winning goal 1:40 into overtime to avenge the previous two setbacks against Poway, one of six new teams admitted to the conference this season.

The two losses to Poway were the only setbacks absorbed by Scripps Ranch the past two seasons. The Falcons went 22-0-0 last year to win their first Kiwanis Cup championship in three tries. In the last four seasons since embarking on official CIF play, Scripps Ranch is 68-8-3, regular season and playoffs combined.

The Falcons dynasty continues to roll forward.

Scripps Ranch coach Greg Friedman had been concerned that his team could not match well against a Titan team that had come out like a hurricane in the teams’ latest matchup – a 6-3 Poway victory that settled which team would own the rights to the inaugural North County League championship.

Friedman, however, thought the Titans did not bring that full-impact game to the court in the championship game.

Scripps Ranch took the early momentum on a goal by Grant Chinda, assisted by Brendan McMenamy, with 1:32 to play in the opening period. Behind the increasingly confident play of goaltender Drew Yamada, it appeared as if that tenuous 1-0 lead might hold up until Poway’s Stephen Lockwood tied the game with 3:51 left in regulation on a set-up from teammate Brent Ozaki.

Lockwood, who had finished as the Titans’ regular season scoring leader, had played throughout the playoffs with a chipped bone in his hand.

The Falcons, however, were not to be denied as team captain Andrew Woodfine set up Reinhold’s game-winner in the second minute of overtime. Reinhold serves as an assistant captain on the team.

Poway, which advanced to the championship game of last year’s club-based San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference, finished the season with an otherwise exemplary 20-3-0 record.

Scripps Ranch punctuated its second consecutive championship season with a 20-2-1 final record.