The turn of the calendar to 2019 has certainly been beneficial to the Eastlake High School roller hockey team. The Titans picked up three wins as teams returned to the playing court last week to officially usher in the second half of the 2018-19 season.
The three-game sweep elevated Eastlake’s overall record to 6-2. The Titans improved to 4-2 in Mesa League play in defense of their league title.
Eastlake opened the week with a Mesa League win over the Bonita Vista Barons on Wednesday, Jan, 9, and quickly followed that up with a key 11-3 victory on Thursday, Jan. 10, against current Mesa League front-runner Hilltop.
The Titans are 4-0 in league play after facing off the season with a 0-2 showing in league contests.
Eastlake 10, Bonita Vista 2
Luke Killeen had six points on three goals and three assists while teammate Braden Mayer collected two goals and five assists for Eastlake, which improved to 3-2 in Mesa League play. Kevin Eagles added two goals for the victorious Titans while Karla Navarrete, Jacob Flores and Mason Sedlacek each scored one goal.
Nick Stark and Keala Nunes scored goals for Bonita Vista, which remained winless to start the season.
Eastlake 11, Hilltop 3
The race for the 2018-19 Mesa League championship tightened up after the defending league champion Titans made up for a slow start to the new season with perhaps their best showing on the playing court to date.
Mayer amassed nine points on seven goals and two assists while Killeen potted three goals and tacked on a pair of assists for Eastlake, which moved to within one game of first place in the Mesa League standings with a 4-2 league record.
Hilltop saw its league-leading record dip to 5-1.
“Ever since those two losses we’re turned in around,” EHS coach Rick Haislip said. “Obviously a big part is Braden coming to the games. We’ve been working hard. Our goalie (Robert Hendrickson) has more confidence. He’s a goalie for sure. He’s a quick learner.”
Mayer was on fire in Thursday’s game and could have possibly doubled his scoring output if the puck had taken a few more fortuitous bounces. It was evident the talented AAA ice hockey defenseman was having fun scoring goals alongside his school classmates, and having fun playing alongside the highly talented in his own right Killeen, another skilled veteran on the Titans.
Eastlake did not chalk up the game’s first goal. Perhaps ready to prove their 7-0 season start was no fluke, Hilltop’s Trevor Fune scored the game’s opening goal on a breakaway just 15 seconds into the contest.
From there, the Titans took control of the game with puck possession and a relentless offensive mind-set. Eastlake kept the puck in the Hilltop defensive zone for most of the game, crowding the crease with players tapping and moving the puck all around the net.
The puck possession tactics paid off for the Titans with a 5-1 first period lead. That lead would eventually grow to 11-1 before the Lancers scored the final two goals of the game late in the third quarter after Eastlake had begun to substitute players off the bench.
Eagles scored one goal in support of the Titan offense. Otherwise, Mayer and Killeen accounted for all the other goals and assists.
Kristin Lambertson scored two goals to lead Hilltop, which received a goal and assist from Fune in the setback.
The Lancers saw their record dip to 7-1 overall with the loss.
Eastlake picked up a forfeit win over Mar Vista on Friday, Jan. 11, in a scheduled non-league match-up.
Hilltop had built on its 6-0 first semester showing with a commanding 12-0 win over Otay Ranch on Wednesday.
Lambertson and Fune each scored three goals and two assists for the Lancers, who stretched their undefeated record to start the season to 5-0 in Mesa League play. Isaiah Macias tacked on four points with two goals and two assists.
Happy New Year
CIF-Metro Conference teams rolled into the 2019 calendar year with 15 regularly scheduled games and two make-up games played Jan. 7-11.
In games on Jan. 7:
Rancho Bernardo defeated Patrick Henry, 10-4, in a North County League game at Skate San Diego in El Cajon. Trevor Marquez and Ike Frankel each scored hat tricks for Rancho Bernardo.
Meanwhile, two games faced off at Escondido Sports Center: Scripps Ranch walloped Poway 12-3 to remain undefeated on the season while Escondido Charter kept Cathedral Catholic winless on the season by posting a 10-1 victory.
Kyle Fraser led the Scripps Ranch scoring parade with six points on four goals and two assists while freshman Ben Ivey collected five points on three goals and two assists.
Freshman Jack Ivey contributed three goals and one assist while Cody Ayers dish out three assists. Joon Bae had one goal and one assist while Israel Yates rounded out the Falcons’ scoring with one goal. Taylor Cady recorded 14 saves to secure the goaltender win.
Scripps Ranch scored the opening eight goals in the contest. Poway received two goals from Michael Little and one goal from Ben Louie.
Escondido Charter built an 8-0 lead in rolling past the Dons. Eight players scored for the victorious White Tigers. Jaime Ormeno led Escondido Charter with three goals and one assist while Bryce Mendoza and Franchesca Johannsen each collected two goals and one assist.
Three more games took place at the Escondido Sports Center on Jan. 9:
Scripps Ranch rolled past Escondido Charter 9-1 to improve to 7-0 in North County League play. Fraser led the Falcons with five goals, Ben Ivey scored three goals, Jack Ivey had one goal and two assists, Ayers picked up two assists and Yates had one assist.
Cady and Tori Fraser each recorded seven goaltender saves in splitting time in the Scripps Ranch net.
In other games at the North County venue, Westview topped Patrick Henry 12-2 while Poway out-scored Cathedral Catholic 10-6.
Patrick Henry had faced off the season with an overtime win over Westview but the Wolverines produced a much different result in the second-round match-up between the teams.
Tyler Daniel scored the first goal of the game to put Patrick Henry ahead 1-0. But Westview quickly countered with a run of eight consecutive goals to speed ahead 8-1 on the scoreboard.
The Patriots scored again but the Wolverines closed out the game with four unanswered tallies to win by 10 goals.
Twelve players were credited with either a goal or assist for Westview. Rylie Lissebeck paced the Wolverines with three goals and three assists while teammate Bradon Trimpel collected three goals and two assists.
Chris Ritchie scored two goals while Kelso Cook had three points on one goal and two assists.
Daniel scored both Patrick Henry goals.
The score between Poway and Cathedral Catholic was close through the opening two periods as the Titans led by scores of 4-3 at the end of the first period and 7-5 at the end of two periods. Poway iced the victory with a 3-1 scoring edge in the final period.
Little led the Titans with five goals and one assist while teammate Ian McGrath recorded four goals and one assist. Carter Schrader scored one goal while Louie picked up two assists.
Cathedral Catholic led by a score of 3-2 early on before the Titans closed out the opening period with a pair of goals to take the lead for good.
Jon Wolf led the Dons with three goals while Ben Rodenbeck had two goals and one assist. Quinn Conway, Henry Allen and Allen Vadukout each recorded one assist.
In other games played Jan. 9 at Castle Park High School:
Castle Park 11, Chula Vista 2
Martin Mari racked up eight goals and one assist for the Trojans in the non-league win over the Spartans.
In other games played Jan. 10 at Castle Park High School:
Castle Park 6, Bonita Vista 5
The Trojans captured the key Mesa League win but it was by no means easy against the winless Barons.
Castle Park sped to a 3-1 lead but the game was tied, 3-3, by the end of the first period. The Trojans went ahead, 4-3, on a power play goal but Bonita Vista came back to tie the game 4-4. Nick Stark then scored on a breakaway to put the Barons on top 5-4.
But Castle Park would net the final two goals of the game, tying the game 5-5 before Breana Mireles potted the winner by slipping in a rebound after the BV goaltender had denied initial shots by Martin Mari and Josie Tapia.
CP netminder Arial Briones tipped a break-in shot by Stark just wide with three seconds to play in regulation to prevent the game from possibly going into overtime.
“We were missing guys due to families still on vacation during the semester break but so are other teams,” Trojan coach Jose Mendoza said. “It’s not easy to get your offensive timing back after the break. But other teams are starting to play better. It makes for better competition.”
Martin Mari led Castle Park with two goals and one assist while Juan Carlos Galindo tacked on two goals. Mireles chipped in with one goal and one assist.
Nick Stark led the Barons with four goals and one assist.
Patrick Henry 6, Otay Ranch 3
In a game in which both teams were missing key players, the Patriots captured the non-league win over the Mustangs.
Matthew Voegel scored three goals for Patrick Henry, which raised its overall record to 3-5 on the season (2-5 in North County League play).
“It was definitely fun,” Patriot head coach Chuck Russell said. “It worked out perfect for my team because a lot of players who hadn’t gotten a lot of rink time were able to get out there.
“We’ve played a lot of tough teams up there (in the North County League) but we’ve played well. I think we’ll be either fourth or fifth in the league. It’s Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Westview and likely either us or Escondido Charter (based on head-to-head results against Poway and Cathedral Catholic so far).”
Voegel, Tyler Daniel and Zach Thurman gave Patrick Henry a 3-0 first period lead. Nathan Castro scored for Otay Ranch to make the score 3-1 before Vogel notched his second goal of the game to enable the Patriots to end the second period with a 4-1 lead.
The score got much closer when Castro scored his second goal of the game on a power play to push Otay Ranch to within two goals on the scoreboard at 4-2.
Aiden Elswick scored a shorthanded goal, assisted by Daniel, to increase the Patriots lead to 5-2. But Lino Mancibel quickly made the score 5-3 after notching the third goal of the game for the Mustangs.
Voegel closed out the game with his hat trick goal to secure the win for Patrick Henry.
Otay Ranch was able to keep the score close thanks to the superb goaltending of Joel Aninipok, who was thrust into the first-time starter’s spot. No statistics were kept but it would be safe to say that Annipok likely stopped somewhere between 30 and 40 shots from going in.
In a North County League game played Jan. 10 at the Escondido Sports Center but originally scheduled for Jan. 2, Rancho Bernardo slipped past North County League archrival Westview by a score of 3-1. Frankel, Alex Pang and Tyler Boggess all scored for RB while goaltender K.J. Luna de la Fuente stopped 19 of 20 shots.
With the win, the Broncos improved to 5-1 in North County League play while Westview dropped to 3-3 in North County League play.
“So far, the season has been great,” RB coach Joey Gelsomino noted. “We have a roster full of talented skaters and our senior core is clicking at the right times. Our freshman goalie has been making key saves for us as well.
“The team effort is there. Our leadership core is certainly something to marvel at. It’s going to be a great second half.”
Scripps Ranch improved its conference-best record to 8-0 after rolling past winless Cathedral Catholic, 9-1, in another make-up game on Jan. 10. Kyle Fraser led the Falcons with seven points (six goals, one assist) in the game while Joon Bae collected six points (one goal, five assists). Cody Ayers had three points on two goals and one assist.
In games on Friday, Jan. 11 at Castle Park High School:
Sweetwater 8, Southwest 1
The Red Devils hiked their South Bay League leading record to 5-0, improving to 5-1 overall, after downing the Raiders. Five players scored goals for Sweetwater, led by Jose Lopez with three goals and two assists. Briseth Barajas scored two goals while Cesar Sandoval collected one goal and one assist. Irma Victoria and David Segura also scored goals.
Chula Vista 8, San Ysidro 0
Adrian Ontiveros led the Spartans with six goals while Lucio Gutierrez contributed one goal and four assists.
Chula Vista improved to 3-2 in South Bay League play, 3-4 overall.
CIF-Metro Conference
2018-19 Standings
Mesa League
(Through Jan. 11)
Hilltop Lancers 5-1 (7-1 overall)
Castle Park Trojans 4-1 (5-1 overall)
Eastlake Titans 4-2 (6-2 overall)
Otay Ranch Mustangs 1-4 (2-5 overall)
Bonita Vista Barons 0-6 (0-6 overall)
South Bay League
(Through Jan. 11)
Sweetwater Red Devils 5-0 (5-1 overall)
Mar Vista Mariners 3-1 (3-2 overall)
Chula Vista Spartans 3-2 (3-4 overall)
Southwest Raiders 1-4 (1-6 overall)
San Ysidro Cougars 0-5 (0-6 overall)
North County League
(Through Jan. 10)
Scripps Ranch Falcons 8-0 (8-0 overall)
Rancho Bernardo Broncos 5-1 (5-1 overall)
Westview Wolverines 3-3 (3-3 overall)
Poway Titans 2-4 (3-4 overall)
Escondido Charter White Tigers 3-3 (3-3 overall)
Patrick Henry Patriots 2-5 (3-5 overall)
Cathedral Catholic Dons 0-7 (0-7 overall)
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents
COLLEGE HOCKEY:
SDSU MEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM FACES STIFF CHALLENGE TO END 2018-19 SEASON
San Diego State University men’s ice hockey coach Phil Bateman admitted prior to the Aztecs’ two-game series Jan. 11-12 at the Kroc Center against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes that his team would be facing a challenge as the match-ups fell during the break between semesters in which not all of his players were back from winter vacations.
SDSU was missing four players besides its top goaltender for the two games against the Hawkeyes, who had arrived in town a day earlier while awaiting the start of the series.
“It will be a challenge for us,” Bateman acknowledged before the first drop of the puck in the series opener. “It will test our depth and our conditioning. That’s where it will show up in us having players missing.”
The Aztecs won the opening game, 4-3, on the strength of two third-period power play goals while battling back from deficits of 2-1 and 3-2. Goaltender Austin Hathcoat was spectacular between the pipes for the hosts by making 31 saves on 34 shots as SDSU was out-shot 34-25.
The second game proved much more of a challenge as the Hawkeyes piled up a 37-22 shot advantage and led throughout the game until the Aztecs managed to score the tying goal midway through the third period. The teams skated through a scoreless overtime period before the visitors captured a 3-2 edge in a round-round shootout.
The game was logged as a 1-1 tie on the ACHA scoreboard.
Devyn Kelly scored an unassisted goal at the 15:22 mark of the second period to put Iowa up 1-0. Hathcoat and his teammates weathered an almost unrelenting barrage in the second period as the Hawkeyes applied pressure in the SDSU defensive end.
The teams fought to a scoreless stalemate in the period and it likely turned the game around in the Aztecs’ favor – for at least the opening half of the third period.
SDSU regained its step and touch on the puck, with Tyler Smith notching the equalizing goal off passes from Isaac Miller and Devyn Taras at 10:32.
The Aztecs applied additional pressure but the absence of skaters in the lineup finally caught up with the team over the weekend as the hosts found themselves trapped in their own end for most of the final five minutes of the contest while playing defense.
The defensive stand held off the Hawkeyes as regulation time wound down.
The short break into overtime seemed to re-energize the SDSU rank and file and it seemed the Aztecs were destined to score the overtime winner. But Iowa goaltender Ryan Iaciancio made two big saves on point-blank shots to deny the hosts and the five-minutes of four-on-four skating ended scoreless.
Iaciancio made 21 saves on 22 shots while Hathcoat stopped 36 of 37 Iowa shots.
The game proceeded into a shootout. Both teams scored in the opening round – Kevin Horan for Iowa and Derian Theberge for SDSU. Kelly put the Hawkeyes up 2-1 in the second round while Aaron Mayer knotted the score a 2-2 with a third-round tally.
Iowa’s Jake Vennetti scored to open the fourth round to put the visitors up 3-2 in the shootout while Iaciancio stopped Aztec shooter Tristan Macalolooy.
Despite the overtime tie, there was a sense among the SDSU players that the team had managed to salvage something positive from the second game, especially considering how much the hosts were out-played in the middle period.
Hathcoat definitely upped his value to the team after making 67 saves on 71 shots (.944 save percentage) in the two games against the Hawkeyes (6-7-2-3).
SDSU extended its season record to 10-4-2.
Next up for the Aztecs is a critical set of three PAC hockey conference games this weekend in which SDSU will play at UCLA on Friday (10:10 p.m. at Pickwick Ice) and host the 12th-ranked University of Oregon in a weekend set Saturday (1 p.m. at Pechanga Arena in a double-header with the AHL Gulls) and Sunday (12:35 p.m. at the Kroc Center).
The weekend set against Oregon marks the Aztecs’ final home games this season.
SDSU will play a non-league game at Cal State-Long Beach on Jan. 26 (7:35 p.m. at Lakewood Ice) and close out regular season play with a two-game weekend series at Cal Berkley Feb. 2-3 at Sharks Ice in San Jose.
The PAC hockey conference tournament follows Feb. 8-10 in South Lake Tahoe. The winner of that tournament advances to regional play.
SDSU enters the final leg of the 2018-19 season in a first-place tie with San Jose State University in the PAC-South Division standings. The Aztecs are 6-3 in nine games played with 12 standings points while the Spartans are 6-4 in 10 games played with 12 standings points. USC is third with a 5-5 record in 10 games for 10 standings points while defending conference champion Arizona State is 4-2 in six games played with eight standings points.
Cal is 4-2 in six games to match ASU with six standings points while UCLA occupies the division basement with a 1-10 record in 11 games with just two standings points.
Each team will play 12 divisional PAC hockey conference match-ups. SDSU is guaranteed of finishing ahead of only UCLA, making the Aztecs’ final three divisional games of key importance.
A win over the Bruins on Friday will put pressure on both San Jose State (13-5-1-3 overall) and USC (9-9-0-1 overall) at the top of the standings while ASU and Cal will face even more pressure in facing a whirlwind finish to their respective seasons with a priority placed on picking up as many points as possible in their six remaining conference games.
The season-ending foray against Cal could very well determine first place if the Aztecs do not fare well against Oregon, which sits in third place in the PAC-North Division standings with a 6-4 record. Eastern Washington has finished its season with a 10-2 conference record, putting pressure on second place Boise State to win its final two games to match Eastern Washington with 20 standings points.
The Aztecs will need to play at their best once all the pieces are back in place. Oregon is 12-5-0-1 overall while Cal is 11-4-0. Long Beach is 11-4-1-1 while UCLA is 1-12.
Final countdown
The PAC hockey conference championship tournament will feature eight teams — four from each division — in a single-elimination format similar to the ACHA Division 2 regionals.
Four games will face off the three-day, seven-game tournament on Feb. 8. The No. 1-seeded team will face the No. 8-seeded team, followed by the No. 3-seeded team against the No. 6-seeded team, the No. 2-seeded team against the No. 7-seeded team and the No. 4-seeded team against the No. 5-seeded team.
The two winners from the opening round will meet in semifinal matches on Feb. 9. The championship game is scheduled for Feb. 10 at noon.
All games will be played at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena, located at 1176 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe. The rink is NHL-regulation size.
Puck drops
Mayer leads SDSU in season scoring with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists), followed by Patrick Miller with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and Taras with 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists). The three players constitute what Bateman terms the “Grandpa Line.”
Mayer is playing in his fourth year on the team while Miller’s collegiate eligibility expires once classes officially start for the second semester. The Grossmont High School grad will play his final three games for the Aztecs this weekend.
The Aztecs’ top three point-getters are all San Diego County high school products. Mayer attended Eastlake High School while Taras attended Otay Ranch High School, both in Chula Vista.
Theberge, a freshman, ranks in a tie for fourth in team scoring with Smith, both with 14 points. Theberge, from Santa Clarita, has recorded nine goals and five assists in 13 games while Smith, from Santa Monica, has logged seven goals and seven assists in 14 games.
Theberge is a member of the team’s “Rookie Line” along with Mickey Sullivan (South Lake Tahoe) and La Mesa’s Elisha Reece. All three are freshmen.
Sullivan was unavailable for the two games against Iowa, which necessitated some line changes.
“It’s going to bode well for us,” Bateman said in regard to the all-freshman line. “The three of them are so hockey talented. They’ve got hockey IQs. They know the game very well.”
Theberge grew up playing for the Valencia Flyers before playing his final season for the Jr. Kings AAA team.
Theberge said he has been impressed by the level of play among ACHA teams.
“This is faster,” he said.
SDSU MEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM RINGS IN 2019 PORTION OF SEASON WITH 4-3 COMEBACK WIN OVER IOWA HAWKEYES
The San Diego State University men’s ice hockey team faced off the 2019 portion of the 2018-19 season Friday night, Jan. 11, at the Kroc Salvation Army Center with a gritty 4-3 come-from-behind victory against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
With the win, the Aztecs improved their 2018-19 season record to 10-4-1.
“One of the big problems of coming off a break is losing your timing,” SDSU head coach Phil Bateman said. “We were chasing the game a lot in the first period. We needed to simply our game.”
Things started to fall into place after that.
Tristan Macalolooy opened the Aztecs’ 2019 calendar portion of the season with a goal, assisted by Derian Theberge and Elisha Reece.
The Hawkeyes, however, scored the next two goals to take a 2-1 by the end of the first period.
The teams would each score in the second period as Iowa skated into the final period with a 3-2 lead. Patrick Miller leveled the score at 2-2, assisted by Aaron Mayer and Tyler Smith. But the Hawkeyes came back to break the tie.
The Aztecs began to play more cohesively in the second period and opened the third period with the same resolve. The hosts were rewarded for their effort with power play goals by Mayer to tie the game and Theberge to win the game.
Mayer scored from a tight angle to the Iowa goaltender’s left to finish off passes from teammates Smith and Isaac Miller to deadlock the teams at 3-3.
Theberge scored with 12:26 left in the period to put SDSU up 4-3. Macalolooy and Miller drew the assists.
The Aztecs’ hero of the game, however, had to be goaltender Austin Hathcoat, who stopped 31 of 34 shots as the Hawkeyes recorded a 34-25 shot advantage. Hathcoat was tested often in the waning stages of the third period as SDSU faced some conditioning issues from the month-long layoff.
The Aztecs last played a full game on Dec. 1.
ICE CHIPS:
RED-HOT GULLS HOPE TO MELT THE ICE WHEN HOSTING 2018 WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION TEXAS STARS
The San Diego Gulls will host the Texas Stars in a non-divisional American Hockey League game Wednesday night, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
The Stars won last year’s Western Conference championship en route to a runner-up finish in the Calder Cup Finals.
The Gulls, however, are the team playing like would-be champions right now.
San Diego extended its club record standings points streak to 14 consecutive games following a 3-2 overtime loss at the Iowa Wild on Monday, Jan. 14. The loss to the Wild snapped the Gulls’ eight-game winning streak but added to the team’s continuing rise up the Pacific Division standings.
San Diego is 11-0-1-2 in its last 14 games.
The Gulls are finding ways to rack up those standings points even in the face of apparent defeat.
Adam Cracknell scored the game-tying goal with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime and, in the process, extend San Diego’s club record point streak to 14 games in Monday’s game in Des Moines.
The Gulls concluded a four-game road trip by earning seven of eight standings points. San Diego earned road wins in Ontario and Stockton before traveling to the Midwest for games in Wisconsin and Iowa.
The Gulls defeated the host Milwaukee Admirals, 5-2, on Saturday, Jan. 12.
The Gulls’ 14-game points streak, which began Dec. 14, is the longest point streak in the AHL this season. The Gulls have earned points in their last nine road games (6-0-1-2), tying Iowa for the longest road point streak in the AHL this season.
The overtime setback ended an eight-game win streak form Dec. 27 to Jan. 12 that matched a club record set on two previous occasions (the last being Jan. 26 to Feb. 17, 2018). San Diego’s eight-game win streak is the longest to date in the AHL this season.
Cracknell’s game-tying goal came at 19:58 of the third period to mark his seventh goal and 19th point of the season. Chase De Leo earned the primary assist, his 18th helper of the season. Josh Mahura also picked up an assist, his fifth in as many games.
Trevor Murphy scored his second goal for San Diego with a power-play tally at 15:27 of the second period. The goal marked his seventh overall this season between San Diego and Tucson; he has registered five points (two goals, three assists) in eight games with the Gulls.
Joseph Blandisi tallied the primary assist on Murphy’s goal, his 15th assist this season. Ben Street pushed his point and assist streak to three games with an assist on the goal.
Goaltender Kevin Boyle stopped 23 shots in Monday’s overtime setback to end his club record 10-game win streak from Dec. 15 to Jan. 12 and five-game road win streak from Dec. 30 to Jan. 12. Despite the setback, Boyle has backstopped San Diego to points in his last 11 starts (10-0-1).
“I thought we really did well on the trip,” San Diego head coach Dallas Eakins said in a post-game media interview. “It’s a lot of travel, some time zones, but I love that our guys don’t care. It doesn’t matter to them. They’re going to come out and work hard. We faced a very, very good hockey team. You knew early on that this was going to be a one-goal game.
“We talked about it before the game that we thought this was going to be a real measuring stick for us, where we’re at. Iowa has been a real good team all year and they have some firepower up front. We certainly had our hands full.”
The Wild has been challenging for the lead in the Central Division; the Gulls have positioned themselves for a run at the top of the Pacific Division standings.
San Diego out-shot Iowa 30-26, though the Wild tallied all three shots in overtime. The Gulls finished 1-for-5 on the power play while holding the Wild scoreless in four man-up situations.
“It was so tight checking,” Eakins said of Monay’s game. “I thought both teams did a fairly good job. I’m still, every night, more and more encouraged that we’re not giving up much more anymore, especially five-on-five, but you could tell they were up for it. We’re coming in and obviously we’ve got some points in our last few games and then the other thing, they had lost four in a row. They were eager to get back on the other side of it.”
Cracknell’s game-tying goal had to make believers out of any remaining doubters that the Gulls’ recent surge up the standings is the real deal.
Said Eakins: “We had had a bunch of minutes in their zone, and rather than draw up a play, Adam Cracknell just yelled on the bench right away, ‘they’re gassed, let’s go.’ By them being so tired, the other team, we were able to get something there. That’s what happens when you’re playing well. Good things happen.”
Indeed they do.
“Everyone was just all in, everything goes at that point of the game,” De Leo explained. “We were just trying to get it to the net. I took a look quickly before I got in the corner and saw (Cracknell) on the far side there. Luckily it got through the seam and he buried it.
“Obviously we would’ve liked to get the win, but we kept the point streak alive. Sitting around after that game, we’re looking around at each other and everyone is pissed off and that’s what you want to see. We don’t want to lose. If you like losing you’re in the wrong organization, so I thought we battled hard towards the end, but didn’t put together a complete full 60. Like I said, we still got the point so we have to hold our heads high and get ready to go at home.
“Obviously they’re a good team. They have a lot of speed, their forwards are a fast group and they put the puck in the net tonight more than we did.”
GULLS SILENCE ADMIRALS TO EARN EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE WIN, EXTEND POINT STREAK TO LUCKY 13
It was seemingly just another day at the office for the San Diego Gulls in picking up their latest on-ice victory.
The Gulls set a club record with points in 13 straight games with a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Saturday, Jan. 12. San Diego improved to 11-0-0-2 in its last 13 games (24 of a possible 26 points) dating to Dec. 14 to surpass the previous 12-game point streak from Jan. 7 to Feb. 7, 2017 (11-0-0-1).
With the win, San Diego also tied a club record with their eighth straight victory, matching the previous eight-game win streaks set on two other occasions from Jan. 26 to Feb. 17, 2018, and Nov. 11-Dec. 2, 2016. The Gulls also won a club record sixth straight road game and have points in eight straight road contests (6-0-0-2).
San Diego’s eight game win streak is the longest in the AHL this season while the 13-game point streak is tied with Syracuse for the longest in the league this season.
The Gulls hit the midway point of the season (34 games) with a 19-11-1-3 record (42 points) to mark the most points and tied for the most wins at the halfway point of a season in club history. The Gulls earned 39 points through 34 games in both 2017-18 (19-14-1-0) and 2016-17 (18-12-2-2).
Kevin Boyle stopped 21-of-23 shots to extend his club record win streak to 10 games. Dating to Dec. 15, Boyle has posted a 2.19 goals-against average and .923 save percentage during the 10 games. Boyle improved to 15-5-0 this season and ranks third among AHL leaders in wins. He has also won five consecutive road games dating to Dec. 30, posting a 1.80 GAA and .941 save percentage, allowing nine goals over the five contests.
Max Jones tied a career high with three points (one goal, two assists) for his third multi-assist and eighth multi-point effort of the season. He has collected nine points (four goals, five assists) his last seven contests.
Sam Carrick scored his 20th goal of the season and tallied an assist to extend his point and goal streak to three games (three goals, four assists). He upped his numbers to 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in his last 17 contests.
Troy Terry scored his 16th goal of the season, his fourth goal in as many games. Terry has a four-game point streak (four goals, two assists) with a +6 rating and points in 13 of his last 14 games (eight goals, 22 points), including points in 26 of his 31 games this season.
Terry continues to lead all AHL rookies in scoring with 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists), assists, points-per game (1.19) and ranks third in goals.
Matt Berry netted his third goal and later added his 10th assist for his fourth career multi-point game. Berry has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) his last six games and 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 14 games this season.
Adam Cracknell scored his sixth goal of the season while rookie Sam Steel extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists) after collecting his 19th point in 2018-19.
Josh Mahura recorded his ninth assist on the Carrick goal and has recorded four assists in his last four AHL games. Simon Benoit, Luke Schenn and Ben Street each added assists.
Entering the second half of the season (games 35-68), the Gulls lead the Western Conference and rank second among AHL teams with a 64-30-6-2 composite record (.667 points percentage).
San Diego head coach Dallas Eakins said it was key for his team to respond quickly after Milwaukee had scored two goals.
“Our guys are really becoming unaffected by negative events in he game,” Eakins said. “They regroup quickly and that was a great testament to it tonight.
“I thought we were pretty good through the whole game but our one line there with Carrick’s line (Jones-Carrick-Berry) really responded for us. Sammy has been excellent all year, Jonesy played a big game tonight, but we were able to really rely on all four of our lines for some good o-zone time.
“I think teams that play well and don’t give up a lot of goals, a lot of people point to their d-zone coverage. It’s usually not that. It’s usually that you’re playing in the offensive zone a lot and that’s what we’re looking at our team now and it’s something that we’re trying to improve on.
Eakins credited Boyle for another solid performance between the pipes.
“He made some critical saves there tonight for us,” Eakins said. “That’s what you need. You need that from Kevin and (Jeff Glass) when he’s in there. It’s just great to see Kevin really get his feet underneath him. I know he’s still trying to get better each and every day, which is excellent. This is a young man who has put a lot of effort into his development and here we are now and it looks like he’s really breaking out.
Eakins said the team’s mindset remains the same. “We’re only worried about ourselves,” the San Diego coach said. “We’re going to really nail down our game and our vision, and values there, and hopefully let (other teams) adjust to us.”
Jones said he looks up to Carrick as leading the developing chemistry on the line.
“I think it leads with Sammy,” Jones said. “He’s a veteran and you look up to that guy and what he does, what he makes me want to do. He goes into the corners really hard and works really hard so he makes me want to work hard. I’m sure that Berry feels the same way. I think we just make the simple plays, because that’s all that really matters. Our hard work kind of takes over after that.
“He’s a guy that sticks to business at the rink. Away from the rink, he’s a really friendly guy and easy to hang out with. At the rink, he’s all business, he’s a professional and I think that’s what I look up to most. Being a pro at the rink, and even away from the rink you can be a pro also, but you can be a little bit more relaxed and have fun with the guys. That’s what I’ve learned from him the most.
GULLS FORWARD SAM CARRICK NAMED CCM/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The AHL has announced that San Diego Gulls center Sam Carrick has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 13.
Carrick, 26, posted back-to-back three-point games last week, totaling two goals and four assists as the Gulls extended their winning streak to eight games, longest in the AHL this season, and set a club record with points in 13 straight game (11-0-0-2).
On Wednesday night (Jan. 9) in Stockton, Carrick notched a goal and two assists to help San Diego to a 7-4 victory over the Heat. And on Saturday (Jan. 12), he reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career and registered two more assists as the Gulls defeated Milwaukee, 5-2.
Carrick ranks third in the AHL in goals (20), fifth in points-per game (1.23, min. 20 games) and tied for 11th in points (37) in 30 games for San Diego this season, his seventh professional campaign.
A native of Markham, Ont., Carrick has also appeared in three contests with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, San Diego’s primary affiliate in the NHL. Originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Carrick has skated in 361 career AHL games with San Diego, Rockford and Toronto, notching 217 points (88 goals, 129 assists), while adding two points (one goal, one assist) in 22 NHL appearances with the Ducks and Maple Leafs.
In recognition of being named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week, Carrick will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Gulls home game.
