The CIF-Metro Conference continues to make history as the state’s only CIF-sanctioned roller hockey circuit. Six of the nine Sweetwater district teams rolled out for their first games of the 2023-24 season on Monday at the Castle Park High School outdoor rink.
In the three on-court match-ups:
•Mar Vista defeated San Ysidro, 7-0, behind four goals and two assists from Riley Owen.
•Hilltop defeated Sweetwater, 10-0, braced by six goals from junior Aerial Nichols.
•Castle Park won a tight contest from Southwest, 4-1, while coming seconds away from recording the third shutout win in the three games.
The schedule continued with four games on Wednesday and four games on Thursday.
The nine district teams are organized into three leagues this season: Mesa League (Bonita Vista, Eastlake and Otay Ranch), South Bay League (Castle Park, Hilltop and San Ysidro) and Pacific League (Mar Vista, Southwest and Sweetwater).
Bonita Vista entered Wednesday’s season opener against east side rival Eastlake sporting a 36-game district winning streak.
Owen recorded the first goal of season and first hat trick while Mar Vista’s Mya Carrazco recorded the first penalty of the season. Shaylah Moreland, Emery Lavender and Marston Marfoi also scored goals for the Mariners, who led 2-0 after the first period and began to pull away with a 6-0 lead through two periods.
Carmen Gonzalez got the shutout victory in the net.
The season debut was huge for Owen, whose best last season in a game was two goals.
“Last season was difficult, so this is a big difference,” she said.
Nichols is no stranger to scoring goals after two previous seasons with Hilltop.
“It’s getting more fun each year, meeting new friends,” she said. “My shot has definitely gotten a lot harder and I think my stick-handling as improved as well.”
Nichols received support in the goal-scoring department from teammates Gianni Silva-Cestero (three goals) and Gael Moreno (one goal, one assist).
Christopher Brady recorded the shutout win.
The Lancers led, 4-0, after one period and 8-0 through two periods.
Castle Park and Southwest were involved in a very tight battle between goaltenders. Castle Park’s Edgar Coronel logged 15 saves while Southwest’s Francisco Hernandez faced 27 shots.
The game was tied 1-1 through the opening period.
Clara Armenta led the victorious Trojans with three goals and one assist while Iris Miranda chipped in with one goal and two assists.
Southwest’s Angelica Cantu spoiled Coronel’s shutout bid with just seconds remaining on the Raiders’ final rush down the playing court.
Streak busters
Braced by a 4-0 lead, it appeared Bonita Vista was on its way to extend its 36-game district winning streak another notch until Eastlake posted the final five goals of the game to ride to a clutch overtime victory in the opener of Wednesday’s quadruple-header.
Jacob Hunter faced off the game with three goals and one assist for the defending league champion Barons. But two goals by Chris Rollbusch and single tallies by Emilio Navarretre and Sidney Jonason knotted the score, 4-all, through the end of regulation.
The Titans (1-0 in Mesa League) scored twice in the second period to narrow the score to 4-2 and tied the game with two more goals in the third period.
The three-on-three sudden victory overtime looked to favor Bonita Vista early on. The Barons had a good chance for a one-on-one shot, but Andrew Madrigal couldn’t quite collect the pass and turn for a shot. Eastlake finally got the puck away from Hunter and broke the other way.
Adam Ibarra fed Navarrete on a two-on-one and that was the end to the Barons’ marathon district winning streak.
“It was just amazing,” new EHS coach Chris Rollbusch said. “It was great for us to get into overtime. Bonita Vista is a little low on numbers this season, but they still have a great team and gave us a run for the money. We won this time, but next time who knows?”
Veteran BVHS coach Keith Quigley said the Baron lineup was down to six players for Monday’s season debut because of graduation and players who did not return. He lauded the effort of those who did play and contribute.
Eastlake was braced in the net by goaltender Solana Kitamura, who posted a second- and third-period shutout to give her team a chance to record the dramatic comeback win.
The Barons faced off the season 0-1 in Mesa League with two more cracks at the Titans in league play, plus three games against Otay Ranch.
In other games on Wednesday:
Green machine
Hilltop improved to 2-0 on the young season, 1-0 in South Bay League play, as the Lancers racked up a 10-0 mercy-rule victory against Castle Park.
Aeriel Nichols opened the game with a natural hat trick and tacked on four more goals and an assist to finish the contest with seven goals and one assist to give her 14 points (13 goals, one assist) in two games.
Gianni Silva-Castero had three goals and two assists for Hilltop.
Making a splash
Mar Vista rolled to a 2-0 start by capturing a tight 4-0 shutout win over Southwest in a Pacific League encounter. Emery Lavender scored late in the first period and added a second goal in the second period to push the Mariners to a 2-0 lead. Raeden Own and twin sister Riley Owen scored third-period goals to complete the shutout victory braced by netminder Carmen Gonzalez (her second consecutive shutout win).
Riley Owen picked up a goal and assist to extend her team scoring lead to five goals and three assists in two games while Lavender notched his third goal in two games.
Horse power
Otay Ranch made its season debut a victorious one with a 10-0 shutout win over San Ysidro in a cross-league match-up. Seven players scored goals for the Mustangs, led by Mason Paulo with three goals and one assist, Dayna Coates with one goal and three assists, 17 Diego Falomir with two goals and one assist and Nick Bernal with one goal and two assists.
Samantha Covarrubia chipped in with one goal and one assist while Olivia Hawkins and Keila Bayless each scored one goal while David Cosino recorded the shutout win in the net.
Otay Ranch broke out toa 2-0 first period lead and led 6-0 entering the final period.
“It was a great team effort,” Mustang coach Christian Welch said. “So excited for the season to start, so excited there are nine teams this year. The energy was amazing.”
Bounce back
Bonita Vista didn’t waste any time to start another district winning streak by skating past Otay Ranch, 11-4, in the opener of Thursday’s quadruple-header at the Castle Park outdoor rink.
The Barons trailed, 2-1, on a pair of goals by smooth-skating Nick Bernal, including a shorthanded tally, before getting their game in gear en route to taking a 7-2 lead early in the second period. Bonita Vista eventually extended its lead to 10-3 before the teams traded goals for the seven-goal margin finish.
Jacob Hunter led the Barons with seven goals and two assists as the No. 1 star of the game while teammate Andrew Madrigal was the game’s second star with four goals and four assists. Bernal was the game’s third star with all four Otay Ranch goals.
The win evened Bonita Vista Mesa League record at 1-1 while the Mustangs faced off league play 0-1.
Hunter has collected 10 goals and three assists in two games while Madrigal has notched five goals and four assists. Bernal tops Otay Ranch with five goals and two assists in two games.
Cougar country
San Ysidro and Castle Park faced off South Bay League play with a lot of emotion and a hard-fought contest. Castle Park opened scoring on a goal by Clara Armenta but goals by Alyzete Sierra and Vivian Camacho moved the Cougars into a 3-1 advantage through the opening period.
Castle Park’s Ari Valencia scored to make the score 3-2 in the second period, but Camacho scored again to double the San Ysidro lead. Luna Alvarez scored for the Cougars in the third period.
Three-and-oh
Mar Vista posted a slim 1-0 win over Sweetwater in a Pacific League match-up. In the process, the Mariners improved to 2-0 in league play, 3-0 overall, in an exciting start to the season.
Mar Vista goaltender Carmen Gonzalez has three shutout wins to her credit in as many trips to the playing court to start the season.
Emery Lavender scored the game’s only goal in the third period, set up by team scoring leader Riley Owen. The goal was Lavender’s fourth of the season; Owen increased her team-leading points mark to nine (five goals, four assists).
The teams meet twice more in league play. Sweetwater, braced by a turnout of 22 players this season, turned its season around in short fashion after allowing 10 goals in it season opener to Hilltop.
SuHi coach Mike Morales is optimistic about his team’s fortunes the remainder of the season, noting one key player could not play because of a conflict with another event.
“We’re right there with them,” he said. “We have two more games with them. It should be interesting.”
Team Titan
Eastlake built a 10-0 lead on previously undefeated Hilltop to improve to 2-0 to start the 2023-24 season with an 11-1 victory.
Chris Rollbusch led the Titans with five goals and one assist while Sidney Jonason collected three goals and one assist. Emilio Navarrete contributed one goal and two assists.
Hilltop’s Aariel Nichols entered the game with 13 goals but was shut out by the Titans despite repeated rushes at the Eastlake net.
In two games, Rollbusch – likely the tallest player among district teams – has picked up six goals and two assists.
Metro Conference Scoreboard
Monday, Dec. 4
Mar Vista 7, San Ysidro 0 (non-league)
Hilltop 10, Sweetwater 0 (non-league)
Castle Park 4, Southwest 1 (non-league)
Wednesday, Dec. 6
Eastlake 5, Bonita Vista 4 (OT) – Mesa League
Hilltop 10, Castle Park 0 – South Bay League
Mar Vista 4, Southwest 0 – Pacific League
Otay Ranch 10, San Ysidro 0 (non-league)
Thursday, Dec. 7
Bonita Vista 11, Otay Ranch 4 – Mesa League
San Ysidro 5, Castle Park 2 -South Bay League
Mar Vista 1, Sweetwater 0 – Pacific League
Eastlake 11, Hilltop 1 (non-league)
Overall Records
(Through Dec. 7)
Mar Vista 3-0
Eastlake 2-0
Hilltop 2-1
Bonita Vista 1-1
Otay Ranch 1-1
Castle Park 1-2
San Ysidro 1-2
Southwest 0-2
Sweetwater 0-2
Mesa League standings
Eastlake 1-0
Bonita Vista 1-1
Otay Ranch 0-1
South Bay League standings
Hilltop 1-0
San Ysidro 1-0
Castle Park 0-2
Pacific League standings
Mar Vista 2-0
Sweetwater 0-1
Southwest 0-1
