Last year the tournament received a name; this year, it has a trophy behind that name.
The Otay Ranch Mustangs defeated the Chula Vista Spartans, 3-0, to officially become the first team to hoist the Bonita Optimist Club Pam Wiser Classic championship trophy. The trophy quickly drew the attention of victorious Mustang players who wanted to touch it.
“I didn’t think I would get this, it was a pretty good game (for us),” said Ricky Portilla, who was named Otay Ranch’s Player of the Game after scoring two goals and one assist in the final played Jan. 19 at the Castle Park High School rink.
The trophy was donated by the Bonita Optimist Club and helped fill a void. Bonita Vista won last year’s inaugural tournament but there was no championship trophy.
Bonita Optimist Club President Dan Vaccaro, who coaches the Hilltop High School roller hockey team, said he was pleased the club agreed to pledge its support.
Mar Vista High School coach Manny Buenrostro, who serves as tournament director, presented this year’s award.
“The Optimist Club is all about helping kids and the community and we are actively involved with the Sweetwater school district,” Vaccaro said. “Manny did a great job with this year’s tournament. The kids had a lot of fun.”
Wiser was instrumental in maintaining interest in the sport during a coaching transition period at Chula Vista High School. She stepped in as head coach of the Spartans and later served as an assistant coach at Southwest High School before her death in April 2011.
Buenrostro called Wiser the “ultimate coach and team mom.”
“She would go pick up players and make sure they got to the game on time,” Buenrostro said.
Southwest head coach Jerry Nestlerode echoed that statement. “She was a great hockey-mom-slash-coach who gave a lot back to the community — a valued friend who cared a lot about the student-athletes who played the game of hockey in our area,” he said.
Besides pool-round and playoff games, this year’s tournament also featured a post-finals skills competition for fastest skater, best goaltender and shootout champion.
Second annual Bonita Optimist Club Pam Wiser Classic
Jan. 19 at Castle Park High School
PlayoffF Games
Championship: Otay Ranch 3, Chula Vista 0
Third place: Southwest 2, Hilltop 1
Fifth place: Mar Vista (no game)
Sixth place: Bonita Vista 3, Sweetwater 1
Eighth place: Castle Park (no game)
Pool standings
Group A: Otay Ranch 3-0, Hilltop 2-1, Castle Park 1-2, Bonita Vista 0-3
Group B: Chula Vista 3-0, Southwest 2-1, Mar Vista 1-2, Sweetwater 0-3
Pool scores:
Castle Park 3, Bonita Vista 1
Hilltop 4, Castle Park 1
Southwest 2, Mar Vista 1
Otay Ranch 6, Bonita Vista 1
Chula Vista 4, Mar Vista 3 (shootout)
Otay Ranch 3, Hilltop 0
Chula Vista 3, Southwest 1
Chula Vista 7, Sweetwater 1
Hilltop 4, Bonita Vista 0
Southwest 5, Sweetwater 3
Otay Ranch 6, Castle Park 1
Mar Vista 3, Sweetwater 2
Scoring leaders
(Pool play/3 games)
•David Mendez (Otay Ranch) 5 goals, 4 assists
•David Garcia (Chula Vista) 4 goals, 4 assists
•Hector Garcia (Chula Vista) 5 goals, 2 assists
•Devyn Taras (Otay Ranch) 5 goals?•
•Joshua Lopez (Southwest) 4 goals, 1 assist
•Phillip Brandon (Sweetwater) 3 goals, 2 assist
•Eloy Rodriguez (Mar Vista) 4 goals
•Marvin Cirignano (Castle Park) 3 goals, 1 assist
•Andrew Tesner (Hilltop) 2 goals, 2 assists
•Nicholas Fuentes (Otay Ranch) 2 goals, 2 assists
•Adrian Contreras (Mar Vista) 3 goals
•Danny Godinez (Hilltop) 3 goals
•Allison Smith (Chula Vista) 1 goal, 2 assists
Playoff scoring leaders
•Ricky Portilla (Otay Ranch) 2 goals, 1 assist
•Dylan Riley (Bonita Vista) 2 goals
•Joshua Lopez (Southwest) 2 goals
Skills competition winners
Fastest skater: Andrew Tesner (Hilltop)
Best goaltender: Jose Luis Garcia-Sanchez (Otay Ranch)
Shootout champion: Jake Dilliott (Mar Vista)
Titans top Torreys, 20-4, in best showing of 2014-15
The Eastlake Titans got a bead on just where they stacked up among this season’s elite teams in the CIF-Metro Conference in a 12-5 non-league loss to then second-ranked Westview on Jan. 22. The Titans appear to have made a few corrections in their game if Friday’s non-league victory against the La Jolla Country Day Torreys is any indicator.
Eastlake easily put together its best showing of the season both offensively and defensively in shutting down LJCD, which ranked in the middle of the pack among conference teams.
EHS coach Ron Cole was impressed by his team’s win.
“We played consistently and sustained on defense and we played consistently and sustained on offense,” he said.
The Titans’ Triple Crown Line of Aaron Mayer, Sam Bawden and Michael Mechling did the lion’s share of the damage at both ends of the floor. But also turning in impressive showings were many of Eastlake’s younger players, particularly pint-size William Hamilton and goaltender Kevin Hooks.
Mayer finished the game with a breakout performance with eight goals and seven assists for 15 points while Bawden totaled 11 points on seven goals and four assists. Mechling contributed a goal and three assists while Sean Layton scored two goals, Hamilton contributed a goal and assist and Seiya Hagiya scored once.
The Titans (11-1 on the season) led 8-2 after the first period, with Mayer totaling three goals and three assists and Bawden collecting three goals and two assists.
Grayson Lyman led the Torreys (1-12) with three goals and one assist while George Little had a goal and assist and Nathan Russell picked up one assist. Russell led LJCD with a hat trick in a 9-3 Central League loss to West Hills on Wednesday.
Mayer was credited with a goal and three assists in the loss to Westview while Bawden and Mechling each were credited with two goals in the non-league setback.
Titans skate into undisputed possession of Mesa League lead
The top two Sweetwater district teams finally met on the playing court for the first time this season on Wednesday, with two-time defending Mesa League champion scoring a 9-0 win over the Otay Ranch Mustangs. Both teams entered the high profile contest undefeated on the season against district competition and undefeated in league play. Eastlake improved to 3-0 in league play while Otay Ranch dropped to 2-1 in league play.
The Titans led just 2-0 at the end of the opening period on goals by Sam Bawden and Aaron Mayer, with assists going to either on the two goals. However, Eastlake opened up a sizable 5-0 lead on three second-period goals, including two by Bawden.
The Titans secured the win by continuing to outscore the Mustangs 4-0 in the final period.
Mayer led Eastlake with four goals and three assists while Bawden chalked up three goals and one assist, William Hamilton and Michael Mechling each contributed a goal and assist and Brian Anderson had one assist. Kevin Hooks received credit for the shutout win.
The Titans excelled on the playing court with picture-perfect passing to set up scoring opportunities.
“We did exactly what we wanted to do,” EHS coach Ron Cole explained. “We played professionally; we got the job done. But that’s just one game. We play them again and we know they’re taking notes and they’ll be ready next time.”
Despite the lopsided score, it was a good hockey game.
Cole lauded the play of Hooks, which made the score deceiving for the lack of scoring by Otay Ranch. “He (Hooks) took some shots,” Cole said. “But he didn’t do it alone. He had some good defense in front of him.”
The Eastlake offense clearly turned the game around, however.
“The first six minutes we had 15 shots and only one goal to show for it,” Cole noted. “I told the team we needed to start passing the puck in front of their net. When we started to move the puck, we scored some goals.”
CIF-Metro Conference Scoreboard
Monday, Jan. 26
Non-League
Cathedral Catholic 7, Westview 5
Poway 11, St. Augustine 6
Rancho Bernardo 16, West Hills 1
Scripps Ranch 18, La Jolla Country Day 6
Eastlake vs. Chula Vista, postponed wet grounds
Otay Ranch vs. Mar Vista, postponed wet grounds
Hilltop vs. Castle Park, postponed wet grounds
Tuesday, Jan. 27
South Bay League
Mar Vista 8, Sweetwater 7
Castle Park 3, Southwest 0
Non-League
Chula Vista 2, Bonita Vista 0
Wednesday, Jan. 28
Mesa League
Eastlake 9, Otay Ranch 0
Hilltop 2, Bonita Vista 1
North County League
Poway 10, Scripps Ranch 5
Rancho Bernardo 7, Westview 6
Central League
West Hills 9, La Jolla Country Day 3
Cathedral Catholic defeated. St. Augustine, score unavailable
Thursday, Jan. 29
South Bay League
Southwest vs. Mar Vista, postponed wet grounds
Sweetwater vs. Chula Vista, postponed wet grounds
Non-League
Castle Park vs. Otay Ranch, postponed wet grounds
Friday, Jan. 30
Non-League
Eastlake 20, La Jolla Country Day 4
Hilltop 8, Sweetwater 4
Mar Vista 3, Bonita Vista 1
Saturday, Jan. 31
Non-League
Otay Ranch 7, Mar Vista 3
Hilltop 5, Castle Park 2
Sweetwater District Team Records
(Through Jan. 31, 2015)
Eastlake Titans 11-1
Otay Ranch Mustangs 12-2
Hilltop Lancers 11-4
Chula Vista Spartans 6-7
Castle Park Trojans 5-7
Bonita Vista Barons 5-9
Mar Vista Mariners 4-9
Southwest Raiders 4-9
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-12
CIF-Metro Conference Standings
(Through Jan. 31, 2015)
Mesa League Standings
Eastlake Titans 3-0, 11-1
Otay Ranch Mustangs 2-1, 12-2
Hilltop Lancers 1-2, 11-4
Bonita Vista Barons 0-3, 5-9
South Bay League Standings
Castle Park Trojans 3-1, 5-7
Chula Vista Spartans 2-1, 6-7
Mar Vista Mariners 2-1, 4-9
Southwest Raiders 1-2, 4-9
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-3, 0-12
Central League Standings
Cathedral Catholic Dons 5-0, 7-3
St. Augustine Saints 4-2, 5-9
West Hills Wolf Pack 2-4, 2-10
La Jolla Country Day Torreys 0-5, 1-12
North County League Standings
Rancho Bernardo Broncos 6-0, 12-0
Westview Wolverines 3-2, 9-4
Poway Titans 2-3, 8-3
Scripps Ranch 0-6, 5-6 (*1 overtime loss)
CIF-Metro Conference Scoring Leaders
Sweeetwater district schools
(Through Jan. 31, 2015)
Player, team
Aaron Mayer (Eastlake) 61 goals, 33 assists – 94 points
Sam Bawden (Eastlake) 52 goals, 27 assists – 79 points
Michael Mechling (Eastlake) 34 goals, 19 assists – 53 points
David Mendez (Otay Ranch) 31 goals, 14 assists – 45 points
Devyn Taras (Otay Ranch) 22 goals, 21 assists – 43 points
Andrew Tesner (Hilltop) 20 goals, 12 assists – 32 points
Danny Godinez (Hilltop) 16 goals, 14 assists – 30 points
Ricardo Portilla (Otay Ranch) 14 goals, 12 assists – 26 points
Eloy Rodriguez (Mar Vista) 20 goals, 2 assists – 22 points
Hector Garcia (Chula Vista) 18 goals, 4 assists – 22 points
David Garcia (Chula Vista) 13 goals, 8 assists – 21 points
Marvin Cirignano (Castle Park) 17 goals, 2 assists – 19 points
Sean Layton (Eastlake) 8 goals, 9 assists – 17 points
Joshua Lopez (Southwest) 12 goals, 3 assists – 15 points
Jacob Ayala (Castle Park) 8 goals, 5 assists – 13 points
William Hamilton (Eastlake) 8 goals, 5 assists – 13 points
Brian Anderson (Eastlake) 7 goals, 5 assists – 12 points
Percilla Mayer (Eastlake) 5 goals, 7 assists – 12 points
Miguel Flores (Castle Park) 9 goals, 2 assists – 11 points
Leo Gurrola (Bonita Vista) 9 goals, 1 assist – 10 points
Phillip Brandon (Sweetwater) 7 goals, 3 assist – 10 points
Esteban Martinez (Hilltop) 7 goals, 2 assists – 9 points
Brian Anderson (Eastlake) 5 goals, 3 assists – 8 points
Austin Hoffman (Mar Vista) 4 goals, 4 assists – 8 points
Brandon Benson (Eastlake) 3 goals, 5 assists – 8 points
Cameron Adams (Hilltop) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
hris Miguel (Bonita Vista) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Adrian Contreras (Mar Vista) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Ruben Abarazi (Hilltop) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Matt Custodio (Bonita Vista) 5 goals, 2 assists – 7 points
Luis Trevino (Sweetwater) 3 goals, 4 assists – 7 points
Eleazar Cruz (Castle Park) 2 goals, 5 assists – 7 points
Paul Chavez (Otay Ranch) 6 goals – 6 points
Julian DeAlba (Castle Park) 4 goals, 2 assists – 6 points
Milo Bivens (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 3 assists – 6 points
Gerardo Barragan (Hilltop) 5 goals – 5 points
Nicholas Fuentes (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
David Lopez (Castle Park) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
Armadno Rivera (Sweetwater) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
Ryan Tabago (Otay Ranch) 4 goals, 1 assist – 5 points
Javier Garcia (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5point
Freddie Perez (Castle Park) 1 goal, 4 assists – 5 points
Jake Dilliott (Mar Vista) 4 goals – 4 points
Brandon Benson (Eastlake) 2 goals, 2 assists – 4 points
Allison Smith (Chula Vista) 2 goals, 2 assists – 4 points
Hector Hernandez (Southwest) 2 goals, 2 assists – 4 points
Wyatt Schmidt (Hilltop) 1 goal, 3 assists – 4 points
Andrew Deguzman (Otay Ranch) 4 assists – 4 points
CIF-Metro Conference Rankings
1. Rancho Bernardo
2. Cathedral Catholic
3. Westview
4. Poway
5. Scripps Ranch
6. Eastlake
7. St. Augustine
8. Otay Ranch
9. West Hills
10. La Jolla Country Day
11. Hilltop
12. Castle Park
