The Otay Ranch Mustangs and Castle Park Trojans faced off the 2015-16 CIF-Metro Conference roller hockey season for Sweetwater district teams Wednesday at the Castle Park High School rink. Both teams have championship aspirations in their respective leagues and, while players are still being cleared, Otay Ranch certainly has to be considered the better of the two teams at this point of the season after posting a 15-2 win.
There appears to be high expectations, in particular, at Otay Ranch this season.
“First of all, I didn’t like the way we played in the first period,” explained first-year Otay Ranch coach Jose Castro. “We didn’t have our speed. As the game progressed, we had our speed and soft hands and passing. I attribute it to first-game jitters.”
It might be a scary thought for the rest of the district’s teams if the Mustangs can play even better than how they did in Wednesday’s season opener.
“After the second period started, we were more on our game. Our goal was to get everybody in and at the same time to have production at both ends of the rink,” Castro explained. “I think we have some of the best speed in the league, but we need to learn how to harness it and use it.”
The game started off well for defending South Bay League champion Castle Park as Marvin Cirignano potted the first goal of the season less than two minutes into the non-league contest.
But the Trojans’ lead proved short-lived as Otay Ranch roared back with 15 unanswered goals to lead, 15-1, before CP’s Isaac Montero scored the final goal of the game.
The Mustangs led, 5-1, at the end of the opening period and popped in four more goals to lead, 9-1, at then end of the second period. Otay Ranch tacked on six more goals in the third period.
Sean Devaney, a freshman with ice hockey experience with the Jr. Gulls program, made a dramatic debut for the Mustangs with five goals in his first varsity game. Team captain Ricky Portilla led Otay Ranch with six points in the game on two goals and four assists.
Overall, nine players picked up points for the Mustangs in the game. Paul Chavez and Hector Sanchez each recorded two goals and one assist while David Mendez and Ana Toledo each registered a goal and assist. Aaron Marienrtes and Casey Prenatt each were credited with one goal.
Goalie J.T. Santiago was credited with five saves.
Cirignano led Castle Park with a goal and assist while Montero had one goal and Eleazar Cruz had one assist. The Trojans played with rookie goaltender Ariel Briones, who started the game in the standing position but later became more comfortable dropping to the surface and diving for the puck.
She had six saves.
“It was fun, I’m getting better at it,” she said.
Special teams were key for Otay Ranch. The Mustangs killed four of five Castle Park penalties while scoring one power play goal and one short-handed goal.
The Trojans had six players for Wednesday’s game, with one substitute on the bench compared to 10 subs for Otay Ranch.
The Mustangs are fielding a large team this season, Castro has set teams goals to win the Mesa League title and capture the team’s first playoff game. “At least,” he said.
Portilla, a senior, leads the team’s top returners, along with Marientes, a junior, Mendez, a senior, and Chavez, a sophomore. Devaney tops the Mustangs’ list of impact newcomers along with junior John Gentile and senior Nick Trottier.
Third-year CPHS coach Eric Enciso has set a goal to win the South Bay League championship for a second consecutive season.
“It will be a struggle to adapt to a new goalie this year because our veteran goalie graduated,” Enciso explained. “In order to remain atop our league, we will play in a different system that will place us in a position to be successful again. We are stacked with seniors who have been playing since their freshman year and are ready to shine.”
Northern exposure
Conference play officially faced off Monday with four games at the Escondido Sports Center. Defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo topped St. Augustine, 17-0, while Scripps Ranch slid past Westview, 11-8, and Cathedral Catholic sprinted past Poway 13-6.
The Escondido Charter White Tigers made their debut in the CIF-Metro Conference a successful one after slipping past West Hills, 6-4, in another non-league match-up. Escondido Charter comes over to the CIF-branding after winning the 2014-15 winter season championship in the club-based San Diego District Hockey league.
Evan Medeiros led the charge for the White Tigers with two goals and two assists while Joey Mendoza and Jono Pecoraro each collected two goals and one assist.
Robby Baldwin led the Wolf Pack with two goals while Colton Grover and Dylan Siminoff each were credited with one goal.
Escondido Charter out-shot West Hills 42-24, with Wolf Pack netminder Miguel San Martin amassing 36 saves. White Tiger goalie Bryce Mendoza was credited with 20 saves.
West Hills coach Steve Baldwin was not displeased with Monday’s result. “Escondido Charter has a lot more travel ice kids
than we do but West Hills kept the game very close the entire time,” the elder Baldwin explained. “For most of the game we were tied and we were ahead for a short time even though we were missing sniper Cade Frederick.”
The game was tied 3-3 at the end of the second period and Escondido Charter scored the final two goals of the contest to
snap a 4-4 deadlock.
Returning All-North County League selection Ryan Wilson turned in an explosive night with eight goals and two assists to lead Rancho Bernardo past St. Augustine. Bailey Ridout and Miles Cook each contributed two goals and three assists while Matt Holmes had a goal and two assists and Brendan O’Rourke chipped in with a pair of goals.
The Broncos out-shot the Saints 45-13, with Jakob Ogan stopping all 13 shots he faced to record the shutout win. St. Augustine’s Jacob Rains was credited with 28 saves in the loss.
Meanwhile, Cathedral Catholic used a run of 10 unanswered goals to erase an early 3-2 deficit to coast to its season opening win over Poway. Sam Lathus and John Leone each scored three goals and one assist to lead the Dons while Drew Jones contributed a goal and three assists. Sam Angeles and Will Devaney each scored two goals, Adam Stocker collected a goal and two assists and Jake Belland had a goal and assist to round out the Cathedral scoring.
The Dons out-shot the Titans 40-23, with winning goaltender Patrick Henson credited with 17 saves. Poway’s Christian Wolff was credited with 22 saves.
Greg Dhillon led the Titans with four goals in the setback while teammate Rory Herrman scored twice.
The CIF-Metro Conference membership remains at 17 teams despite the addition of Escondido Charter. Scripps Ranch moves over to the Central League this season after La Jolla Country Day announced it would not be fielding a team.
The Falcons look to be one of the conference’s top teams in 2015-16 after finishing third in last season’s 12-team playoff field.
Scripps Ranch’s season opener against Westview was closer than the final score might indicate, according to the Falcons’ coaching staff. The first ended in a 3-3 tie and the second period started with the Wolverines getting the better of the Falcons to lead 7- 4 until Scripps Ranch scored three straight goals to end the second period in a 7-7 deadlock.
The third period opened with the Falcons’ Jesse Lycan drawing a penalty shot on a breakaway. Lycan easily made the penalty shot to give the Falcons the lead and freshman Cody Sherman put Scripps ahead by two goals.
Westview’s Josh Morrison scored his fourth goal of the game to make the score 9-8 in the Falcons’ favor. Sherman than iced the game on a breakaway goal and an empty net goal. Lycan finished with five goals and three assists while sophomore Matthew Gauthier had one goal and three assists and Sherman had four goals. Morrison led Westview with four goals.
West Hills Wolf Pack 5, St. Augustine Saints 5
In a game played Dec. 3 at Skate San Diego in El Cajon, the Wolf Pack and Saints settled for a 5-5 deadlock. Nick Heid scored four goals for St. Augustine while teammate Domenico Cianflone added a goal and assist. Robby Baldwin led West Hills with two goals while Dylan Siminoff, Wes Konold and Gage Turnbow each chipped in with one goal. Colton Grover, Siminoff and Thomas Guarino all had one assist in the Central League game.
CIF-Metro Conference Scoreboard
Monday, Nov. 30
Escondido Sports Center
Escondido Charter 6, West Hills 4
Scripps Ranch 11, Westview 8
Rancho Bernardo 17, St. Augustine 0
Cathedral Catholic 13, Poway 6
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Castle Park High School
Otay Ranch 15, Castle Park 2
Escondido Sports Center
Cathedral Catholic 6, Scripps Ranch 5
Westview 9, Poway 6
Thursday, Dec. 3
Skate San Diego
West Hills 5, St. Augustine 5
Friday, Dec. 4
Castle Park High School
Castle Park 5, Southwest 4 (OT)
Chula Vista 4, Mar Vista 1
Overall Standings
(Through Dec. 4)
Cathedral Catholic Dons 2-0
Rancho Bernardo Broncos 1-0
Escondido Charter White Tigers 1-0
Chula Vista Spartans 1-0
Otay Ranch Mustangs 1-0
Scripps Ranch Falcons 1-1
Westview Wolverines 1-1
Castle Park Trojans 1-1
West Hills Wolf Pack 0-1-1
St. Augustine Saints 0-1-1
Mar Vista Mariners 0-1
Southwest Raiders 0-1
Poway Titans 0-2
Mesa League Standings
Bonita Vista Barons 0-0, 0-0
Eastlake Titans 0-0, 0-0
Hilltop Lancers 0-0, 0-0
Otay Ranch Mustangs 0-0, 0-0
South Bay League Standings
Chula Vista Spartans 1-0, 1-0
Castle Park Trojans 1-0, 1-1
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-0, 0-0
Mar Vista Mariners 0-1, 0-1
Southwest Raiders 0-1, 0-1
Central League Standings
Cathedral Catholic 1-0, 2-0
West Hills Wolf Pack 0-0-1, 0-1-1
St. Augustine Saints 0-0-1, 0-1-1
Scripps Ranch Falcons 0-1, 1-1
North County League Standings
Westview Wolverines 1-0, 1-1
Escondido Charter White Tigers 0-0, 1-0
Rancho Bernardo Broncos 0-0, 1-0
Poway Titans 0-1, 0-2
Dons remain undefeated on season with nail-biter win over Falcons
The Cathedral Catholic Dons and Scripps Ranch Falcons met in a rematch of last season’s Kiwanis Cup semifinals Wednesday at the Escondido Sports Center, with both teams sporting 1-0 records to start the new season. The top-ranked Dons held off the hard charging Falcons, 6-5, to remain undefeated.
The match-up turned into a battle of opposing goaltenders, with difference was last years All-CIF 2nd team Goalie, Cathedral’s Patrick Henson (All-CIF Second Team in 2014-15) out-dueling Scripps’s Casey Wu (All-CIF First Team in 2014-15). Drew Jones tallied four goals and two assists to lead the Dons (2-0) while the Falcons (1-1) were paced by Stewart Pond’s hat trick and Jesse Lycan’s three assists.
Scripps Ranch made it close at the end. The Dons were up 6-2 with less than seven minutes to play when the Falcons came on strong with Lycan assisting Pond and Wesley Rim for a goal. Scripps Ranch then pulled its goaltender and with 10 seconds left, Cody Sherman scored to put the Falcons down by one goal. The Dons were able to hold off a 10-second charge when the Falcons were able to get a shot off, but Henson continued his strong goal tending to seal the victory. Round one goes to the Dons.
Lycan, a junior, leads Scripps Ranch in scoring through two games with 11 points (five goals, six assists) while Sherman, a freshman, ranks second with five points (five goals). Sophomore Matt Gauthier ranks third on the team with four points (one goal, three assists). Wu has made 17 saves in the team’s opening two games.
In another game on Wednesday at the Escondido Sports Center:
Westview 9, Poway 6
Josh Morrison tallied four goals and one assist and Dallas Oleson and Ian Bellin both added two goals to lead the victorious Wolverines (1-1) to their first win of the season. Rory Herrmann, who is committed to Arizona State University to play Division I ice hockey, led the Titans (0-2) with two goals and three assists; Brent Kaufman also scored two goals for Poway.
Westview out-shot Poway in the teams’ North County League opener 24-14, with winning netminder Dallas Oleson credited with eight saves and Poway’s Christian Wolff credited with 15 saves in the loss. The Wolverines led, 3-2, after the first period and built a 7-4 edge after two frames.
Herrman, a 1999 birth year player who plays club ice hockey for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks Midget 16U AAA team, joins the Sun Devils’ newest NCAA Division I program.
“This is great for the Jr. Ducks and for Southern California hockey in general,” said Jr. Ducks Director of Player Personnel Alex Kim, who also coaches Herrman on the 16U AAA team. “This shows Arizona State is taking a vested interest in hockey in Southern California. Hopefully this is the first of many players from here that go there.”
Herrman, a forward who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs in at 175 pounds, participated in the USA Hockey National Select-16 Festival over the summer after playing last season at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire with current Jr. Ducks teammate Blake Howard.
Herrman, who mainly plays center, is versatile enough to play any forward position, Kim said. “Rory is an extremely hard worker,” Kim explained. “He is pretty good all around. He competes hard, is physical and shoots the puck very well.”
Herrman has four goals and five assists in two games to start the roller hockey season.
A team press release was used to complie this article.
Trojans open defense of South Bay League title with OT win over Raiders
Castle Park opened defense of its South Bay League championship with a 5-4 overtime win over the Southwest Raiders in a game played Friday, Dec. 4, at the Castle Park High School rink. Eleazar Cruz celebrated his 16th birthday by scoring three goals in the Trojan victory. Isaac Montero got the game-winner on a wrist shot that went in just under the cross bar on the blocker side.
It was the second goal of the game for Montero. Cruz also picked up the assist on the winning goal to give him four points in the game.
The win was the first of the season for Castle Park, which dropped a 15-2 non-league deicisoin to Otay Ranch on Wednesday. Southwest dropped to 0-1 in its opening game of the season.
The Trojans and Raiders were tied, 4-4, at the end of regulation play, necessitating a five-minute sudden-victory overtime period.
Ian Hernandez, who scored two goals for Soithwest, sent the game into overtime on a goal with 49 seconds left in regulation play. Angel Bonilla finished the game with three assists for the Raiders.
Spartans sink Mariners in South Bay League opener
The Chula Vista Spartans were amont the challengers for last season’s South Bay League title and they seem to be in the mix again after facing off the new season with a key league victory against Mar Vista on Fiday, Dec. 4. Ricardo Pina scored two goals and Hector Garcia and Jesse Amador each chipped in with one goal to help power the Spartan offense while goaltender Cruz Salas stopped six of seven shots to post the win between the pipes. Garcia also had one assist to match Pina with two points in the game.
Eloy Rodriguez scored the lone goal for the Mariners.
CIF-Metro Conference
Preseason Rankings
Top 10 Teams
- Cathedral Catholic Dons
- Rancho Bernardo Broncos
- Scripps Ranch Falcons
- Escondido Charter White Tigers
- Westview Wolverines
- West Hills Wolf Pack
- Poway Titans
- Otay Ranch Mustangs
- St. Augustine Saints
- Eastlake Titans
ICE CHIPS:
Gulls’ Montour named AHL’s Rookie of the Month for November
The American Hockey League announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1, that San Diego Gulls defenseman Brandon Montour has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for November. Montour notched four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 12 games for San Diego during the month. Montour began November with an assist in the Gulls’ 3-2 overtime victory against San Antonio on Nov. 3. He had another assist in a 3-2 win at San Jose on Nov. 7, then broke out with a four-point night (two goals, two assists) to help San Diego past Bakersfield, 6-1, on Nov. 11. He tallied two more assists in a 4-3 shootout loss to San Jose on Nov. 13, and his one-goal, one-assist effort at Grand Rapids on Nov. 20 kicked off a five-game scoring streak to end the month. Montour closed out November by assisting on game-winning goals in back-to-back victories over Ontario on Nov. 27 and 28.
Montour, a second-round pick (55th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, leads all AHL defensemen in scoring and is tied for fifth overall with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 19 games for San Diego this season. A 21-year-old native of Brantford, Ont., Montour made his professional debut with Norfolk last spring, tallying one goal and nine assists in 14 AHL games after completing his freshman season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. In recognition of his achievement, Montour will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Gulls home game.
“It’s good to get recognized like that but obviously we had a good month as a team and that definitely helped me earn me that,” Montour said somewhat modestly. “It’s great to get the recognition, but we have a long season ahead of us.”
Montour leads the Gulls in points (21) and assists (16). He also leads the league in power play points (15) and power play assists (12).
The Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the NHL Anaheim Ducks, opened the season with a 7-1 rush. The Gulls (11-7-0-1) have since snapped a six-game losing spell with home-and-home wins over the Pacific Division-leading Ontario Reign (11-4-2).
The Gulls defeated the visiting Reign, 3-2, in front of 9,251 fans at the Valley View Casino Center on Friday, Nov. 27, before topping the Reign, 3-1, at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Shea Theodore scored his second goal of the season and Chris Mueller added a pair of assists as the Gulls put an end to their six-game losing streak in the front end of the two weekend games. Nic Kerdiles and Kyle Bonis added goals for San Diego, and the Gulls killed a 6-on-4 power play for the final 1:25 of the third period.
The Gulls received much-needed reinforcements to their roster prior to the game, as Mueller was returned after a two-game stint with the NHL parent club. The Gulls also received center Nate Thompson from Anaheim, on a conditioning loan. Bryan Moore, Matt Berry and Eric Knodel were returned to the ECHL Utah Grizzlies from the Gulls roster.
Kerdiles gave the Gulls their first lead to start a game in a five-game stretch. Bonis, on a professional tryout from ther ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, scored his first AHL goal at 4:32 of the second period to cash in on assists from Max Friberg and Michael Sgarbossa.Theodore gave the Gulls a 3-1 lead later in the period. Michael Mersch scored his second power play goal of the game midway through the third period but the hosts were able to withstand a late rally by the Rein as Gulls netmider Matt Hackett finished the night with 23 saves.
The Gulls built a 3-0 lead through two periods in the return game in Ontario to sweep the home-and-home series against the division leaders.Tim Jackman took a breakaway pass from teammate Stu Bickel to put the visitors up 1-0 just 4:55 into the contest. The Gulls doubled their lead on a power play goal by Kerdiles, assisted by Montour, midway through the second period, and Antoine Laganiere, assisted by Theodore, made it 3-0 five minutes later. San Diego captured all four points from the Reign — and the AHL’s top goaltender, Ontario’s Peter Budaj — over the weekend to emphatically put an end to their six-game losing streak.
The Gulls now lead the season series between the two I-15 rivals 2-1.
Budaj leads the AHL with a 1.64 GAA and .934 save percentage.
Pacific Division standings (as of Dec. 2): Ontario Reign (11-4-2, .706), San Antonio Rampage (11-3-6, .700), San Diego Gulls (11-7-0-1, .605), Texas Stars (12-8-1, .591), Bakersfield Condors (8-9-0-1, .472), San Jose Barracuda (7-8-0-3, .472), Stockton Heat (6-7-0-2, .467).
Gulls support 21st annual Shop with a Jock® presented by the Junior Seau Foundation
The Junior Seau Foundation continued a tradition by holding the 21st annual Shop with a Jock® at Target Mission Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Professional and collegiate athletes from throughout San Diego chaperoned 200 underprivileged children during the shopping spree. Each child was provided with a $100 gift certificate from the Junior Seau Foundation to shop for gifts for their loved ones.
“The Board of Directors is proud to continue Junior’s legacy by holding the 21st annual Shop with a Jock®,” explained foundation president Jay Kawano. “This event was very special to Junior. It is a true community event benefiting San Diego kids who otherwise would not have the means to provide gifts to their loved ones. The goal of the event is to teach kids about giving rather than receiving during the holidays.”
The entire San Diego Gulls team participated in support of the event.
“They all really enjoyed the experience,” Gulls communications manager Sam Kieckhefer noted.
— Phillip Brents
