The Kiwanis Cup championship roller hockey playoffs faced off Monday at two sites – the Castle Park High School rink in Chula Vista and the Escondido Sports Center – with four Sweetwater district schools represented among the 12 post-season tournament qualifiers.
The Mesa League champion Otay Ranch Mustangs received the No. 8 seed and met the league rival Hilltop Lancers, seeded ninth, in Monday’s twin-bill opener at the CPHS rink while South Bay League champion Chula Vista, seeded 12th, faced off against the fifth-seeded Escondido Charter White Tigers in the nightcap.
The 11th-seeded Eastlake Titans rolled onto the court against the sixth-seeded St. Augustine Saints in one of two games played Monday in Escondido.
Otay Ranch and Chula Vista hosted games as league champions. Eastlake and Hilltop tied for second place in the Mesa League standings.
In Monday’s other first-round playoff game, seventh-seeded Poway hooked up with 10th-seeded West Hills in a second game at the Escondido Sports Center.
Otay Ranch 5, Hilltop 1
The Mustangs won the season series against the Lancers 3-0, with some gritty games played over the course of the regular season. Otay Ranch made it four wins in as many meetings against Hilltop this season by skating to a 5-1 win in Monday’s playoff game.
The game was scoreless for the opening 7:30 before the Mustangs (18-6) ripped off a pair of goals 45 seconds apart to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Otay Ranch took a 3-0 lead into the second period but saw that lead diminish to two goals when the Lancers (14-9-1) managed to punch in a power play goal just 2:40 into the second period.
But the Mustangs answered back with one more goal before the period expired and tacked on the only goal in the third period.
The game was a bit chippy, though not overly physical. Danny Godinez — Hilltop’s leading scorer on the season – was sent off the floor by the officiating crew after a collision with Ricky Portilla, Otay Ranch’s top scorer, with 13:30 remaining in the game.
The call was a five-minute major infraction for roughing with an ejection; Portilla received a two-minute minor infraction for interference.
Otay Ranch starting goaltender J.T. Santiago was credited with eight saves while Gabe Sosa turned in 3:24 of shutout duty in relief to finish the game.
Hilltop’s Andres Corrales was credited with 17 saves in the loss.
Portilla snapped the early standoff on the scoreboard with a half-court slap shot that found an opening between Corrales’ gear and the piping. The Mustangs did not let up on the pressure they were putting on the Lancer cage when Casey Prenatt made it 2-0 off a pass from Portilla.
Otay Ranch netting its third goal in the opening frame when Portilla scored off another assist from Chavez.
Portilla, recently named the Mesa League Player of the Year, had points on all three first-period Mustang goals (two goals, one assist).
Hilltop may have been down and discouraged but did not give up fighting to claw back into the game. The Lancers received a perfect opportunity when handed a two-man advantage barely a couple minutes into the second period. Godinez made the Mesa League champions pay for their errors when he scored at the 2:40 mark of the period.
Otay Ranch 3, Hilltop 1.
The game took a turn for the Mustangs when George Swarez picked up a loose puck near the red line and crossed court to the left wing where he rather casually skated down the lane. The Hilltop defense didn’t appear to pressure him and he fired a sharp angle shot while almost parallel to the goal line that somehow found the netting.
It was a surprise shot – and a surprise goal that put Otay Ranch up 4-1 with 8:50 to play in the second period.
Things quieted down from there until the collision between Portilla and Godinez resulted in the Lancers losing their top scorer for the rest of the game.
Freshman star Sean Devaney capped the Mustang playoff win with a goal assisted by teammate Hector Sanchez with 12:45 left in the game.
Both teams began to make liberal substitutions as the game wound down to give players a chance to participate in a playoff game.
Otay Ranch head coach Jose Castro read aloud the team’s all-league selections in a post-game meeting to cheers from the team.
Portilla, as mentioned, was named Mesa League Player of the Year after collecting a team best 37 points on 22 goals and 15 assists.
Devaney and Chavez both received all-league second team honors for Otay Ranch. Devaney paced the Mustangs with 30 goals in his debut season while adding five assists.
Chavez scored 15 goals and 16 assists during the regular season.
The Mustangs advance to Wednesday’s eight-team quarterfinals where they will take on top-seeded Westview. The Wolverines, who skated to a 14-5 regular season finish, crowned themselves this year’s North County League champion after winning a tie-breaker from two-time defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo.
“The playoff game was very intense and a great win for us,” ORHS head coach Jose Castro explained. “When you add up the aggressive rivalry we have had with Hilltop all year long and the stakes of a one-and-done playoff game, you knew that it will be a very high intensity game. And it did not disappoint.
“The fans showed up and were very into the game, but at the end of the day we were able to block out anything coming from outside the rink and focus on executing our game plan. We needed to have a high volume of shots; we achieved this by having efficient passing and good passing in the slot. Opening shooting lanes and playing great defense in the slot were huge factors for us. Our goalie played an excellent game. Now we are getting ready for Westview.”
Escondido Charter 18, Chula Vista 2
Escondido Charter rolled into their inaugural season of CIF-sanctioned play as last year’s San Diego District Hockey League varsity champion. The White Tigers found their new surroundings to be challenging and concluded regular season play with a third-place finish in the North County League standings and a 10-9 overall record.
Escondido Charter went 2-0 in two regular season match-ups against Sweetwater district teams – defeating Eastlake by a 21-1 score and recording a 17-0 shutout win over Hilltop. The White Tigers (11-9) put their ferocious offensive game on display by scoring 10 goals in the second period to blow open the game against the Spartans (16-8).
Blake Woods opened scoring for Escondido Charter two minutes into the game and teammates Joey Mendoza and Jacob Grove followed with goals as the White Tigers skated to a 3-0 first-period lead.
The damage could have been much worse if it wasn’t for 23 saves turned in by CV netminder Cruz Salas during the opening frame.
Salas couldn’t match those prolific numbers in the remaining two periods, though he still made his best effort to do so. Escondido Charter wasted little time in getting back on the scoreboard as Grove scored just 30 seconds into the period. Grove completed his hat trick 16:35 into the game when he added a goal at the 1:35 mark of the middle stanza.
The White Tigers reeled off goals in quick succession as they showcased their speed and skating ability on the floor. Escondido Charter led 10-0 with 8:38 left in the second period and extended their lead to 13-0 before Chula Vista scored its first goal of the game courtesy of South Bay League Player of the Year Hector Garcia.
Prior to Garcia’s goal, the White Tigers had out-shot their opponent 33-2.
Mendoza turned in a stellar game for Escondido Charter with 11 points on five goals and six assists. Grove finished the game with five goals while Woods had five points on three goals and two assists. Gunnar Gott was credited with three goals and one assist while Evan Medieros, a First Team All-North County League selection, contributed two goals and two assists.
Simon Gott rounded out scoring for the White Tigers with two assists.
Jesse Amador scored the Spartans’ second goal. Salas finished the game with 44 saves as Escondido Charter whipped off 62 shots on net.
Garcia finished regular season play with 61 points. The 11-point performance hiked Mendoza’s season statistics to 35 goals and 68 points.
Escondido Charter advances to meet fourth-seeded Scripps Ranch (12-7) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The teams met in the White Tigers’ regular season finale, with the Falcons capturing a 7-3 non-league victory.
In other playoff games on Monday, Poway skated past West Hills by a score of 10-3 while St. Augustine eliminated Eastlake by a score of 12-0.
Rory Herrman led Poway with six goals and two assists while Liam Garry contributed two goals and two assists.
Robby Baldwin had two goals and Colton Grover had one for West Hills.
Nick Heid turned in a night to remember by powering St. Augustine’s rout with seven goals and four assists. Spencver Mishky had two goals while Fernando Huerto collected three assists.
Broncos open defense to Kiwanis Cup titles with quarterfinal win over Titans
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Feb. 24, 2016 — Ryan Wilson scored four goals and added three assists to power the two-time defending Kiwanis Cup champion Rancho Bernardo Broncos to an 8-2 win over the Poway Titans Wednesday night at Kit Carson Park in Escondido. Also netting goals for the second-seeded Broncos (16-3) were Brendan O’Rourke, Miles Cook, Isaiah Frankel and Christopher White. Bailey Ridout added two assists for the winners, who outshot the Titans 30-24 on the evening.
Rancho Bernardo goaltender Jakob Ogan stopped 22 shots to earn the victory while Titans netminder Christian Woolfe turned aside 22 shots in defeat.
Rory Herrman scored the two Poway goals with assists going to Liam Garry and Woolfe. The seventh-seeded Titans finished the season 5-13.
“We knew we were in for a tough battle against Poway,” Broncos senior captain Brendan O’Rourke said after the game. “Besides being a big rivalry game, they had been playing strong hockey down the stretch. It’s the playoffs now, so it’s time to turn up the intensity as the stakes are high.”
The Broncos advance to next Monday’s semifinal game against third-seeded Cathedral Catholic (13-5). Top-seeded Westview (15-5) will meet fourth-seeded Scripps Ranch (13-7) in the other semifinal, with both games being played at Kit Carson Park.
The winners of those games will meet for the Kiwanis championship game on Wednesday, March 2.
In Wednesday’s late games, Cathedral Catholic shut out St. Augustine, 11-0, while Scripps Ranch skated past Escondido Charter 9-7. Drew Jones led the Cathedral Catholic assault with three goals and three assists while teammate Sam Angeles scored four goals. John Leone contributed a goal and three assists for the Dons, who also received a goal and two assists from Adam Stocker.
The best game of the night proved to be the Scripps Ranch-Escondido Charter match-up. The fifth-seeded White Tigers took the lead early, but Jesse Lycan tied the game for the Falcons as the team ended the first period tied 1-1.
Freshman Cody Sherman then put in a dominating performance by scoring eight straight goals. Escondido Charter made a run in the third period as the Falcons couldn’t stay out of the penalty box and lost Stewart Pond to game ejection after accumulating four penalties.
Scripps Ranch started the third period leading 7-2. But the White Tigers (11-10) got back in the game on the strength of three power play goals and a three-on-three goal. However, Sherman was too much and the Falcons ended the White Tigers’ inaugural season in CIF play.
Finally, Westview (15-5) skated past a late-arriving Otay Ranch team, 18-1, due to traffic to round out Wednesday’s quarterfinal schedule.The Wolverines raced out to a 10-0 lead and closed the game with eight more unanswered goals. Josh Morrison paced Westview with 10 points on seven goals and three assists while Josh Groll contributed three goals and three assists.
Laurent Lee added two goals and four assists for the Wolverines while Greg Oleynichenko was credited with three goals and Ian Bellin was credited with two goals.
The eighth-seeded Mustangs finished the season 18-7. Sean Devaney scored the lone goal for Otay Ranch while goaltender J.T. Santiago made 21 saves.
End of regular season video:
Quarterfinal playoff video:
Player profile:
Patrick Henson, goaltender
Cathedral Catholic High School
Henson is playing his second year with the Dons and, in fact, appeared in last year’s Kiwanis Cup championship game as Cathedral Catholic skated to a runner-up finish to the Rancho Bernardo Broncos.
Henson earned Second Team All-Metro Conference honors this season as the Dons repeated as Central League champions. He said he is proud to be among this year’s all-league and all-conference selections.
“I think it’s an honor to be included among the select few recognized,” he said.
So, just what makes Cathedral Catholic so successful on a yearly basis?
“Unlike most schools, we have kids who live all over San Diego County,” Henson explained. “Our athletic department is very pro-CIF sports.”
Henson said being able to represent one’s school is a big deal for high school players.
“It’s very cool,” he said. “It’s great for kids where their whole life is hockey, and they can get a letter for it.”
The Dons enter Monday’s Kiwanis Cup semifnals – a rematch of last year’s conference championship game – with a 13-5 overall record after finishing league play 8-1 (their lone loss being to fourth-seeded Scripps Ranch).
As a semifinal qualifier, Cathedral Catholic is guaranteed of either playing in the championship game (with a win over Rancho Bernardo) or the third-place game (with a loss to the Broncos).
“Our team has kind of been up and down over the course of the season, but I believe that we are reaching our peak right now, and I believe it’s the best time to do so.”
Henson is joined on the All-Central League Team by forwards Drew Jones and Sam Angeles and defenseman John Leone.
Jones led the conference in scoring with 76 points while Henson averaged 14.4 saves per game.
Kiwanis Cup Playoffs
First Round
Monday, Feb. 22
(8) Otay Ranch 5, (9) Hilltop 1
(5) Escondido Charter 18, (12) Chula Vista 2
(6) St. Augustine 12, (11) Eastlake 0
(7) Poway 10, (10) West Hills 3
Byes: (1) Westview; (2) Rancho Bernardo; (3) Cathedral Catholic; (4) Scripps Ranch
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Feb. 24
(1) Westview 18, (8) Otay Ranch 1
(4) Scripps Ranch 9, (5) Escondido Charter 7
(3) Cathedral Catholic 11, (6) St. Augustiner 0
(2) Rancho Bernardo 8, (7) Poway 2
Semifinals
Monday, Feb. 29
(1) Westview (15-5) vs. (4) Scripps Ranch (13-7)
(2) Rancho Bernardo (16-3) vs. (3) Cathedral Catholic (13-5)
Results:
Westview 6, Scripps Ranch 3
Cathedral Catholic 6, Rancho Bernardo 3
Championship Finals
Wednesday, March 2
(1) Westview (16-5) vs. (3) Cathedral Catholic (14-5), 7 p.m.
Result:
Westview 13, Cathedral Catholic 3
Third place game
(2) Rancho Bernardo (16-4) vs. (4) Scripps Ranch (13-8), 6:30 p.m.
Result:
Rancho Bernardo 4, Scripps Ranch 3
Tri-City Inline Hockey League readying to face off spring season
Tri-City Inline Hockey League (TCIHL), a non-profit organization established more than 20 years ago for the development of youth inline roller hockey in North County San Diego, faces its Spring 2016 Season for players between the ages of 5-17 on March xx. All games and practices will be held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park’s roller hockey rink located at 4300 Mesa Drive in Oceanside.
“This year, we are celebrating the 24th year of TCIHL, the oldest sanctioned inline hockey league by USA Hockey in California,” Tri-City Inline Hockey League’s President Shane Nakamura noted. “In-line hockey, commonly referred to as roller hockey, it is a team sport normally played on asphalt, cement or sport tile surface in which players use a hockey stick to shoot a hard plastic hockey puck into their opponent’s goal to score points. Although it is usually considered a contact sport, body-checking is not practiced at our league. (We welcome the community to) come and experience the joy of outdoor hockey in a safe and fun environment.”
With registration now open, families may sign up their child for a division of Mites (8- under), Squirts (10- under), Peewees (12-under) or Bantams (17- under). Games begin Saturday, March 11 and end May 21, with playoffs June 2 and 4. Registration fee for new players is $60 and free for goalies. There is a $25 jersey fee and $14 additional AAU insurance fee if the player does not have it already.
Visit the website at www.tcihl.com for more information, including the league’s history, player clinics, season details, and registration. Questions may be addressed to tricityinlinehockey@gmail.com or call (760) 282-4452.
TCIHL was the first sanctioned inline league in California by USA Hockey. Its co-ed recreational program is open to new and experienced players aged starting from 5 years old. The league currently offers two seasons per year (March through June and September through December) with clinics, tournaments, and pick-up play between seasons.
TCIHL’s mission is to stress the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, scholastic achievement, integrity, respect for authority, and to promote the game of inline hockey in North County San Diego. To achieve this objective TCIHL provides a supervised program under the rules and regulations of AAU/USA Roller Sports.
The league’s board of directors are all volunteers and and operation of the league is done by volunteers. For more information, please visit www.tcihl.com
Ice Chips:
Pacific Division standings tighten as Gulls, Barracuda share final division playoff berth
The San Diego Gulls, San Jose Barracuda, Bakersfield Condors and Ontario Reign each have 20 games remaining on their regular season schedules while the Stockton Heat has 22 games left. All of the five new California teams have winning records in the move west for the American Hockey League.
Regular season play ends April 17 and, at best, only four of the seven teams in the AHL’s Pacific Division will lock up Calder Cup playoff berths.
The five California teams are competing against the Texas Stars and San Antonio Rampage for divisional playoff berths but are playing an unequal number of games.
The five California teams have a 68-game regular season schedule while the two Texas teams are each playing 76 games. Standings are computed based on points percentage (possible points divided by points earned).
As of Feb. 24, Ontario (30-14-3-1) led the division with a 0.667 points percentage, followed by Texas (32-19-3-3) with a 0.614 points percentage, San Diego (25-20-1-2) with a 0.552 points percentage, San Jose (22-17-6-3) with a 0.552 points percentage, Bakersfield (24-20-2-2) with a 0.542 points percentage, Stockton (22-21-1-2) with a 0.511 points percentage and San Antonio (23-24-8-0) with a 0.491 points percentage.
The top three teams in the Pacific Division standings are guaranteed post-season playoff berths, with the team with the best points percentage mark between the Pacific Division’s fourth-place team and the Central Division’s fifth-place team earning the No. 4 seed in the Pacific Division playoffs.
Ontario, the defending Calder Cup champion (as the Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15), and Texas continue to stand as the front-runners in the Pacific Division standings, with San Diego and San Jose tied for third, Bakersfield currently occupying fifth, followed by Stockton and San Antonio.
The race for the Pacific Division’s final guaranteed playoff berth (third place in the division standings) thus appears to be a wide-open race between five teams.
Currently, the Pacific Division’s top four teams would qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs, with the Gulls and Barracuda (both which share 0.552 points percentages) owning a better points percentage than the Charlotte Checkers (the fifth place team in the Central Division with a 0.547 points percentage). It’s too close to call, and could be until the final week of regular season play.
The Gulls have two important home games this weekend against teams with equal of fewer points percentages. San Diego hosts San Antonio on Friday and San Jose on Saturday. The Gulls can greatly enhance their playoff position with wins over both teams.
Ontario currently has the best points percentage in the Western Conference (Pacific and Central divisions) and the third best mark in the league. The Reign has a +32 goal-differential.
Magic numbers
Ontario needs 30 points to clinch a playoff berth while Texas needs 34. San Diego and San Jose both need 41 points while Bakersfield needs 42 points, Stockton needs 47 points and San Antonio needs 50 points.
Charlotte needs 46 points to clinch a playoff berth.
A team’s magic numberis reduced when it earns standings points, or when the team with the highest possible total outside the playoff picture fails to earn standings points. A team clinches a playoff berth when its magic number reaches zero.
What’s trending
The Stars can finish with 108 points while the Reign can finish with 104 points. Ontario has six home games remaining and 14 road games remaining on its schedule while Texas has 14 home games remaining and just five road games left on its regular season schedule. However, the Reign can finish with as high as a .765 points percentage and the Stars at 0.711.
San Diego has 12 home games remaining and eight road games while San Jose and Bakersfield both have 10 home game and 10 road games left on their regular season schedule. Stockton has 11 home games and 11 road games left on its schedule while San Antonio has 13 home games left and eight road games.
Texas is 8-2-0 in its last 10 games while San Diego is 6-3-0-1. Ontario and Bakersfield are both 6-4-0, while Stockton is 5-5-0. San Jose and San Antonio are both 4-5-1.
The Rockford IceHogs (30-13-5-4) and Milwaukee Admirals (32-17-3-0) appear to have a race going for the Central Division’s top playoff berth. Rockford has 69 points and a 0.663 points percentage while Milwaukee has 67 points and a 0.644 points percentage.
AHL’s Top 20
Stockton’s Derek Grant continues to lead the Pacific Division with 23 goals in 30 games to rank fourth overall in the league. He’s followed in the division by Bakersfield’s Matthew Ford with 21 goals in 44 games and Stockton’s Hunter Shinaruk with 21 goals in 46 games.
Ontario’s Michael Mersch, currently on call-up to the L.A. Kings, has 19 goals in 30 games while San Antonio’s Mikko Rantanen has 19 goals in 36 games. Texas’s Greg Rallo has 19 goals in 47 games.
Ontario’s Peter Budaj (28-10-3) continues to top the AHL with his 1.58 GAA and 0.935 save percentage. San Jose’s Aaron Dell (10-10-5) has compiled a 2.37 GAA and 0.925 save percentage in 26 games.
Protect the nest
Rookie defenseman Brandon Montour continues to lead San Diego with 39 points on nine goals and 30 assists. He’s followed by centers Chris Mueller with 10 goals and 34 points and Mike Sgarbossa with 11 goals and 29 points.
Left wing Nick Ritchie, who remains on call-up to Anaheim, ranks third on the team with 15 goals and 28 points. He’s followed by defenseman Shea Theodore with five goals and 22 points, center Antoine Laganiere with 10 goals and 20 points and right wing Stefan Noesen with six goals and 20 points.
Goaltender Anton Khudobin is 9-6-1 with a 2.61 GAA and 0.911 save percentage while Matt Hackett is 7-6-0-1 with a 2.87 GAA and .901 save percentage.
— Phillip Brents
Pacific Division Standings
(Through Feb. 24)
Ontario Reign 30-14-3-1, 0.667 winning percentage
Texas Stars 32-19-3-3, 0.614 winning percentage
San Diego Gulls 25-20-1-2, 0.552 winning percentage
San Jose Barracuda 22-17-6-3, 0.552 winning percentage
Bakersfield Condors 24-20-2-2, 0.542 winning percentage
Stockton Heat 22-21-1-2, 0.511 winning percentage
San Antonio Rampage 23-24-8-0, 0.491 winning percentage
Anaheim Ducks claim Chris Wagner on waivers
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2016 — The San Diego Gulls announced that forward Chris Wagner has been claimed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks, San Diego’s National Hockey League affiliate. Wagner has been assigned to San Diego.
Wagner, 24 (born 5/27/91), scored four goals (4-0=4) with 26 penalty minutes (PIM) in 37 games with the Ducks and Colorado Avalanche this season. The 6-0, 195-pound forward began the season with Anaheim before being claimed on waivers by Colorado on Nov. 15. He scored his first four career NHL goals with the Avalanche, including his first two in consecutive games on Nov. 25 against Ottawa and Nov. 28 against Winnipeg. Wagner also played three games in San Diego this season, collecting 1-1=2 points with a +2 rating and 16 PIM from Oct. 21-24.
Selected by Anaheim in the fifth round (122nd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Wagner has 4-0=4 points with 28 PIM in 46 career NHL games with the Ducks and Avalanche. He also appeared in his first two career Stanley Cup Playoff games with Anaheim in 2015, going scoreless in the first round against Winnipeg.
Gulls score first for 22nd time this season, win for 21st time
The San Diego Gulls have scored the opening goal in 22 games this season and have a 21-0-0-1 record to show for it. The Gulls got the jump goal in Friday’s AHL Pacific Division game against the visiting San Antonio Rampage and molded that into an eventual 5-1 victory.
San Diego head coach Dallas Eakins said he is not surprised by the telltale statistic.
“If you look across the NHL and the American Hockey League, if you score first, you have a great, great chance of winning that game,” Eakins explained. “You don’t have to chase the game. When you get behind, you sometime have to take chances — chances you really don’t want to take. A lot of times when you take those chances, it winds up in your net.
“Down one goal, you stick with your game plan, but as the game goes one and the time ticks down, you take chances you’d normally not take, and that’s when things can really go south on you.”
Eakins’ commentary accurately described Friday’s game. The Gulls never trailed in the Feb. 26 contest, built an early 2-0 lead and, when threatened on the scoreboard, quickly bounced back to remain in a dominant position.
The win was key for the Gulls in their ongoing bid to nail down a Calder Cup playoff berth. San Diego entered Friday’s game tied with the San Jose Barracuda in the division standings, and both teams remain tied after San Jose slipped past host Bakersfield 4-3 after trailing by scores of 2-0 and 3-2 in Condorstown.
The Gulls and Barracuda now square off Saturday at the Valley View Casino Center in a bid to break that tie and secure sole possession of third place in the standings for the winner.
The Rampage, attempting to make a rise from the division cellar, entered Friday’s game braced by AHL All-Star Mikko Rantanen and fortified by goaltender Reto Berra.
Berra, who stands 6-5 and weighs 196 pounds, has played in two world championships with the Swiss National Team and has played in the NHL since 2013-14 with Calgary and Colorado.
Berra joined San Antonio on a conditioning assignment from the Avalanche as he recovers from an ankle injury suffered Dec. 21. Berra was assigned to the Rampage Feb. 17 and had appeared in three games prior to Friday’s meeting the Gulls having compiled a 1-1 record, 2.22 goals-against average and superb 0.940 save percentage.
Rantanen, meanwhile, led San Antonio with 19 goals and 45 points entering Friday’s game.
On the other hand, the Gulls (26-20-1-2, 0.561 points percentage) were featuring one of their deepest and healthiest rosters in quite a while with the recent returns from injury of Nic Kerdiles, Brian McGrattan and Kyle MacKinnon, plus the recent acquisition of center Chris Wagner via waivers from the Avalanche
Berra indeed struck an imposing figure in front of the Rampage cage. However, he was caught out of position on a pair of point-blank San Diego shots that resulted in a 1-0 Gulls lead just 4:35 into the contest. Chris Mueller took the first shot that ricocheted off a defender’s stick to an oncoming Ondrej Kase, who drove the puck into a wide-open net. The goal was Kase’s third goal of the season and his second in a handful of games since his return from a lengthy injury. Kerdiles set up the goal with a steal.
The Gulls doubled their lead 1:17 into a two-man advantage when Mueller notched his 11th goal of the season and his second point of the night.
Ironically Mueller started and put the finishing touch on the scoring play. Mueller initially managed to sneak behind the Rampage defense and whip a point-blank shot off Berra’s chest. The hosts collected the rebound on the other side of the net, with Mueller squeezing his shot between Berra and the crossbar for a 2-0 lead at the 19:39 mark after receiving a cross-ice pass from Mike Sgarbossa. Brandon Montour also received an assist on the goal.
The Rampage (23-25-8-0, 0.482 points percentage) scored on a point-blank shot low blocker side at the 3:47 mark of the second period to trim the Gulls lead to 2-1. Joey Hishon received credit for the goal, with assists assigned to Reid Petryk and Rantanen.
But the hosts regained their two-goal edge at the 6:15 juncture when Shea Theodore put the finishing touch on a pass from Sgarbossa.
The Gulls increased their lead to 4-1 with 5:29 left in the second period when MacKinnon knocked in a goalmouth pass from teammate Stu Bickel after Bickel had collecting a deflected shot by teammate Andrew O’Brien. It was MacKinnon’s third goal of the season and his second in as many games.
Bickel drew the defensive assignment of corralling Rantanen, the AHL’s rookie point leader, holding the flying Finn to one assist on the night.
Kerdiles wrapped up an eventful night by scoring a power play goal at the 7:16 mark of the third period. It was his eighth goal of the season. Assists went to Mueller and Theodore.
Mueller earned first star of the game honors with three points on a goal and two assists while San Diego netminder Anton Khudobin was named the game’s second star after making 36 saves on 37 shots. Bickel was selected the game’s third star for his all-around play.
Berra finished the game with 33 saves on 38 shots. The Gulls finished two-for-three on the power play while killing all three penalties against them.
Eakins said the four-goal win took a lot of pressure off the team, at least for one night.
“Every night is kind of the do or die,” the Gulls bench boss explained. “It was nice to be behind the bench with a four-goal lead and our guys were playing pretty well with the lead and you could just kind breathe back there. Three was no tension with the players. It’s nice to have those nights every once in a while.
“We were able to run four lines, we ‘t tax any of our lines too much. We were able to distribute our ice time.”
Kerdiles, a second-round pick by the Ducks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, has made an impression in his two games back from injury, according to Eakins. Kerdiles, who grew up in Irvine, looked smooth skating on the ice opposite Mueller on left wing.
“He’s done a great job in the past on our power play in front of the net,” Eakins said. “We’ve moved Nic around, he’s played center, we’ve moved him to left wing, he played on the wing tonight, he’s a versatile player like that. He’s also one of our penalty killers. It was nice to see him rewarded tonight with a goal and assist.”
Eakins said Kerdiles didn’t need much motivation to work his way back in the line-up.
“He worked his butt off when he was hurt,” Eakins explained. “He never complained once; he wanted to transition back to the game. All that hard work is paying off.”
Eakins said being physically fit is one thing, but being mentally fit is even better for a hockey player coming back from injury.
“We can talk about fitness levels, but you need your head to be straight,” the Gulls head coach said. “If you have a good game when you return, it usually starts to snowball for you.”
Kerdiles, who started playing roller hockey when he was 6 but switched to ice hockey at 9, acknowledged his coach’s encouraging words.
“It’s huge,” he said. “I was put into the position of playing first line tonight, to put points up, and I’m playing with two great linemates, and on the power play. It’s good to contribute, it makes it seem like you’re doing something out there.”
The Gulls’ solid performance was not lost on the players.
“Guys were talking about it, during the periods,” Kerdiles related. “It’s nice. It was refreshing to have such a solid game, from start to the end. If we can continue that, we’ll look good for the playoffs …we’re in shape and ready to keep going.”
Tailfeathers
San Jose’s Ryan Carpenter scored his 12th goal of the season with just 1:27 to play to push the Barracuda ahead of the Condors for good. In another key Pacific Division game, visiting Ontario defeated the Texas Stars, 3-2, in overtime. Vincent LoVerde, who scored twice in the game and supplied the game-winner, earned first star of the game nod.
— Phillip Brents
Gulls roast Barracuda by 5-2 score, keep surging in Pacific Division standings
The San Diego Gulls appear to be flying high at the moment. Head coach Dallas Eakins has to hope his team continues to soar – and pick up precious standings points in the race for a Calder Cup playoff berth.
The Gulls finished February on a high note by compiling an 8-2-1 record during their 11 games. The team’s 5-2 win over the visiting San Jose Barracuda Saturday night (Feb. 27) was fairly typical of the Gulls’ recent fortunes. The hosts scored the first goal, which translated to a win for the 22nd time this season in 23 such instances; the Gulls also played smart defense and continued to pace their offense with timely goal-scoring, including one power play strike.
Nick Kerdiles continued his hot hand with the stick by scoring twice to lead the Gulls in Saturday’s game while goaltender Anton Khudobin stopped 41 of 43 shots he faced to improve to 7-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .931 save percentage during the month of February. Khudobin improved to 11-6-2 between the pipes for San Diego.
Chris Wagner matched Kerdiles with two goals while Brian McGrattan scored the Gulls’ first goal. Stefan Noesen and Chris Mueller each collected two assists to support the team’s latest victory.
The Gulls didn’t waste time to see if one goal would hold up, so they scored twice in a 1:08 span late in the opening period. McGrattan’s goal was his seventh of the season. Kerdiles followed with a spin-o-rama goal that electrified the crowd and also got the Gulls’ bench jumping as the hosts took a 2-0 lead. The goal was Kerdiles’ ninth of the year and his second in two games.
Kerdiles wasn’t finished, either. Just 33 seconds after San Jose halved the Gulls’ lead to 2-1 on a goal by John McCarthy midway through the second period, Kerdiles ripped a shot through the Barracuda net that requited a video replay to confirm.
Ahead 3-1, the Gulls began to take off. Wagner scored his first goal of the night on a rebound shot to increase the Gulls’ lead to 4-1 on a power play goal late in the middle stanza. Khudobin made 20 saves in the period to buttress the Gulls’ defense.
The Barracuda made the score 4-2 on a goal by Trevor Parkes just 26 seconds into the third period. But Khudobin and the San Diego defense held firm from there. Wagner added an empty net goal with 1:51 left in the game to seal the victory and extend the Gulls points streak to five games during which the team has collected nine out of a possible 10 points.
The power surge allowed the Gulls to solidify their perch in sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division standings, creeping up on the second place Texas Stars while putting some additional distance between themselves and San Jose, Charlotte and Bakersfield in the race for a Calder Cup playoff berth.
The Gulls improved their record to 27-20-1-2 while the Barracuda fell to 23-18-6-3.
San Diego, in reaching the 5-game mark, ended February with a .570 points percentage.
The Gulls also clinched the season series against San Jose, improving to 6-1-1-1 against their Bay Area rivals.
The Barracuda continues to occupy fourth place in the division standings and would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today.
“Two great wins,” Kerdiles bubbled over after the game as the Gulls captured back-to-back wins in the Friday-Saturday time slot. “Momentum is awesome. It helps you keep rolling. So when we have that momentum, we feel that no team can stop us. We’re a good team. We have good guys in the line-up and out of the line-up. We’re a threat right now.”
It would be hard for Eakins to deny that at the moment as his team appears to be playing its best hockey of the season. However, he cautioned about getting too excited too soon, as the Gulls have not clinched a playoff berth quite yet.
But there’s no denying the Gulls are highly entertaining to watch right now as fans get their money’s worth.
The crowd of 9,678 certainly did Saturday night.
— Phillip Brents
San Diego Gulls press releases follow:
GULLS SALVAGE POINT IN STOCKTON
Heat pulls out a 4-3 shootout win behind Kevin Poulin’s 47 saves
STOCKTON, Calif., Feb. 24, 2016 – Stefan Noesen’s short-handed goal with 3:00 remaining in the second period allowed the San Diego Gulls (25-20-1-2) to pull out one point on the road in Stockton, tying the host Heat 3-3 before falling in a shootout by a 4-3 final score. Kenny Agostino’s goal in the first round of shootouts was the only score for either team at Stockton Arena, witnessed by 2,607 fans.
The Heat (22-21-1-2), which won for the 11th time in 12 home games, was carried on the shoulders of goalie Kevin Poulin, who stopped 47-of-50 shots faced and all three in the shootout. San Diego out-shot Stockton 38-to-18 in the final two periods and overtime, and 50-to-33 in the final total.
Stockton scored on the first shift of the game, with Freddie Hamilton finishing clean passes from Kenny Agostino and Aaron Johnson over the left shoulder of San Diego goalie Anton Khudobin just 21 seconds into the contest.
At the 1:54 mark of the first period, it was 2-0 Stockton, as the Heat held possession at the blue line after a couple initial forays down low. Johnson’s shot from the left point was deflected by Turner Elson past Khudobin for his ninth goal of the year and a microwave-fast two-goal advantage.
As he has in key spots for the past several games, Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins turned to his fourth line of Andrew O’Brien, Kyle MacKinnon and Brian McGrattan for an energy burst. While the center on the “energy line” has changed from game to game (Kyle Bonis and Matt Bailey have had turns), the wingers have been consistent, and so have the results. MacKinnon’s rebound goal at 15:04, from veterans McGrattan and Shane O’Brien, put San Diego on the board in a 2-1 game.
The Heat found a seeming back-breaker when Kenny Agostino’s sweeping centering pass from the right wall connected with Garnet Hathaway, who deflected the puck past Khudobin at 19:01 of the first period for a 3-1 Stockton lead.
Just 37 seconds later, the Gulls had matched the Heat in last minute shockers, as again the “energy line” delivered with McGrattan’s feed from behind the end line snuck off the right leg of Poulin and home, stunning the hosts to make the score 3-2 Stockton.
The Gulls picked up their intensity out of the first intermission, out-shooting the Heat 17-to-8 in the second period. Brandon Montour rang the left post midway through the frame but Poulin was able to find the rebound. Later in the period, Hamilton was freed all alone inside the right circle on Khudobin. Anton reached out to deflect the initial bid, but the puck trickled behind him and toward the goal, where Chris Mueller swept the puck off the line to prevent a fourth Stockton score.
It was on the power play where Stockton would see the visitors tie the score. With Andrew O’Brien in the penalty box on a high sticking minor, Gulls defenseman Korbinian Holzer banked a defensive zone clearance off the high glass and down the ice, where the carom connected with the stick of Stefan Noesen behind the Stockton skaters. Noesen beat Poulin to his right, knocking the puck just inside the left post and in for his sixth goal of the season at 17:00 of the second.
San Diego controlled the action through much of the third period but could not solve Poulin any more, including a key combination save in the final minutes to preserve the tie. With the overtime loss, the Gulls collect their 53rd point of the season and are in a flat-footed tie with the San Jose Barracuda with a .552 points percentage.
The Gulls return home for Friday-Saturday contests at Valley View Casino Center against the San Antonio Rampage and the Barracuda. Both games are set for 7:05 faceoffs.
NOTES: The Gulls salvaged a single road point in a game for the first time in their 26th road game of the season; San Diego entered the night 13-12-0 on the road and 1-0 (overtime)/2-0 (shootout) in road overtime games … the team scoring the night’s first goal has gone on to win the game in eighteen straight Gulls games, 23 of the last 24 and 34 of the last 36 … San Diego went 0-for-2 on the power play and has failed in 15 straight attempts with the man advantage…conversely, the Gulls’ penalty kills has stopped thirteen straight man advantages against, scoring twice short-handed along the way … the Gulls’ short-handed goal was their eighth of the year, tied with six other teams for the third-best total in the AHL (Toronto/Utica lead with 10)…Ondrej Kase, Mike Sgarbossa and Stefan Noesen shot for San Diego in the shootout.
THREE STARS
1st Star: STK Kenny Agostino (GWG in shootouts, 0-2=2); 2nd Star: SD Kyle MacKinnon (1-1=2, +3 rating); 3rd Star: STK Freddie Hamilton (1-1=2)
GULLS CORRAL RAMPAGE, 5-1
San Diego improves to 5-0 against San Antonio with a well-rounded victory
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26, 2016 — Chris Mueller netted a goal with two assists and Shea Theodore added a goal and helper, as the San Diego Gulls put together one of their most complete performances of the season in a 5-1 victory over the San Antonio Rampage on Friday night at Valley View Casino Center.
A crowd of 9,585 saw the Gulls (26-20-1-2) improve to 5-0-0 against the Rampage this season, and 7-2-0-1 in the month of February. San Diego remains in a tie with the San Jose Barracuda at a .561 points percentage for third place in the AHL Pacific Division.
Fortified by the recent injury returns of Nic Kerdiles, Brian McGrattan and Kyle MacKinnon, along with the acquisition of center Chris Wagner via waivers from the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the Gulls posted one of their healthiest and strongest lineups of the season when they welcomed the Rampage on the ice.
The results were quickly seen in San Diego’s favor, as a steal by Kerdiles in the Gulls zone fed Mueller in the middle, whose one-timer deflected to Ondrej Kase skating the low slot. Kase found a yawning net mouth in front of him and potted his third goal of the season, putting San Diego on top 4:35 into the contest.
Both teams traded power play opportunities late in the first period, but when the Rampage (23-25-8-0) were sent for consecutive minor penalties in the final minute of the frame, San Diego’s struggling power play unit was given a 5-on-3 advantage. The Gulls converted, as Mike Sgarbossa’s cross-ice pass found a wide open Mueller, who roofed his eleventh goal of the season over the right shoulder of Reto Berra (33 saves) and into the net for a 2-0 lead at 19:39.
San Antonio’s Joey Hishon connected on a turnaround goal at 3:47 of the second to put the Rampage on the board, but the Gulls answered on a neat give-and-go play between Sgarbossa and Shea Theodore, with the 2013 Ducks first-round draft pick finishing his sixth goal of the year high over Berra at 6:15 to recapture the two goal edge.
The Gulls’ fourth line, or “energy line”, has been humming as of late, and contributed their third goal of the week to finish off the second period scoring. Andrew O’Brien’s low right wing shot deflected to defenseman Stu Bickel, who shot back across the goalmouth to Kyle MacKinnon, who slotted the rebound for his third goal of the year and second in as many games. Bickel, who was assigned Rampage star winger Mikko Rantanen all night and limited the AHL Rookie Point leader to a lone assist, earned third star of the night for his all-around good work.
Nic Kerdiles concluded the scoring with his team-high seventh power play goal of the season, tipping a third period Mueller bid between Berra’s pads to set the final score line at 7:16.
Anton Khudobin improved his record to 10-6-2 in net with the victory, stopping 36-of-37 shots faced. The Gulls will host the Barracuda on Saturday night at Valley View Casino Center to settle the AHL Pacific Division third place tie for the time being.
NOTES: The first goal won yet again in a Gulls game; the team scoring the night’s first goal has gone on to win the game in nineteen straight Gulls games, 24 of the last 25 and 35 of the last 37 … San Diego snapped a streak of 15 straight failed power play conversions with their first period goal, going 2-for-3 on the night … conversely, the Gulls’ penalty kill unit has stopped 16 straight man advantages against, scoring twice short-handed along the way … Brandon Montour’s power play assist was his 25th power play point of the year and 20th power play assist; both stats lead the AHL.
THREE STARS
1st Star: SD Chris Mueller (1-2=3); 2nd Star: SD Anton Khudobin (36 saves on 37 shots faced); 3rd Star: SD Stu Bickel (0-1=1)
GULLS CLOSE OUT BIG FEBRUARY WITH 5-2 WIN OVER SAN JOSE
San Diego completes an 8-2-1 month by skipping past the Barracuda into third place
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 27, 2016 – Nic Kerdiles and Chris Wagner scored two goals apiece as the San Diego Gulls increased their points streak to five straight games with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Barracuda at Valley View Casino Center. A crowd of 9,678 saw the Gulls (27-20-1-2) improve to 6-1-1-1 against San Jose, moving all alone into third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
Anton Khudobin, peppered for 21 shots in the second period, stopped 41 of the 43 he faced overall, improving to 11-6-2 in net for the Gulls. Khudobin’s hot February mirrored the Gulls’ success, going 7-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
The Barracuda (23-18-6-3) had a pair of quality chances midway through the opening frame to grab the night’s first goal, the best being Jeremy Langlois alone point blank in front of the crease, but San Jose could not hit the net when it counted.
Brian McGrattan opened the scoring for the Gulls with a high quality goal, picking the puck out of mid-air inside the blue line between two defenders. McGrattan freed himself outside the right circle for a hard wrist shot, beating San Jose goalie Troy Grosenick for his seventh goal of the season at 13:21.
Just 1:08 later, it was Nic Kerdiles electrifying the crowd with a spin-around blind shot from the left circle, slapping the puck high past a stunned Grosenick for his ninth goal of the season and second in as many games. The Gulls led 2-0 after twenty minutes.
The second period saw San Jose creep closer on John McCarthy’s second chance rebound score, coming on a Barracuda power play to narrow the score to 2-1 at the 11:03 mark. San Jose spent much the period firing shots at Khudobin, who made 20 of his 41 saves in the period.
The hard work of the Barracuda was erased by more Kerdiles sniping, as the ex-Wisconsin forward ripped a shot from the high slot over Grosenick’s left shoulder and through the back of the net. The puck exited the net so quickly it forced a video review, which confirmed Kerdiles’ second score of the night and tenth of the season, answering the San Jose goal just 33 seconds later.
Chris Wagner, working net-front on a late Gulls power play in the second period, scooped home a rebound goal to make it 4-1 San Diego on assists from Shane O’Brien and Korbinian Holzer. Wagner closed the night’s scoring with an empty netter at 18:09, after Trevor Parkes’ goal for San Jose 26 seconds into the third period made the game interesting for a while.
San Diego clinched the season series against the Barracuda while improving to 57 points and a .570 points percentage through 50 games played. The Gulls climbed within .032 in points percentage of the Texas Stars for second place in the Pacific Division, while increasing their lead for a playoff spot to .033 over the Charlotte Checkers and .039 over the Bakersfield Condors.
San Diego continues a four-game homestand on Friday night when they welcome the Stockton Heat into town for a back-to-back weekend series.
NOTES: First goal won again; the team scoring the night’s first goal has gone on to win the game in twenty straight Gulls games, 25 of the last 26 and 36 of the last 38 … Gulls forward Ondrej Kase left the game early in the second period and did not return … Chris Mueller and Stefan Noesen had two assists each for San Dieg … Mueller leads the Gulls with (2-8=10) points in nine games against the Barracuda…for the first time in nine games between San Diego and San Jose, the road team left without securing a point.
THREE STARS
1st Star: SD Nic Kerdiles (2-0=2); 2nd Star: SD Anton Khudobin (41 saves on 43 shots faced); 3rd Star: SJ Trevor Parkes (1-0=1)
