Sweetwater Union High School District roller hockey teams faced off the 2016-17 CIF-Metro Conference season Wednesday evening at the Castle Park High School rink. The four teams competing combined to produce an eye-popping 44 goals in the non-league double-header – 37 by the two winning teams and seven by the two losing teams.
With temperatures dipping into the 50s as the evening progressed at the school’s outdoor rink, spectators might have felt they were actually attending an ice hockey game. (In fact, a crowd of 5,555 gathered at the Valley View Casino Center Wednesday evening to watch the American Hockey League Gulls record their club-record seventh consecutive win by defeating the Tucson Roadrunners 5-1.)
Otay Ranch and Rancho Bernardo were the winners in Wednesday’s double-dip at CPHS. Defending Mesa League champion Otay Ranch recorded the first win among Sweetwater district schools to face off the new season by defeating Castle Park, which competes in the South Bay League, by a score of 21-5; Rancho Bernardo, which competes in the rugged North County League, handed Mesa League power Eastlake a 16-2 defeat in the nightcap.
The opening game was an introduction to the high-scoring sport for new Castle Park coach Jose Mendoza, whose lengthy coaching career includes stints in boys basketball (Mar Vista, Otay Ranch and Sweetwater), baseball (Eastlake) and boys lacrosse (Eastlake).
“This takes me back to lacrosse,” explained Mendoza, who served as the start-up coach for Eastlake’s fledgling program, coaching the Titans their first two seasons. “I also compare it to coaching basketball. You’re passing and dribbling but with the puck as opposed to the ball, and shooting is more similar to soccer, which I’ve played.
“I’ve taken a number of things from the other sports I’ve coached (and brought them over to roller hockey).”
Mendoza, who served as an assistant football coach at Eastlake this past fall, said this season’s Castle Park team is pretty much split down the middle between returners and newcomers.
Eleazar Cruz, Martin Mari, Adolfo Medina and goaltender Arial Briones are the team’s impact returners. Cruz and Medina racked up the team’s first points in 2016-17.
Cruz tallied three goals and one assist while Medina scored two goals in Wednesday’s season opener.
Cruz played quarterback for this year’s CPHS team. Medina is a three-sport athlete: football, roller hockey and volleyball.
Cruz racked up 15 goals and 22 assists to rank second in team scoring last season while Medina collected four goals and three assists.
Cruz passed for 1,087 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season while also making 39 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
He scored the Trojans’ first roller hockey goal in Wednesday’s game after Castle Park fell behind 3-0 in the match-up against the Mustangs.
Otay Ranch finished 8-1 in league play last season, 18-6 overall. The Mustangs return four of their top five scorers from last season and the punch in the scoring column was definitely evident in Wednesday’s game.
Aaron Marientes (nine goals, two assists) and Sean Devaney (eight goals, three assists) spearheaded the Otay Ranch scoring attack with 11 points each while David Mendez contributed five points on a goal and four assists. Paul Chavez chipped in with two goals and two assists while Donovan Lazo recorded a goal and assist in the non-league victory.
Mendez finished second in team scoring last season with 21 goals and 15 assists while Devaney scored 31 goals and five assists in a breakout freshman season in 2015-16.
Chavez tallied 15 goals and 18 assists last season while Marientes chalked up 20 goals and nine assists.
Mustang goaltender Ryan Strodtman picked up the win between the pipes in out-dueling CP’s Briones, one of several female netminders who competed last season among district teams.
The win was the first for new Otay Ranch coach John King and many more look to follow this season if Wednesday’s rousing debut is any indicator.
Clash of the Titans
Rancho Bernardo improved to 2-0 on the young season after skating past Eastlake. The Broncos racked up an early 5-0 lead and led 12-1 entering the final period.
Eastlake played much better in the second half of the contest but could only beat RB goaltender Jakob Ogan twice in the game.
Sean Layton and Jake Powell each scored goals for the Titans. Freshman Braden Mayer drew the assist on Layton’s goal.
If Mayer’s name sounds familiar, it is to Eastlake fans. He is the younger brother of both Percilla Mayer, currently playing on the team, and Aaron Mayer, the CIF-Metro Conference’s all-time scoring leader.
Aaron Mayer is currently playing on San Diego State’s men’s ice hockey team.
The newest Mayer on the team has already set a goal to best his older brother’s conference scoring record. With one point in one game, he has got a way to go but his skating skills and hockey savvy are already pronounced on the playing court.
He plays ice hockey for the Jr. Gulls Bantam AAA club team.
EHS coach Ron Cole said his team was done in by the Broncos’ superior physical size.
“They were a foot taller than most of my team,” Cole said. “They were able to reach around our players (to steal the puck). It’s hard to play a team like that.”
Bailey Ridout, pegged as a preseason player of the year candidate, led the Broncos in Wednesday’s game with four goals and four assists. Rancho Bernardo received points from all their six field players in the game. Alex Pang scored four goals, Bradley Larson collected two goals and three assists, Taylor Bosco scored three goals, Miles Cook contributed two goals and one assist and Nik Thomas chipped in one goal and one assist.
Ogan made several nice saves in the third period as Eastlake began to pressure more.
Rancho Bernardo faced off the season Monday at the Escondido Sports Center with a 9-3 North County League victory against 2015-16 Kiwanis Cup finalist Cathedral Catholic.
“We’re looking pretty strong,” RB coach Joey Gelsomino explained after Wednesday’s win over Eastlake. “I like it when we have all nine of our players (eight skaters and one goaltender) together.”
Gelsomino said a lot of first-game jitters were apparent in Monday’s season opener.
“Unlike other years, we didn’t have any practices going into the season – it was our first game together,” the Broncos bench boss explained. “We pressured the puck more than they did.”
Gelsomino lists Ridout, Ogan, Larson, Cook, Pang, Keigo Hachisuka and Ike Frankel as the team’s returning impact players.
Ridout scored 29 goals last season while Cook had 16 goals. Ogan racked up a .861 save percentage in the cage.
Thomas and Bosco, both underclassmen, are the team’s impact newcomers.
Despite the early season win over Cathedral Catholic, Gelsomino still projects the Dons, as well as the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview Wolverines, as the teams to beat this season.
The Broncos finished third overall in last season’s Kiwanis Cup playoffs following a 4-3 win over Scripps Ranch.
“Coming off a 16-4 season last year with an early departure in the semifinal playoff round, we are looking to make it back to the championship game,” the RB coach said. “Our ultimate goal is to win the CIF title.”
That’s the goal for all 16 teams in the conference this season.
Around the rink
League membership for the CIF-Metro Conference’s 17th season features 16 teams spread across three leagues: Mesa League, South Bay League and North County League.
The Mesa League is comprised of Bonita Vista, Eastlake, Hilltop and Otay Ranch high schools.
The South Bay League is comprised of Castle Park, Chula Vista, Mar Vista, Southwest and Sweetwater high schools. Chula Vista is the defending league champion.
The North County League is comprised of Cathedral Catholic, Escondido Charter, Patrick Henry, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and Westview high schools.
The Patrick Henry Patriots are the conference newcomer this season. Both West Hills and St. Augustine high schools will not be fielding teams in the conference this season.
Westview defeated Cathedral Catholic in last season’s Kiwanis Cup championship game.
“We’re looking forward to another exciting season,” Westview coach Ron Smith explained. “We lost three of our top players. We’re looking forward to our junior varsity players to fill that void. With Cathedral and Scripps both coming back to the North County League this season, the league will have a lot of depth.”
Top players for the Wolverines include Keisi Takaya, Laurent Lee and brothers Jacob and Josh Groll and goaltender Greg Oleynichenko.
Smith said Takaya returns as the team’s defensive and team captain while the Groll brothers bring back much experience from last season.
Lee, a junior, will be, in Smith’s words, “a strong, fast and experienced talent from last year.”
Smith said his team will look to sophomore Lyusen Loshak and freshman Andrew Chua to help out as varsity forwards. Players moving up from the junior varsity squad include senior Ethan Eisele and sophomore Rylie Lissebeck.
Josh Groll collected 15 goals and 17 assists as a freshman in 2015-16 to rank third in team scoring behind departed seniors Josh Morrison and Dallas Oleson.
Takaya was a point behind Groll with 17 goals and 14 assists as a sophomore while Lee had 13 goals and 14 assists. Jacob Groll accumulated nine goals and 13 assists last season.
Smith said the team’s goal is to retain its CIF championship from last season and “go back-to-back with another title.”
“We expect the strong quality North County teams such as Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and Cathedral Catholic to give us tough competition this year,” the Westview coach said.
The Wolverines have proven a tough opponent to face off the new season after rolliong to a 2-0 start following wins over Poway (12-1 on Nov. 28) and Patrick Henry (13-1 on Nov. 30).
Josh Groll led the Wolverines with four goals in the win over Poway while Eisele collected two; Lee had three goals to lead Westview against Patrick Henry.
Cathedral Catholic also will have an eye on restocking its roster this season while maintaining a high degree of success on the playing court.
“We graduated some seniors, so it will be a young squad this year,” CCHS coach Luke Storno explained.
Impact players include forwards Drew Jones, Sam Angeles and Jake Belland and goaltender Patrick Henson.
This will be Jones’ fourth year on the team. He led the conference in scoring last season with 35 goals and 76 points in 16 regular season games.
“We still have some meat left on the bone,” Storno explained. “We have some new players this year. It will be exciting to see how it plays out.”
Scripps Ranch will be welcoming seven freshmen to its roster this season, according to veteran coach Greg Friedman.
Team leader Jesse Lycan (45 goals and 72 points in 2015-16) has departed the team to attend the Berskshire School, one of the top prep schools for ice hockey in New England. Additionally, talented youngster Stewart Pond will be playing ice for the 16U AAA Phoenix Jr. Coyotes this season.
The Falcons roster will be anchored by one senior and two juniors.
“We’ll be young,” Friedman said.
However, the team’s incoming freshmen traditionally bring a lot of ice hockey experience on board.
Key returners include Cody Sherman, who plays for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks AAA Midget team, and defenseman London Peters who competes in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL).
Also back on board are Matt Gauthier, who tied Sherman with 57 points last season, and juniors Wesley Rim and Leo Gafffrey.
Peters is a senior.
Four freshmen come on board from the Jr. Gulls AAA ice program: Justin Nakagawa, Liam Baird, Kyle Fraser and Cody Ayers.
“When you got AAA kids coming in, they know what to do,” Friedman said.
Those youngsters have helped the Falcons to a 2-0 start.
Gauthier scored six goals and one assist and Baird collected six points on two goals and four assists to lead Scripps Ranch to a 10-5 North County League victory against Poway on Wednesday.
Scripps Ranch led, 2-1, after the first period and tacked on a 4-2 scoring advantage in the second period to lead 6-3. The Falcons out-scored the Titans 4-2 in the third period to finish with the five-goal victory.
Cody Ayers scored two goals and Peters added two assists to round out the Scripps Ranch scoring. Goaltender Jacob Ayers made 15 saves to pick up the win while teammate Cody Taylor had four saves in the game.
Scripps Ranch faced off its season on Monday with a 6-2 win over Escondido Charter. Gauthier racked up a hat trick while Nakagawa, Cody Ayers and Fraser each scored goals in support of winning goaltender Jacob Ayers.
Gauthier has scored nine goals to face off the season for the Falcons, who are one of two teams to reach the Kiwanis Cup semifinals three consecutive seasons (along with Rancho Bernardo).
Add Patriots
Patrick Henry’s CIF-Metro Conference entry was just a dream in early September but on Nov. 30, that dream became a reality as the Patriots skated in their first game against the defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview Wolverines.
The Wolverines won 13-1 but head coach Chuck Russell felt his team had still earned a victory in its own right.
“It is amazing how strong the hockey community in San Diego is,” Russell explained. “Through the generosity and hard work of a committed group of students and adults, we have been able to go from two hockey players setting out a table on club day at their high school to starting a varsity program.”
The Patriots began as an idea at a dinner table conversation two years ago between Patrick Henry student Matt Russell and his father. The idea was further supported by his younger sister Jennifer, who signed on as the club’s treasurer and the elder Russell, who was later recruited as head coach.
The idea of fielding a club roller hockey team at the Del Cerro school wasn’t as far-fetched as some might have guessed. The fledgling club drew interest from 25 students, most of whom had never played roller hockey before.
“This was completely unexpected,” Chuck Russell explained.
But the lack of playing experience didn’t dim enthusiasm for the venture. In fact, there was more good news on the horizon. The Patriots received a boost when the Metro Conference granted them admission – and official CIF playing status — on Nov. 3 for the 2016-17 season.
It was suddenly time to roll.
The team’s roster would eventually take shape with 13 players – eight of whom had never touched a roller hockey puck before.
Brush-ups on skating took place at the nearby Skate San Diego rink in El Cajon courtesy of rink owner Joe Noris. Equipment donations were secured through friends and contacts of the elder Russell.
However, this isn’t to say the Patriots haven’t encountered their share of challenges.
“Since we are a first-year program, we do not have any returning players,” the Patrick Henry coach explained.
The Patriots rolled onto the court with five players who did have some type of hockey experience, however.
Both Matt and Jennifer Russell had played ice hockey since they were 3. Both have recent or current experience with the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League. Matt plays for the Poway Hawks while Jennifer plays for the San Diego Union Hawks junior varsity team in the expansive league that embraces teams as far away as Orange County and the Los Angeles area.
Other players with experience include Angel Lara (Anaheim Jr. Ducks ice hockey), Cameron Elswick (San Diego Saints ice hockey) and Tyler Daniels (San Diego Selects roller hockey).
Elswick is a junior while Matt Russell is a sophomore and Lara, Jennry Russell and Daniels are all freshmen.
New recruits include senior Derek Carver, juniors Ben Kelly and Clinton Allen; sophomores Leilani Haughland-Taitano, Aidan Rion, Felix Gomes, Ruben Allen and John Miller.
Matt Russell, assisted by Clinton Allen, scored the Patriots’ inaugural varsity goal with about three minutes remaining in the team’s season opener against the Wolverines.
“The kids had a blast,” the elder Russell said. “We only had two players who had ever played in a roller hockey game before. When we finally scored, everyone went wild. It’s great to be a part of this league and we are looking improve on our first performance.”
With 12 underclassmen on the team, that should not be a problem. There is obvious room to grow.
All of Patrick Henry’s 18 regular season games are scheduled against teams in the seven-team North County League that is traditionally considered the strongest league in the 16-team conference. Games are split between the Escondido Sports Center and Skate San Diego.
The Patriots coach said the team’s focus will not be on wins and losses during the first season.
“Our expectations are focused on growth,” he explained. “Each week we plan to build on the successes of the previous week. Like any team in its inaugural season, we may struggle at first but our plan is to carve out a few victories as we hit the mid-point of the season. By the end of the season, we expect to be seen as a solid addition to the North County League.”
The Patrick Henry coach also hopes his team’s genesis is an inspiration to students at other schools who wish to start up a club roller hockey team.
“We are hoping there are students out there who also want to play hockey for their specific high school and that our story inspires them to start a program at their school,” Chuck Russell said. “We hope our story inspires them to expand this great sport to students who may never had the chance to glide around the rink with hockey stick in hand.”
Preseason rankings: 1. Rancho Bernardo, 2. Cathedral Catholic, 3. Westview, 4. Escondido Charter, 5. Scripps Ranch, 6. Poway
CIF-Metro Conference Scoreboard
Week 1
Monday, Nov. 28
North County League
Scripps Ranch 6, Escondido Charter 2
Rancho Bernardo 9, Cathedral Catholic 3
Westview 12, Poway 1
Wednesday, Nov. 30
North County League
Westview 13, Patrick Henry 1
Scripps Ranch 10, Poway 5
Cathedral Catholic 13, Escondido Charter 1
Non-league
Otay Ranch 21, Castle Park 5
Rancho Bernardo 16, Eastlake 2
Friday, Dec. 2
South Bay League
Castle Park 7, Southwest 0
Chula Vista 4, Mar Vista 1
Mesa League
Otay Ranch 18, Hilltop 5
Team records: Westview 2-0, Scripps Ranch 2-0, Rancho Bernardo 2-0, Chula Vista 1-0, Cathedral Catholic 1-1, Otay Ranch 1-1, Castle Park 1-1, Patrick Henry 0-1, Eastlake 0-1, Southwest 0-1, Mar VIsta 0-1, Hilltop 0-1, Escondido Charter 0-2, Poway 0-2
Week 2
Monday, Dec. 5
North County League
Rancho Bernardo 18, Patrick Henry 0
Escondido Charter 8, Poway 2
Cathedral Catholic 6, Westview 0
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Non-league
Sweetwater 9, Mar Vista 3
Bonita Vista 6, Southwest 1
Wednesday, Dec. 7
North County League
Scripps Ranch 5, Westview 3
Rancho Bernardo 17, Poway 0
Cathedral Catholic defeated Patrick Henry, score unavailable
South Bay League
Chula Vista 3, Southwest 0
Non-league
Eastlake 12, Sweetwater 4
Escondido Charter 11, Otay Ranch 1
Thursday, Dec. 8
Mesa League
Eastlake14, Bonita Vista 3
Non-league
Hilltop 5, Mar Vista 1
Friday, Dec. 9
South Bay League
Sweetwater 9, Southwest 1
Chula Vista 5, Castle Park 3
Non-league
Otay Ranch 15, Mar Vista 0
Hot on ice: Gulls wrangle Roadrunners for 7-2 home ice start
The San Diego Gulls (9-5-1) improved to 7-2 on home ice following Wednesday’s victory against Tucson, the newest member to the American Hockey League’s Pacific Division. It was the Gulls’ fifth consecutive victory on home ice. The franchise-record win streak has propelled the team into third place in the division standings behind Tucson and Stockton.
Prior to the record run, the Gulls had sunk to the division basement.
The hosts rebounded from a 1-0 deficit in Wednesday’s contest as Scott Sabourin and Kevin Roy each scored goals in the first period and Kenny Ryan and Antoine Laganiere each beat Roadrunners netminder Adin Hill in the second frame to boost the Gulls to a 4-1 lead.
Kalle Kossila scored the Gulls’ lone goal in the third period after Gulls netminder Dustin Tokarski had fended off a spirited Tucson rally to start the final period.
Tokarski made 19 saves on 20 shots (the lowest number allowed by the Gulls this season) in improving his record to 7-2-0 on the season.
Sabourin, Kossila, Ryan and Laganiere each collected a goal and assist in the victory while Sorenson notched two points on a pair of assists.
Sabourin earned top star billing, while Ryan earned recognition as the game’s second star and Sorenson was named third star.
Ryan played for the Gulls in 2015-16 and recently signed a PTO on Nov. 29 to rejoin the team. Ryan had three shots on net and recorded a plus-two rating in his season debut.
The game marked Sabourin’s first multi-point contest this season.
Roy has collected four goals and four assists in his last eight games.
Sorenson has collected four points (one goal, three assists) in his last three games since returning to the lineup.
“Points are hard to come by for myself lately, so it was obviously nice to get a few,” explained Sabourin, a former member of the division rival Ontario Reign. “We seem to have found our stride over the last few games. As long as the team is winning and my line is doing its’ job, then I’m happy.”
“I’ve played for Dallas (Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins) before and I know his expectations for me,” Ryan said. “I am excited to be back. I’m comfortable here.”
Tokarski also has won all five starts on home ice. Tucson goaltender Adin Hill (7-2-2) stopped 24 of 29 shots in the loss.
The Roadrunners saw their division-leading record dip to 9-3-2.
Eakins applauded his team’s effort.
“We just need to keep playing the way we are playing and stick to our vision and our values,” the Gulls coach said. “Tokarski is playing extremely well for us right now and we have a lot of confidence going into this weekend (in) Stockton.”
Stockton occupies second place in the division standings with a 10-5-1 record.
Stefan Noesen recorded an assist in Wednesday’s victory. He has collected nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his last nine games.
The Gulls honored Tucson captain Craig Cunningham with a No. 14 decal on their helmets. Cunningham was hospitalized on Nov. 19 after suffering a medical emergency prior to the start of the game against Manitoba.
The Gulls went 2-for-4 on the power-play and were a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill against the Roadrunners.
