SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Roller Hockey

2005 Kiwanis Cup CIF/Metro Conference Playoffs

Scripps Ranch, Titans make it an all-North County League final

#2 Falcons down #3 Barons 7-4; #1 Titans blank #5 Vista 5-0 in semifinals

By Phillip Brents

Posted Feb. 28, 2005

Photo: Scripps Ranch teammates congratulate Matt Comrie on his dramatic short-handed goal.

The North County League dominated South County teams in inter-league play, and while the South County gained some respect with better efforts in the opening three rounds of the 2005 Kiwanis Cup CIF/Metro Conference playoffs, the simple fact remains: the top teams in the new North County League were superior to their southern counterparts and such will be reflected in the outcome of this year's championship game.

This year's champion will be from the North County League.

Top-seeded Poway, with a 20-2-0 overall record, will attempt to defeat second-seeded Scripps Ranch, with an overall 19-2-1 mark, for the third time this season when the two teams match up Wednesday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at the Escondido Sports Center.

The game will mark the first time that the Kiwanis Cup will be awarded outside a South County rink. If the Titans and Falcons -- and the rest of the elite North County teams -- continue their dominance in the sport, the trophy may never return.

Scripps Ranch turned back third-seeded Bonita Vista (19-3-1) by a 7-4 score and Poway blanked fifth-seeded Vista (16-5-2) by a 4-0 score in Monday's semifinals. Wednesday's championship game should be a test of wills. Scripps Ranch has lost just two games over the past two seasons -- both to Poway this season -- after speeding to a county record 22-0-0 mark to win last year's Kiwanis Cup title.

Overall, the Falcons are making their fifth consecutive championship game appearance, inclusive of its final season of play in the club-based San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference.

Poway posted the top regular season record at 9-0-1 in last year's club league, only to place runner-up to Escondido in the championship playoff game.

Bonita Vista and Vista were the only two teams to hand the Titans regular season defeats this season. Both are no longer in the playoffs.

In eliminating five-time Kiwanis Cup semifinalist Bonita Vista, Scripps Ranch rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with six unanswered goals to take a commanding 7-2 lead into the final eight minutes of its semifinal matchup.

Matt Comrie led the Falcons against the Barons with three goals while Ryan Knight was the high point man in the contest with one goal and three assists. It was Comrie's short-handed goal with 5:37 left in the second period that seemed to spark Scripps Ranch as the Falcons reeled off three goals in less than five minutes to turn a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 lead heading into the final period.

Normally, Scripps Ranch seems to toy with its opponents before putting them away with an explosive rush in the third period.

"We stepped it up early. We have eight guys who played in last year's championship game, so they knew what to do," Falcons coach Greg Friedman said.

Andrew Reinhold, Patrick Secord and Andrew Woodfine each scored single goals for Scripps Ranch, which ended the opening period with unanswered goals in the final three minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit. Comrie, set up by Knight, pushed in a shot off a goal-mouth scramble with 2:52 left in the opening stanza while Woodfine deposited the puck to the far side of the net past Bonita Vista netminder Cody Mazzarella with just 48 seconds left in the period.

Up until that time, the Barons had managed to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard while nearly taking a 2-0 lead themselves. James Arakaki gave Bonita Vista a 1-0 lead on a power play goal with 5:25 to play in the period. The Barons nearly scored a second goal seconds later off the ensuing face-off.

But Scripps Ranch goaltender Drew Yamada clamped down on his position after that and the Falcon defense seemed to play with some genuine spirit in containing Arakaki and fellow linemate Kelly Nash. Both Arakaki and Nash were held to one assist apiece the rest of the game.

After Comrie's short-handed tally put Scripps Ranch up 3-1, the Falcons capitalized with a power play goal to make it 4-1 with 3:39 remaining in the second period. Reinhold was credited with that goal as the puck trickled through Mazzarella's pads across the goal line. Knight found the back of the BV cage with 55 seconds to play in the period and one could sense that the Falcons had firm control of the contest.

Mazzarella had stood on his head, as the old hockey saying goes, in the Barons' 3-2 quarterfinal-round win against Westview. While playing steady against the Falcons, there would clearly be no repeat performance of his game-saving heroics in the semifinal. The offensive load also seemed to wear on Arakaki as the Barons, while moving the puck from side to side with poetic finesse, continued to suffer from one errant lazy pass. At times, it looked as if Bonita Vista was playing tried.

That, in a nut-shell, was Scripps Ranch's game-plan: one that has worked to perfection against everyone except Poway this year.

"The only team that had our number was Poway this year," Friedman said. "They were the only team that could stay within one or two goals of us."

Frustrations spilled over into rough play with just under six minutes left in regulation as Bonita Vista's Brent Nash received a five-minute major penalty and game ejection and sister Kelly Nash was seen uncharacteristically throwing punches as players from both teams were pressed against the boards behind the Baron net.

Despite being dominated on the court, Bonita Vista skated hard until the finish despite its short-handed status and even rang up a short-handed goal to make the final score 7-4. Eric Enciso, who scored the game-winning goal against Poway, finished the game with the Barons' final two goals. His first tally, set up by Kelly Nash, narrowed the Scripps Ranch lead to 7-3 with 7:34 to play. However, there would be no hint of a miraculous comeback on this night.

Immediately after the game, there seemed little time to celebrate as Falcons players quickly put on their championship game faces after learning of the Poway-Vista result via cell-phone calls.

Said Friedman: "Dale (Poway coach Dale Ingram) really got his team hyped up to play us in the second game. The thing with Poway is that you have to weather the storm."

#1 Poway 4, #5 Vista 0

Kevin Ingram tallied three times and Stephen Lockwood scored once to lead the top-seeded Titans to their 20th victory of the season in 22 starts. Poway racked up a fury of shots against the Panthers -- one of the two teams this season to record a victory against the regular season North County League champions.

The Titans held a 1-0 lead after the opening period on the strength of Ingram's first goal with 3:37 left in the frame. Chris Von Holle drew the assist on the jump goal. Poway doubled its lead with 9:02 left in the second period when Ingram scored again, this time off an assist from teammate Danny Barnes.

The Titans put the game away with a pair of third-period goals. Lockwood picked up his first goal of the game with 6:13 elapsed in the period and Ingram completed his hat trick with 5:53 to play in the game. Von Holle finished the contest with a pair of assists while goaltender Dustin Maylen recorded his second consecutive shutout in the playoffs.

Poway was assessed five penalties in the matchup, including three roughing penalties in the final period. Vista had four penalties in the game, including three in the second period. However, no power play goals were scored in the contest.