Ron Cole coached the Mar Vista High School roller hockey team for 10 years, starting in 2001. Fourteen years later, he finds himself at the helm of the Eastlake Titans, who have emerged in the first half of the 2014-15 season as the flagship squad among the nine Sweetwater district teams in the CIF-Metro Conference.
The two teams paired up Tuesday in non-league action at the Castle Park High School rink, with the two-time defending Mesa League champion Titans rolling to an 18-3 victory.
Cole continues to have a soft spot for his former team.
“I still have a lot of great memories there,” the EHS coach explained. “In games like this, I feel like I want to coach both teams.”
Tuesday’s win pushed the Titans season opening record to 7-0. Sam Bawden and Michael Mechling each collected six goals and one assist in the winning effort while Aaron Mayer contributed three goals and two assists. Williams Hamilton had two goals and one assist while Sean Layton had a goal and assist, Percilla Mayer had three assists and Brandon Benson, Stefanos Alexiou and Brian Anderson each picked up one assist.
Adrian Contreras led Mar Vista (1-4 in non-tournament games) with one goal and one assist while Eloy Rodriguez and Cindy Moeller each scored once.
Moeller may have had the trickiest goal of the night by slipping a mid-range shot between the skates of the EHS goaltender.
Mayer and Bawden, who play both roller and ice hockey together on the same teams, are in a neck-and-neck battle for the conference scoring lead this season among district teams.
The tandem combined on three goals in Tuesday’s game, including a beauty that saw Mayer lift a balloon pass over the entire Mariner defense to Bawden in front of the net.
After Tuesday’s game, Mayer (35 goals, 14 assists) and Bawden (31 goals, 18 assists) were tied with 49 points.
On a roll
Eastlake improved to 8-0 overall, 2-0 in Mesa League play, after slipping past the Hilltop Lancers by a score of 11-3 on Wednesday.
Aaron Mayer led the Titans with six goals and four assists to increase his team scoring lead to 59 points on 41 goals and 18 assists. He’s played in seven of his team’s eight games.
Mechling tallied four goals and two assists while Brian Anderson contributed a goal and assist and Percilla Mayer picked up one assist.
Aaron Mayer and Mechling combined on five goals while Aaron and Percilla Mayer – brother and sister – combined on their team’s final goal, with Percilla drawing the assist.
Andrew Tesner, assisted by Danny Godinez, scored the opening goal for the Lancers (0-2 in league, 5-2 in non-tournament games) while Godinez scored Hilltop’s second goal to finish the game with a goal and assist. Antonio Lopez was credited with one assist.
Otay Ranch 6, Bonita Vista 3
The Mustangs (2-0 in Mesa League, 6-1 in non-tournament games) kept pace with the Titans by grinding out a key win over the Barons (0-2, 4-3 in non-tournament games) on Wednesday. Both teams were missing key players and Bonita Vista jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on the Mesa League co-leaders. However, the Mustangs reeled off four unanswered goals over the balance of the next two periods to lead 4-2.
The Barons made it exciting – and nerve-racking – when Matt Custodio scored to trim the Otay Ranch lead to 4-3 with 9:02 left in the third period. However, after a lull, the Mustangs were finally able to beat BV netminder Hawk Anderson with a pair of insurance goals in the final 1:20. David Mendez scored with just over a minute to play to hike the Otay Ranch lead to 5-3 and teammate Aaron Marientes added a goal with 31 seconds to play for the final result.
Ryan Tabago and Ricky Portilla each scored two goals for the Mustangs, while Mendez finished the game as the team’s high point man with a goal and three assists. Javier Garcia also picked up an assist for Otay Ranch.
Bonita Vista led 2-1 after the first period. Custodio led the Barons with two goals while Chris Miguel scored once.
ORHS coach Adrian Rodriguez said his team cannot become overconfident after winning the championship title of Monday’s eight-team Bonita Optimist Club Pam Wiser Classic tournament. He credited his team’s power play in helping overcome the early adversity against Bonita Vista in Wednesday’s league match-up. “We’re going to have to take it one game at a time,” the Mustang coach noted.
BVHS coach Keith Quigley said he was proud of his team’s effort but disappointed by the outcome. “We’re not a team that takes a lot of shots, and we scored three goals on seven or eight shots, which is pretty good actually, but we’ve got to do a better job on clearing the puck on defense. We gave up too many rebounds in this game. Hawk, our goalie, just played phenomenal in the net. He made so many great outstanding saves during the game.”
South Bay League standings tighten up
There are no longer any undefeated teams in South Bay League play after the Castle Park Trojans knocked off the Mar Vista Mariners, 9-5, and the Chula Vista Spartans edged the Southwest Raiders, 4-2, in a pair of games played Thursday at the Castle Park High School roller rink.
Miguel Flores was credited with five goals for Castle Park while Marvin Cirignano and Julian DeAlba each were credited with two goals and Jacob Ayala was credited with two assists. Eloy Rodriguez paced Mar Vista with three goals while Brandon Brown and Austin Hoffman also chipped in with single goals and Adrian Contreras was credited with one assist.
Hector Garcia paced Chula Vista with a hat trick in the win over the defending league champion Raiders while teammate David Garcia recorded a goal and two assists. Joshua Lopez scored the opening goal for Southwest.
Eastlake 24, Sweetwater 0
Friday, Jan. 23 at Castle Park High School: Sam Bawden collected 13 points on nine goals and four assists and linemate Aaron Mayer was right behind with nine points on eight goals and one assist to lead the Titans (9-1 on the season) to the non-league victory. Michael Mechling contributed six points on three goals and three assists while Sean Layton matched that with a goal and five assists for six points. Brian Anderson had two goals and one assist while Percilla Mayer was credited with one goal and William Hamilton was credited with one assist.
Hilltop 5, Castle Park 2
Friday, Jan. 23 at Castle Park High School: The longtime hockey rivals squared off in non-league play with the Lancers, braced by a goal and two assists from Andrew Tesner and a goal and assist from Danny Godinez, scooting past the Trojans.
Otay Ranch 7, Southwest 2
Friday, Jan. 23 at Castle Park High School:David Mendez led the victorious Mustangs with three goals and one assist while teammates Javier Garcia, Milo Bivens, Ryan Tabago and Aaron Marientes each scored one goal.
La Jolla Country Day 11, Mar Vista 1
Friday, Jan. 23 at Castle Park High School: The Torreys, winless in their nine previous trips to the floor, scored just four seconds into the game and went on to build a 10-0 lead on the scoreboard in grabbing their first win of the 2014-15 season in the non-league match-up. Grayson Lyman led LJCD with five goals and three assists while George Little contributed two goals and four assists, Andrew Bialock scored twice, Nathan Russell had a goal and assist and netminder Quinn Skerlos also picked up one assist.
Four players – Lyman, Little, Skerlos and Russell – also play ice hockey for LJCD in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League. This is the Torreys’ second year in the league. “The skill level is well distributed among the teams, no one team dominates, it’s a good league and it’s been a good experience for us,” LJCD coach Jordan Jodzio noted.
Falcons stop Dons, 5-3, in up-tempo match-up
In a game that featured no penalties and an up-tempo pace all night, the Scripps Ranch Falcons scored a mild upset win over the Dons in a non-league match-up Monday at the Escondido Sports Center. Shaun Simmons led the Falcons with two goals and two assists while Jesse Lycan had two goals, Matt Gauthier contributed one goal and Leo Gaffrey and Taegan Warren each picked up assists.
John Leone led Cathedral Catholic with two goals while teammate Sam Angeles had one goal and one assist.The difference in the non-league game proved to be goaltending, with junior Casey Wu making several spectacular saves to buoy Scripps Ranch’s winning fortunes.
In other games played at the Escondido Sports Center on Monday, Jan. 19:
Rancho Bernardo 12, St. Augustine 0
Conference scoring leader Spencer Ridout collected four goals and five assists to power the undefeated Broncos while teammates Alex Pelletier and Ryan Wilson each tacked on three goals and one assist. RB outshot the Saints 23-6, with winning goaltender Josh Christie stopping all six shots. Dominic Petti was credited with 11 saves for St. Augustine.
Westview 14, La Jolla Country Day 0
Yves Wagner led the Wolverines with six goals while Sam Tari added a hat trick.
In a game played at the Escondido Sports Center on Wednesday, Jan. 21:
Rancho Bernardo 21, Poway 2
The undefeated Broncos rolled their record to 10-0 after stomping the Titans, who were playing without their top scorer Eric Wright. Conference scoring leader Spencer Ridout led the Rancho Bernardo assault with six goals and six assists while Alex Pelletier contributed four goals and one assist, Ryan Wilson had four goals and two assists and Bailey Ridout added three goals and three assists.
In another game played on Jan. 21:
St. Augustine 13, La Jolla Country Day 5
St. Augustine scoring: Jay Farrell 3 goals, Spencer Mishky 2 goals, Ian Harkness 2 goals , Charlie Tomlin 3 goals, Domenico Cianflone 1 goal, Fernando Huerta 1 goal, Jake Stewart 1 goal, Nick Heid 7 assists
Note: Heid has scored 22 goals on the season.
CIF-Metro Conference Scoreboard
Second annual Bonita Optimist Club Pam Wiser Classic
Monday, Jan. 19
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
Pool scoring leaders (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 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)
Regular season
Friday, Jan. 16
Non-League
Bonita Vista 6, Sweetwater 0
Eastlake 21, Castle Park 0
Otay Ranch 8, Chula Vista 4
Monday, Jan. 19
Non-League
Westview 14, La Jolla Country Day 0
Rancho Bernardo 12, St. Augustine 0
Scripps Ranch 5, Cathedral Catholic 3
Poway 17, West Hills 4
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Non-League
Eastlake 18, Mar Vista 3
Castle Park vs. La Jolla Country Day, no game
Bonita Vista vs. Sweetwater, no game
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Mesa League
Otay Ranch 6, Bonita Vista 3
Eastlake 11, Hilltop 2
North County League
Rancho Bernardo 21, Poway 2
Westview 7, Scripps Ranch 3
Central League
Cathedral Catholic vs. West Hills, no report
St. Augustine 13, La Jolla Country Day 5
Thursday, Jan. 22
South Bay League
Castle Park 9, Mar Vista 5
Chula Vista 4, Southwest 2
Non-League
Bonita Vista vs. Sweetwater, no game
Westview 12, Eastlake 5
Friday, Jan. 23
Non-League
Eastlake 24, Sweetwater 0
Hilltop 5, Castle Park 2
Otay Ranch 7, Southwest 2
La Jolla Country Day 11, Mar Vista 1
CIF-Metro Conference Power Rankings
1. Rancho Bernardo
2. Westview
3. Poway
4. Scripps Ranch
5. Cathedral Catholic
6. Eastlake
7. St. Augustine
8. Otay Ranch
9. West Hills
10. LJCD
11. Hilltop
12. Castle Park
13. Bonita Vista
14. Chula Vista
15. Southwest
16. Mar Vista
17. Sweetwater
Sweetwater District Team Records
(Through Jan. 23, 2015)
Otay Ranch Mustangs 11-1
Eastlake Titans 9-1
Hilltop Lancers 8-4
Bonita Vista Barons 5-6
Castle Park Trojans 4-6
Chula Vista Spartans 5-7
Southwest Raiders 4-8
Mar Vista Mariners 2-8
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-10
CIF-Metro Conference Standings
(Through Jan. 23, 2015)
Mesa League Standings
Otay Ranch Mustangs 2-0, 11-1
Eastlake Titans 2-0, 9-1
Hilltop Lancers 0-2, 8-4
Bonita Vista Barons 0-2, 5-6
South Bay League Standings
Chula Vista Spartans 2-1, 5-7
Castle Park Trojans 2-1, 4-6
Mar Vista Mariners 1-1, 2-8
Southwest Raiders 1-1, 4-8
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-2, 0-10
Central League Standings
Cathedral Catholic Dons 4-0, 5-3
St. Augustine Saints 4-1, 5-7
West Hills Wolf Pack 1-4, 1-9
La Jolla Country Day Torreys 0-4, 1-9
North County League Standings
Rancho Bernardo Broncos 5-0, 10-0
Westview Wolverines 3-1, 9-2
Poway Titans 1-3, 6-3
Scripps Ranch 0-5, 4-5 (*1 overtime loss)
CIF-Metro Conference Scoring Leaders
Sweeetwater district schools
(Through Jan. 23, 2015)
Player, team
Aaron Mayer (Eastlake) 50 goals, 22 assists – 72 points
Sam Bawden (Eastlake) 42 goals, 22 assists – 64 points
Michael Mechling (Eastlake) 32 goals, 15 assists – 47 points
Devyn Taras (Otay Ranch) 22 goals, 21 assists – 43 points
David Mendez (Otay Ranch) 27 goals, 13 assists – 40 points
Andrew Tesner (Hilltop) 16 goals, 8 assists – 24 points
Danny Godinez (Hilltop) 12 goals, 10 assists – 22 points
David Garcia (Chula Vista) 13 goals, 8 assists – 21 points
Ricardo Portilla (Otay Ranch) 12 goals, 9 assists – 21 points
Hector Garcia (Chula Vista) 16 goals, 4 assists – 20 points
Marvin Cirignano (Castle Park) 15 goals, 2 assists – 17 points
Joshua Lopez (Southwest) 12 goals, 3 assists – 15 points
Sean Layton (Eastlake) 6 goals, 9 assists – 15 points
Eloy Rodriguez (Mar Vista) 11 goals, 1 assist – 12 points
Jacob Ayala (Castle Park) 7 goals, 5 assists – 12 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, 1 assist – 10 points
Leo Gurrola (Bonita Vista) 8 goals, 1 assist – 9 points
William Hamilton (Eastlake) 5 goals, 4 assists – 9 points
Brandon Benson (Eastlake) 3 goals, 5 assists – 8 points
Esteban Martinez (Hilltop) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Cameron Adams (Hilltop) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Chris Miguel (Bonita Vista) 6 goals, 1 assist – 7 points
Brian Anderson (Eastlake) 5 goals, 2 assists – 7 points
Matt Custodio (Bonita Vista) 5 goals, 2 assists – 7 points
Eleazar Cruz (Castle Park) 2 goals, 5 assists – 7 points
Paul Chavez (Otay Ranch) 6 goals – 6 points
Adrian Contreras (Mar Vista) 5 goals, 1 assist – 6 points
Milo Bivens (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 3 assists – 6 points
Nicholas Fuentes (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
Julian DeAlba (Castle Park) 3 goal, 2 assists – 5 points
David Lopez (Castle Park) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
Phillip Brandon (Sweetwater) 3 goals, 2 assists – 5 points
Ryan Tabago (Otay Ranch) 4 goals, 1 assist – 5 points
Ruben Abarazi (Hilltop) 3 goals, 1 assist – 4 points
Javier Garcia (Otay Ranch) 3 goals, 1 assist – 4points
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
Austin Hoffman (Mar Vista) 2 goals, 2 assists – 4 points
Andrew Deguzman (Otay Ranch) 4 assists – 4 points
Non-Sweetwater district schools
(Through Jan. 21, 2015)
Player, team
Spencer Ridout (Rancho Bernardo) 48 goals, 33 assists – 81 points
Eric Wright (Poway) 47 goals, 21 assists – 68 points
Alex Pelletier (Rancho Bernardo) 30 goals, 11 assists – 41 points
Jesse Lycan (Scripps Ranch) 22 goals, 16 assists – 38 points
Ryan Wilson (Rancho Bernardo) 22 goals, 16 assists – 38 points
Yves Wagner (Westview) 18 goals, 19 assists – 37 points
Josh Morrison (Westview) 25 goals, 7 assists – 32 points
Bailey Ridout (Rancho Bernardo) 19 goals, 12 assists – 31 points
Sam Angeles (Cathedral Catholic) 21 goals, 9 assists – 30 points
Charlie Leibman (Poway) 19 goals, 11 assists – 30 points
Drew Jones (Cathedral Catholic) 14 goals, 14 assists – 28 points
Gilad Barzilai (Westview) 12 goals, 16 assists – 28 points
Scott Hord (Westview) 15 goals, 11 assists – 26 points
Compositie CIF-Metro Conference Scoring Leaders
(Through Jan, 21, 2015)
Spencer Ridout (Rancho Bernardo) 48 goals, 33 assists – 81 points
Eric Wright (Poway) 47 goals, 21 assists – 68 points
Aaron Mayer (Eastlake) 41 goals, 18 assists – 59 points
Sam Bawden (Eastlake) 31 goals, 18 assists – 49 points
Devyn Taras (Otay Ranch) 22 goals, 21 assists – 43 points
Alex Pelletier (Rancho Bernardo) 30 goals, 11 assists – 41 points
Michael Mechling (Eastlake) 27 goals, 12 assists – 39 points
Jesse Lycan (Scripps Ranch) 22 goals, 16 assists – 38 points
Ryan Wilson (Rancho Bernardo) 22 goals, 16 assists – 38 points
Yves Wagner (Westview) 18 goals, 19 assists – 37 points
David Mendez (Otay Ranch) 24 goals, 12 assists – 36 points
Josh Morrison (Westview) 25 goals, 7 assists – 32 points
Bailey Ridout (Rancho Bernardo) 19 goals, 12 assists – 31 points
Sam Angeles (Cathedral Catholic) 21 goals, 9 assists – 30 points
Charlie Leibman (Poway) 19 goals, 11 assists – 30 points
Drew Jones (Cathedral Catholic) 14 goals, 14 assists – 28 points
Gilad Barzilai (Westview) 12 goals, 16 assists – 28 points
Scott Hord (Westview) 15 goals, 11 assists – 26 points
Semi-pro inline hockey returns with debut of Tron Hosers
The Tron Hosers will make their 2014-15 American Inline Hockey League debut on Sunday, Jan. 25, with an eight-game marathon match-up against Orange County’s Revision Vanquish at the Skate San Diego rink in El Cajon.
The action is scheduled to face off at 9 a.m. and conclude with games at 4:30 p.m.
Six teams will actually be in action representing the two Pacific South Division rivals, including three from each club.
Elite Division games are scheduled at noon and 2:15 p.m.
Also in action will be the club’s two Minor Division teams. The Hosers Blue team will take on the Vanquish White team at 9 a.m., followed by the Hosers Black team against the Vanquish Blue team at 9:45 a.m.
The Hosers Black team will then face off against the Vanquish White team at 10:30 a.m., followed by an 11:15 a.m. clash between the Hosers Blue team and the Vanquish Blue squad.
The Minors teams will then pair up again later in the afternoon. When the dust finally settles on the playing court, all three teams from each club will have played two games against each other.
The Vanquish is one of Southern California’s premier inline hockey clubs. The Orange County team captured the AIHL Minor Division national championship in 2012.
The Tron Hosers were known as the San Diego Voodoo last season. The sponsorship by HockeyTron.com, one of the nation’s leading hockey equipment suppliers, is new this season.
“I am thrilled with the Tron/Hoser partnership and I believe both parties will greatly benefit from this arrangement,” explained Tron Hosers head coach Joe Noris, a former NHL and World Hockey Association ice hockey pro. “I’ve been using Tron skates, sticks and protective gear for over a year now and I find them to be the best value of any product I have ever used.”
Chris Malik, president of CEO of Tron Sports, concurred with Noris’ sentiments about the deal.
“The club has deep roots with a roller hockey history that goes back to the beginnings of the sport,” Malik noted in a prepared statement. “We look forward to many championships together.”
The Hosers organization is one of the oldest inline hockey programs in the United States and was the first competitive roller hockey club to make the successful transition from quad skates to inline hockey skates 25 years ago.
Following the 2014-15 AIHL season, the Tron Hosers plan to send teams to major international championship tournaments such as the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh), Tournament of Roller Hockey Series (TORHS) and the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games.
The Pacific South Division is rated among the toughest divisions in the AIHL, which is considered the nation’s leading semi-pro inline hockey league.
Teams from the division all placed runner-up at last May’s AIHL Championship Finals in Pennsylvania. The OC Alliance finished runner-up to the Long Island 495ers in the Elite Division while the OC Alliance Pink team finished second to the 495ers White team in the Minor Tier 1 championship game and the Irvine Vanquish Blue squad placed runner-up to the 495ers Blue in the Minor Tier 2 championship game.
Buoyed by the injection into the line-up of high-scoring sniper Charles Baldwin, the Voodoo finished on a hot streak at the end of last season and is looking to start where it left off under its new name.
Baldwin led the league in points per game after joining the Voodoo from Sweden, where he had been playing professional ice hockey.
Baldwin and his younger brother David were both members of the Team USA squad that captured a gold medal at November’s Hong Kong Asian Cup Classic.
The coed American team finished 6-1-1 in its eight games in Hong Kong (Nov. 26-30) and defeated defending champion China (Beijing) by a score of 6-4 in the championship game.
Charles Baldwin racked up three goals and one assist in the gold medal game while David Baldwin contributed two goals and one assist.
Team USA defeated host Hong Kong, 6-4, in the semifinals, with Charles Baldwin also recording a hat trick and David Baldwin scoring twice.
Charles Baldwin led the tournament in scoring.
“We tore it up over there,” said Charles Baldwin, also known as You Tube rapper Chucky Slick.
David Baldwin is currently helping coach West Hills High School’s roller hockey team.
Hilltop High School graduate George Godinez leads a core talent of young skaters and goaltenders from the CIF-Metro Conference high school league on the Hosers.
Godinez ranked second on the San Diego Voodoo’s Minor Tier 2 team in scoring last season with 11 goals and nine assists. The Voodoo lost to the Irvine Vanquish Blue team in the opening round of the division playoffs by scores of 2-1 (in overtime) and 8-5. The Vanquish would go on to place runner-up at the AIHL national championships.
Godinez said he’s looking for improved performance this season, not just in personal numbers but also in the number of team wins.
“Last year, I was going in a little nervous not knowing exactly what the skill level and speed level was,” Godinez said. “But I got into the flown and picked up some points. We made it to the playoffs and we played against Revision. They were two tough losses.
“This year, I’m hoping to get more points and more wins. It’s a new roster this year. We’ll see where the talent level is. Hopefully, we can make it to Tier 1 for playoffs.”
Former Eastlake High School goaltender Darius Newhall is entering this first AIHL season after playing two seasons for San Diego State University’s ice hockey team. He joins Godinez on the Hosers Blue Minor squad.
“Personally, I want to win a championship and, teamwise, to go as far as we can go,” Newhall matter-of-factly stated. “It won’t be a walk in the park. We’ll all have to work hard.”
Cameron Davis, who referees CIF games at Castle Park High School, is playing forward this season for the Hosers Black Minor team. He said he is looking to explore all his hockey playing options, including possibly playing in Europe someday.
Admission to Sunday’s AIHL season opener is $5.
Skate San Diego is located at 165 Denny Way, El Cajon. For more information, call (619) 562-0323.
