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2011-12 Prep Roller Hockey
San Diego Section/Metro Conference

CIF-Metro Conference faces off 12th season

Posted Nov. 27, 2011

Pictured at right: Hilltop's Jeremiah Schultz and Otay Ranch's Cole Beatie

The CIF-Metro Conference will face off its history-making 12th season with a pair of games on Monday, Nov. 28, at Skate San Diego in National City. At 5:30 p.m., the Chula Vista Spartans will test the Southwest Raiders in a South Bay League match-up, while at 6:30 p.m., the Hilltop Lancers will face off against the Rancho Bernardo Broncos in a non-league affair.

Monday's opening night at the Escondido Sports Center features two non-league games: Poway versus Cathedral Catholic at 6:20 p.m. and Westview versus West Hills at 7:15 p.m.

Games continue Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Skate San Diego

In games at SSD, Otay Ranch and St. Augustine will meet in a non-league contest at 3:30 p.m., followed by another non-league contest at 5:30 p.m. pitting La Jolla Country Day and Hilltop.

The 2011-12 season runs through Feb. 16, followed by championship playoffs.

Game locations remain Skate San Diego, the Escondido Sports center and an outdoor rink at Castle Park High School.

The conference has added one new team this season, the Del Norte Nighthawks, who will play in the North County League. Montgomery was expected to rejoin the conference this season but that move was put on hold due to an unfilled coaching position.

With the addition of Del Norte, the conference alignment remains in four divisional leagues: the Mesa League (four teams), South Bay League (five teams), North County League (five teams) and Central League (four teams).

The Mesa League includes the Bonita Vista Barons, Eastlake Titans, Hilltop Lancers and Otay Ranch Mustangs. Eastlake is the defending champion.

The South Bay League includes the Castle Park Trojans, Chula Vista Spartans, Mar Vista Mariners, Southwest Raiders and Sweetwater Red Devils. Mar Vista is the defending champion.

The North County League includes Del Norte, the Poway Titans, Rancho Bernardo Broncos, Scripps Ranch Falcons and Westview Wolverines. Rancho Bernardo is the defending champion.

The Central League includes the Cathedral Catholic Dons, La Jolla Country Day Torres, St. Augustine Saints and West Hills Wolf Pack. West Hills is the defending champion.

Westview shut out West Hills, 2-0, in last season’s Kiwanis Cup championship game to capture its third consecutive conference championship and fourth in the last six years.

Monday's season opener for both Westview and West Hills will test what each team has coming back in 2011-12.

In other notes, Chula Vista makes the move from the Mesa League to the South Bay League this season to follow the alignment with the rest of the conference’s sports.

Also, Ron Cole makes the move from head coach at Mar Vista High School to Eastlake High School.

The Mesa League looks fairly balanced this season, with Eastlake likely to receive challenges from both Otay Ranch and Hilltop for the league title – and automatic entry into the Kiwanis Cup playoffs.

The Titans are led by returning first team all-league goaltender Darius Newhall and a young cast ready to step up to fill the void left by departed top play-makers Jace White, Jordan Hines Zach McMahon and Alex Bule.

Among those returning to the EHS roster are Zac Zasueta, an all-league cross country standout, and Marshall Bawden, an experienced ice/roller player.Other players expected to contribute this season are Jacky Ponce, Aric Alvarez, Josh Randall and Nick Rodriguez.

Five freshmen, led by Aaron Meyer and Sam Bawden, also expect to make a huge impact on the team.

“Since this is my first year with the team and I am coming in as a new coach, I am calling this first season one of learning and evaluating,” Cole said. “But from what I can already see, we are going to be very competitive.”

Otay Ranch returns a young but extremely talented team under coach Adrian Rodriguez.

“We had a good season last year and I think we’ll have another good season,” the ORHS coach said.

The Mustangs finished runner-up to Eastlake in last year’s Mesa League standings but eliminated the Titans, 3-2, in a closely fought first round playoff game to advance to the Kiwanis Cup championship quarterfinals against top-seeded Rancho Bernardo.

“I’m excited about the potential all our young players have and what they can provide to the program in future seasons,” Rodriguez said.

Top returners from last season’s 12-10 team include Jon Managbanag, Cole Beatie, Matt Mendez, Joey Parisi and goalie Gabe Beatie.

Managbanag teamed with teammate Ryan Trego as the conference’s top scoring tandem in 2010-11. Managbanag tallied 51 goals and 26 assists for 77 points (third best in the conference).

Trego and Eastlake’s Jace White tied for the conference scoring lead with 94 points.

Both Beatie brothers earned second team all-league honors last season and bring extensive ice hockey experience to the court.

“Our team goal is to complete our five P’s – pride, position, passing, poise and possession,” the ORHS coach said. “If we can successfully complete those five parts of the game, we’ll definitely get some wins.”

Other young standout players include Kyle Hawkins and Carlos Barrios.

Rodriguez said he is looking for increased leadership role from those two players along with Mendez and Cole Beatie.

Teams will play for the renamed Kiwanis/Don Cerone Memorial Cup from now on to honor the memory of former Scripps Ranch coach Don Cerone, who was instrumental in the formation of roller hockey at the scholastic level in San Diego County.

A native New Yorker, Cerone was a college classmate of Hilltop coach Dan Vaccaro at RIT.

Cerone was killed in a single car accident on Aug. 8.

“It was a shock,” Vaccaro said. “When I proposed the renaming of the Cup at our preseason meeting, I didn’t meet any resistance. It was a unanimous decision by all the coaches.”

Cerone helped launch the still extant San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference in the mid-1990s, serving as founder and commissioner, and was a strong advocate of the move toward membership of the sport in the regular curriculum of the California Interscholastic Federation.

Vaccaro, Cerone and Sweetwater Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Ed Brand led the spearhead to help launch the CIF-Metro Conference in 2000.

“Dr. Brand was really the golden goose behind us going to CIF,” Vaccaro said. “But it was Don’s professionalism in dealing with the various schools that helped show everyone involved that roller hockey wasn’t just a hair-brained idea.”

The Scripps Ranch team, for which Cerone’s son Cameron played, is expected to honor the elder Cerone’s memory with a special helmet decal this season. The team also expects to honor the memory of Scripps Ranch athletic director Denny Morrow, who passed away within days of Cerone.

Tentative plans, Vaccaro said, are to have Cerone’s widow, Debi Cerone, present the championship trophy to the winning team at the 2012 Kiwanis Cup championship game.

From left: Matt Mendez (Otay Ranch), Darius Newhall (Eastlake), Cole Beatie (Otay Ranch), Zac Zasueta (Eastlake), Jon Managbanag (Otay Ranch)

Southwest Raiders record CIF-Metro Conference’s first win of 2011-12 season

SKATE SAN DIEGO, Nov. 28, 2011 -- Chula Vista’s Trevon Rogers scored the first goal of the 2011-12 season 1:42 into Monday’s opening game against the Southwest Raiders. But it was Southwest which scored the first victory of the season after storming back to post an 11-4 victory.

The opening game featured hat tricks from three players — Southwest’s Angel Rocha and Steven Regaliza and Chula Vista’s Rogers.

Rocha, Regaliza and Angel Alamillo combined to ring up three unanswered goals for the Raiders following Rogers’ opening tally. Southwest led 4-2 after the first period and 6-2 at the end of two periods.

When Regaliza scored 6:25 into the third period to push the Raiders ahead by a comfortable margin of 9-2, he registered the first hat trick of the season.

Rogers (pictured at right) scored his third goal of the game with 2:17 to play; Rocha closed out the game with his third tally of the game with 34 seconds left.

The victory showcased Southwest’s teamwork and organization on the floor.

Rocha and Regaliza both finished the contest with three goals and one assist while teammate Martin Winfield collected two goals and one assist. Christian Baiza was credited with a goal and two assists for the Raiders while Angel Alamillo received credit for a goal and assist. Southwest also received one goal from Sarah Herrera.

Ryan Mothershed was credited with a goal and assist for the Spartans.

Sean Garcia received credit for the victory between the pipes while Lindsey Bull took the loss.

The game featured a ceremonial puck drop honoring the memory of former Southwest assistant coach and former Chula Vista head coach Pam Wiser, who died in April from a brain aneurysm.

Wiser was among the pioneers in the CIF-Metro Conference, first cheering on her son Willie on the Spartans’ fledgling team and then taking over the reins of the team when it appeared it might be folded for lack of a coach.

Her guidance and influence helped make the Spartans one of the first teams in the coed sport to stock its roster with an abundance of female players, with much success.

She spent the last two years as an assistant coach under Southwest coach Jerry Nestlerode.

The puck used in the ceremonial puck-drop was first given to Nestlerode by Wiser during Nestlerode’s first season with the Raiders. “I told her I didn’t have any pucks, and she gave me this one,” Nestlerode said. “It still says Chula Vista on it.”

Nestlerode and Wiser thus became friends while coaching rival teams.

“It was a nice win for us,” Nestlerode said after the game. “I think Pam would have been proud because our two teams always enjoyed playing each other. As for the game itself, you could tell it was the first game of the season for both teams.”

Southwest's Angel Rocha celebrates one of his three goals in Monday's South Bay League win over Chula Vista.

Chula Vista's Lindsey Bull guards the post against a Southwest shot attenpt.

Rancho Bernardo 18, Hilltop 2
Rancho Bernardo coach Pat Sagara said there doesn’t appear to be any firm favorite to capture this season’s North County League championship. But after watching the defending NCL champion Broncos methodically dismantle the Lancers, one of the stronger teams from South County, in Monday’s second game at Skate San Diego, one has to wonder if Rancho Bernardo might be such a favorite.

“In years previous, there has always been two teams, or maybe three teams, that you could say might be in the finals at the end of the season, but not this season,” Sagara said. “There has been a lot of turnover in the North County League.”

Defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview enters the new season without its star goaltender, Greg Kurth, after being lost to graduation. The Wolverines will also be regrouping under new head coach Ron Smith.

Poway has a new head coach, and it appears Scripps Ranch will be guided by a pair of coaches on the bench this season.

The Del Norte Nighthawks are simply newcomers to the ongoing high-level of play that has defined the NCL since its addition to the conference in 2005-06.

The Broncos opened up a 7-0 lead on Hilltop. Freshman Spencer Ridout got Rancho Bernardo’s first goal of the season 2:33 into the game, assisted by Nick McNemeaney. Stefan Jovanovich and Geoff Sagara quickly got goals of their own and the Broncos had a 3-0 lead midway through the first period.

Ridout, who last played for the Junior Ducks organization before moving into the RB enrollment level over the summer, made a sensational debut with his new team by scoring seven goals and tacking on two assists for nine points.

Senior captain Jake Troyer had two goals and four assists for six points while McNemeaney had three goals and an assist for four points and Sagara had a goal and three assists, also for four points.

Jovanovich collected two goals and one assist while Alex Kaiser had a goal and assist. Joey Somervell and Tommy Bouquin each were credited with two assists while Zach Semonian and Cameron Richards each were credited with one goal.

In all, 10 players recorded points for the Broncos. Richards and Ryan O’Rourke shared duty in the RB net.

George Godinez scored both Hilltop goals.

Rancho Bernardo's Stefan Jovanovich weaves through the Hilltop defense.

Players to Watch
North County League
Rancho Bernardo Broncos: Stefan Jovanovich (forward), Geoff Sagara (forward), Spencer Ridout (forward), Jake Troyer (forward)

Westview Wolverines: Dylan Dixon (defense/forward), Kyle Clements (defense), Willy Morrison (forward), Caleb Wilcox (goaltender)

Poway Titans: Reed Kinsey, A.J. Wright, Eric Wright, Ian Busch, Mac Pitts, Chris Sylva

Scripps Ranch Falcons: Jon Gauthier, Brandon Lopez, Zach Lopez

Del Norte Nighthawks: Troy Grahl

Rancho Bernardo's Spencer Ridout, Geoff Sagara, Zach Semonian and Cameron Richards

Poway 13, Cathedral Catholic 1
Eric Wright and Charles Pitts each scored four goals and Reed Kinsey added a hat trick to lead the Titans past the Dons in the teams’ season opener. Wright led all scorers with seven points by tacking on three assists while Pitts and Kinsey each collected five points in the non-league victory. The Titans, who opened up a 6-0 led in the game, also received a goal and assist from A.J. Wright and Spencer Oliver. Stephen Hooker scored the lone goal for Cathedral Catholic.

Westview 6, West Hills 4
The defending Kiwanis Cup champion Wolverines still proved they were two goals better than last year’s championship finalist Wolf Pack as the teams drew a season opening rematch of last season’s title game. Westview, which defeated West Hills by a 2-0 score in last season’s Kiwanis Cup finale, skated to a 4-0 lead over the Wolf Pack to face off this season. But West Hills came back hard in the final period by reeling off three consecutive goals to trim the Wolverines’ lead to 4-3 with 5:48 to play in the game. But Westview went ahead 6-3 on goals scored with 3:21 and 2:28 to go before the Wolf Pack ended scoring on a goal with 1:29 left.

Dylan Dixon (two goals, one assist) and Hunter Weinstein (three assists) paced the Wolverines with three points apiece in the victory while Kyle Clements contributed a pair of assists and Cory Wadstrom, Decker Seilhan, Kyle Kelly and Chris Lee each registered one goal.

Eric Baldwin led West Hills with two goals and one assist while Dominic Keiser had a goal and assist and Jared Wiese scored once.

Saints, Lancers pick up wins as 2011-12 season rolls into second day

St. Augustine 7, Otay Ranch 3
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Nov. 29, 2011 -- The Saints suffered through a disappointing 4-16 season in 2010-11, including a 0-9 showing in first-year Central League play. But this is a new season and, braced by five senior leaders with veteran experience, it appears that things will be definitely looking up for St. Augustine in 2011-12.

The Saints were aggressive yet disciplined in their season debut, handing Otay Ranch, one of the South County’s premier teams, a decisive non-league setback.

“We have a full team this season, 16 players and one alternate — it’s great that interest in the sport has picked up at our school,” St. Augustine coach Christian DaLuz said. “We only had one senior on our roster last year but we have five seniors this season and I think we will owe a lot of leadership to those five seniors this season for our success.”

Those five seniors include Kurt Kerner, Johnny Heid, Matt Camarata and Mike Barr.

Kerner led the Saints against the Mustangs with four goals while Heid scored twice. Luke Totah contributed a goal and two assists while Nick Spardy and Phil Park each collected one assist. Greg Heid was credited with 34 saves on 37 shots.

St. Augustine opened up a 5-0 lead and moved ahead 7-1 before the Mustangs staged a late comeback, including tallying their final goal with 1:23 left aided by an extra-attacker.

Devyn Taras and Cole Beatie led Otay Ranch with a goal and assist each while Jon Managbanag scored once.

“It was a first game for us — we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Mustang coach Adrian Rodriguez said.

Hilltop 14, La Jolla Country Day 10
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Nov. 29, 2011 -- The newness of the season was apparent as both teams were breaking in new netminders. Hilltop’s Kevin Kananu, who was lit up for 18 goals the previous day against Rancho Beranrdo, was a bit more battle-tested in earning his first victory of the season.

The Lancers, who evened their record at 1-1 in non-league play, skated out to a 4-0 lead and used their speed to zoom in front 8-3 before the pesky Torres mounted a heroic comeback in the second half of the game. Hilltop led 8-5 at the end of the second period. The teams combined for 11 goals in the final period, with the Lancers holding onto a 6-5 edge to secure the win.

Two long-range goals by Jeremiah “Boomer” Schultz helped seal the victory. Both shots came from three-quarters of the way down the rink and beat the LJCD goaltender through the five-hole — perfectly placed.

But it was the play of George Godinez that sparked the HHS offense. Godinez finished the game with seven goals and one assist. Schultz collected six points on four goals and two assists. Alfonso Arreguim contributed a goal and assist while Giovanni Rude and Tanner Franklin each picked up their first goals of the season. Sebastian Ross and Nick Tesner each were credited with one assist.

Jack Little matched Godinez with eight points on four goals and four assists while Ryan Owsiany turned in a good offensive showing with four goals and one assist. Christian Figliola chipped in with two goals and one assist.

“We played well,” Lancer coach Dan Vaccaro said. “Our goalie consistently made some good plays. We still have some work to do.”

Wolverines earn second win of season, top Eastlake 12-2
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Nov. 30, 2011 – The defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview Wolverines remained undefeated on the season after handing the Eastlake Titans a 12-2 non-league defeat in a game that was more competitive than the final score indicated.

Westview opened scoring on a goal by Cory Wadstrom, assisted by Willy Morrison, with 2:07 elapsed in the game. But Eastlake freshman Aaron Meyer, perhaps the smallest player on the floor (but also one of the fastest), tied the score early on. The Wolverines led 4-2 against a spunky Titan squad braced between the pipes by first team all-league returner Darius Newhall, who firmly stamped his name on the non-league contest with an on-going goaltending showcase.

The North County League visitors tallied the final eight goals of the game to stamp their name on the game as well. Dylan Dixon led Westview with three goals and one assist while Wadstrom had two goals and two assists, Morrison and Rishad Dalal each contributed two goals and one assist, Kyle Kelly had a goal and two assists, Chris Lee scored twice and Hunter Weinstein chipped in with two assists.

Sam Bawden scored Eastlake’s second goal.

Falcons welcome Nighthawks to CIF roller hockey with 12-7 victory
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Nov. 30, 2011 -- The Del Norte Nighthawks made their debut in the CIF-Metro Conference with a 12-7 North County League loss to the Scripps Ranch Falcons. Del Norte led 3-2 after the first period and was still in the game, trailing the Falcons, 7-5, heading into the final period. Troy Grahl led the Nighthawks with four goals and two assists while T.J. Hunt contributed three goals and one assist and Thomas Akerson dished out three assists. Grahl scored the first goal in Del Norte's CIF history4:43 into the game to tie the contest at a goal apiece.

Jon Gauthier proved he remains one of the conference's top snipers by scoring eight goals and tacking on two assists. He scored Scripps Ranch's first five goals. Brandon Lopez chipped in with three goals and three assists while Bruce Gilmore scored one goal and Travis Sherman contributed three assists.

West Hills opens defense of Central League championship with 11-1 win
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Nov. 30, 2011 – The West Hills Wolf Pack opened defense of its Central League championship by defeating the La Jolla Country Day Torreys 11-1. The victory also served as the first of the 2011-12 season for the Wolf Pack, last year’s Kiwanis Cup championship finalist. Cody Boyer led West Hills against the Torreys with three goals while Cory Dermody contributed two goals and one assist, Dominic Keiser and Ryan Vononi each scored twice, David Baldwin chipped in with a goal and two assists and Jared Wiese and Eric Baldwin each contributed a goal and assist. The Wolf Pack built a 7-0 lead in the game. Ryan Owsiany scored the lone goal for LJCD.

Poway 6, Rancho Bernardo 2
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Nov. 30, 2011 -- The Poway Titans added to their prodidgious start to the 2011-12 season by defeating last season's North County League champion Broncos. Poway opened a 3-0 lead in the game on goals by Charles Pitts, Spencer Oliver and Reed Kinsey. Rancho Bernardo answered with a pair of goals by Spencer Ridout midway through the second period. But the Titans responded by scoring the final three goals of the game. Kinsey scored a big goal with 2:11 left in the middle period to increase Poway's lead to 4-2. Eric Wright scored the only two goals of the third period. Wright finished the game with two goals and one assist while Kinsey had two goals and Ian Busch picked up two assists.

Dons go up 1-0 in Holy Cup series
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Nov. 30, 2011 –  The Cathedral Catholic Dons and St. Augustine Saints football teams battle each year in the Holy Bowl, the teams' heated rivalry game.The San Diego Section's two largest parochial schools also field roller hockey teams and they play for what is called the Holy Cup. In previous seasons, before the Dons joined the CIF-Metro Conference, the teams met after the conclusion of their respective seasons. Now, since both are members of the same conference, they determine the annual winner by the winenr of the teams' season series. Cathedral swept the three Central League games last year and took a 1-0 edge in this season's series by defeating an improved Saints team 4-2.

Josh Feist and Nick Sciabarra scored goals to give Cathedral a 2-0 lead. But Kurt Kerner halved the deficit by the end of the first period as the teams combined for three goals in the final 4:36 of the opening stanza. The Dons added two more goals -- both scored by Sciabarra -- to jump ahead 4-1 before St. AugustineRobbie Kietty scored what would be the final goal of the game with 2:48 left in the second period. Neither team scored in the third period. Sciabarra had a hand in all four goals for the Dons with three goals and one assist.

Saints shut out Titans, roll to 2-1 start
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 1, 2011 -- There appears to be every indication so far that the St. Augustine roller hockey team will be challenging for a berth in this year's Kiwanis Cup championship playoffs. The Saints defeated the Eastlake Titans, last year's Mesa League champions, 10-0, to bolster their strong start to the 2011-12 season. Kurt Kerner led the latest victory with three goals and three assists while teammate Mike Barr contributed two goals and one assist. Matt Camarata scored two goals for the Saints, who also received single tallies from Johnny Heid, Phil Park and Nick Sullivan. Michael Deiters, Nick Spardy and Ian Harkness each received credit for one assist. St. Augustine led 3-0 after the first period and 5-0 through two periods. Eastlake dropped to 0-2 with the non-league loss.

Titans blast Falcons, continue strong start to 2011-12 CIF season
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 5, 2011 – The Poway Titans raced to a 6-0 lead to remain unbeaten in the opening stages of the 2011-12 season by capturing a 14-4 North County League victory against the Scripps Ranch Falcons. Eric Wright led the assault with four goals and four assists while Reed Kinsey contributed four goals and two assists, Mac Pitts had two goals and four assists and Ian Busch collected two goals. Nick Brooks had a goal and assist for Poway, which also received one goal from A.J. Wright. Jon Gauthier led Scripps Ranch with two goals while Cory Hughes and Brandon Lopez each contributed a goal and assist.

Six Wolverines light up the scoreboard in win over Del Norte
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 5, 2011 – Six different Westview players scored goals as the Wolverines kept the Del Norte Nighhawks winless in North County League play with a 7-1 victory. Dylan Dixon paced Westview with two goals while teammates Willy Morrison, Cory Wadstrom and Kyle Clements each collected a goal and assist. Kyle Kelly and Rishad Dalal and each scored once for the Wolverines. Matt Schrag scored for Del Norte, assisted by Troy Grahl.

Wolf Pack corrals RB Broncos by 5-2 score
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 5, 2011 – West Hills used goals from five players to subdue the Rancho Bernardo Broncos, 5-2, in a non-league game. The Wolf Pack scored three goals in the first period and the first goals goals (each a minute apart) of the third period to move ahead 5-0 on the scoreboard. David Baldwin led West Hills with a goal and two assists while Eric Baldwin contributed a goal and assist. Other goal scorers for the Wolf Pack included Cory Dermody, Dominic Keiser and Ryan Vononi.

Saints roll past Hilltop Lancers to grab 7-4 non-league win
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 5, 2011 – The Kiwanis Cup playoffs do not face off until late February but jockeying for position is a never-ending matter, particularly when it comes to non-league match-ups. St. Augustine went up 1-0 on the Hilltop Lancers with a key 7-4 victory. The Saints exploded for five second-period goals to snap a 2-2 tie. Johnny Heid led St. Augustine with two goals and three assists while Nick Spardy contributed a goal and two assists, Kurt Kerner scored twice and Mike Barr and Matt Camarata each scored once. George Godinez led Hilltop with four goals while Jeremiah Schultz had two assists in the loss.

Cathedral Catholic skates past Otay Ranch, 9-4, with late goal rush
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 5, 2011 – Cathedral Catholic snapped a 1-1 stalemate through the opening two periods with a seven-goal rush in the final period to claim a 9-4 non-league victory against Otay Ranch. Nick Sciabarra led the victorious Dons with six goals and one assist – all in the pivotal final period – while teammate Josh Feist collected a goal and three assists. Andrew Valeriano and Stephen Hooker each contributed a goal and assist while Brad Tyler was credited with one assist for the winners. Cole Beatie scored all four Otay Ranch goals, with assists going to Devyn Taras and Matt Mendez.

Mariners blast Trojans as defense of South Bay League title faces off
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2011 -- Mar Vista opened defense of its South Bay League championship by defeating the Castle Park Trojans 15-3. The Mariners rattled off the game’s opening three goals and then opened up a safe lead by scoring the next five goals after the Trojans had made it a 3-1 contest.

Hunter Calef paced the MVHS scoring attack with six goals and one assist while Andrew Medlock contributed four goals and one assist. Jordan Robinette collected two goals and two assists while Jacob David had a goal and two assists, Jesus Grijalva had a goal and assist and Billy Warren scored one goal.

David Anderson scored all three Castle Park goals while teammate Isiaih Ruiz was credited with one assist. The loss dropped the Trojans to 0-2 in league play.

La Jolla Country Day 13, Eastlake 0
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2011 -- The La Jolla Country Day Torreys recorded an impressive 13-0 shutout victory over the Eastlake Titans after surrendering 14 goals in a non-league loss to the Hilltop Lancers the previous week. The Torreys scored the first three goals of the first period and then tacked on four more goals in the second period to take a 7-0 lead into the final period. Grayson Lyman and Jack Little each collected seven points on four goals and three assists while teammate Ryan Owsainy chipped in six points on four goals and two assists. Peter Kuetzing had a goal and two assists for LJCD in the non-league encounter.

Raiders scorch Red Devils with 15-0 victory
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2011 -- The Southwest Raiders continued their perfect start to the 2011-12 season by rolling past the Sweetwater Red Devils 15-0. The lopsided win raised Southwest’s South Bay League record to 2-0. The Raiders opened up leads of 4-0 and 13-0 after each of the first two intermission breaks. Martin Whitfield led Southwest in scoring with an impressive 11 points on seven goals and four assists. Angel Alamillo contributed two goals and one assist while Angel Rocha scored two goals and Christian Baiza was credited with three assists. Alejandro Martinez was credited with one goal while Carlos Ochoa was credited with one assist.

Who’s on top? How about Poway Titans
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 7, 2011 – Coach Dale Ingram isn’t saying this year’s edition of the Poway Titans is unbeatable. But he does rank it among an elite cadre of three teams he feels define the upper crust of this year’s 18-team CIF-Metro Conference alignment. The other teams Ingram includes in the trio of top teams are last year’s two Kiwanis Cup finalist: the defending champion Westview Wolverines and runner-up West Hills Wolf Pack. He isn’t picking a winner quite yet. “It will come down to the final game … the bounces, breaks and mistakes.” Ingram said.

Poway deflected a gutsy effort by the Otay Ranch Mustangs to capture a 9-4 non-league victory and, in the process, extend its unbeaten start to the season to 4-0. The Titans scored the opening goal of the game with 8:12 left in the first period only to have the Mustangs knot the score a minute later. Poway went ahead 2-1 before Otay Ranch tied the score at 2 all with 1:09 remaining in the period. The Titans finally found the momentum they needed when A.J. Wright scored on a breakaway with nine seconds left in the opening stanza to put the visitors ahead 3-2. Poway would build a 6-2 lead before the Mustangs made it a 6-3 contest.

A.J. Wright led the Titans with six points on two goals and four assists while younger brother Eric Wright, a freshman, led Poway with five goals in the game. Ian Busch chipped in with a goal and two assists while Nick Brooks contributed a goal and assist. Cole Beatie scored all three goals for Otay Ranch.

Ingram said his team will go with a core unit of five skaters to find success this season. They include both Wright brothers, Busch and senior playmakers Reed Kinsey and Mac Pitts. Busch and A.J. Wright are both juniors. The team will once again be backstopped by senior Chris Sylva, who is playing in his third varsity season. Kinsey is playing in his fourth varsity season while Pitts, A.J. Wright and Busch are all playing in their second varsity seasons.

Spencer Oliver and Jacob Johnson round out the Titans’ nine-man roster.

“We have a lot smaller bench than we’ve carried in the past,” Ingram said. “We have a main core that is very experienced. They’re all tremendous players who know what they’re doing. We’re powerful with them on the floor.”

Westview Wolverines claw Scripps Ranch Falcons to stay unbeaten
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 7, 0211 – Westview opened up a 4-0 first period advantage and outscored the Falcons 4-2 in the final period en route to claiming a 10-3 North County League victory. Cory Wadstrom keyed Westview with three goals and two assists while Willy Morrison chipped in with two goals and one assist, Dylan Dixon scored twice, Kyle Kelly contributed a goal and assist and Kyle Clements and Hunter Weinstein each scored once. Jon Gauthier scored all three Scripps Ranch goals.

Broncos hold off Nighthawks, win 5-2
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 7, 0211 – The Broncos skated to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Jake Troyer and Geoff Sagara and then held off a second-period rally by Del Norte to prevail in the North County League match-up. The Nighthawks trailed 3-2 entering the final period and leveled the score at 3 all when Troy Grahl scored his second goal of the game 1:58 into the third period. But Rancho Bernardo broke the deadlock on a goal by Zach Semonian with 3:18 left in the game and then collected an insurance goal with 48 seconds to play. Stefan Jovanovich led the Broncos with a goal and two assists while Troyer had a goal and assist. Grahl led the Nighthawks with two goals and one assist while teammate Matt Schrag was credited with a goal and assist.

Wolf Pack remains undefeated in Central League play
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 7, 0211 – Eric Baldwin scored three goals, Ryan Vononi and David Baldwin each scored twice to lead West Hills to a 10-2 Central League victory over St. Augustine. The Wolf Pack skated to a 7-0 lead through the opening two periods. Cory Dermody had a goal and assist while Dominic Keiser and Jared Wiese each were credited with goals. Ryden Kerr and Brad Majeski each were credited with one assist. Johnny Heid and Robbie Keitty each scored once for St. Augustine while Kurt Kerner was credited with one assist.

Dons rally to post 8-7 victory over Torreys
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 7, 0211 – Cathedral Catholic erased a 5-4 deficit with an exciting third period that netted four goals to spoil an upset bid by La Jolla Country Day in the Central League contest. The game was evenly fought throughout, with both teams skating to a 2-2 draw through the opening period. Nick Sciabarra led the victorious Dons with two goals and three assists while teammate Josh Feist contributed three goals and one assist. Mitchell Bondur and Michael Leoney each had a goal and assist for Cathedral while Stephen Hooker scored once and Brad Tyler was credited with one assist.

Ryan Owsainy led LJCD with four goals and two assists while Jack Little scored twice and Peter Kuetzing scored one goal. Grayson Lyman was credited with two assists.

Raiders roll past Trojans, improve to 3-0 in South Bay League play
CASTLE PARK HIGH SCHOOL, Dec. 8, 2011 – The Southwest Raiders are 3-0 in South Bay League play, and deservedly so, after defeating the much improved Castle Park Trojans 5-2. Martin Whitfield and Sarah Herrera each were credited with two goals while Angel Rocha received credit for two assists for Southwest.

The Raiders led early 4-0 and held off the Trojans over the course of the next two periods as Castle Park got its offensive game going in earnest. Juan Luna and David Anderson each were credited with goals for the Trojans, who fell to 0-3 in league play.

Mar Vista remains unbeaten in South Bay League play
CASTLE PARK HIGH SCHOOL, Dec. 8, 2011 – The Mar Vista Mariners appear to have serious intentions about successfully defending their South Bay League championship after skating past the Chula Vista Spartans, 10-5, to remain unbeaten at 2-0 to face off the 2011-12 season.

Andrew Medlock paced the Mariners with six goals while Hunter Calef contributed two goals and one assist. Jordan Robinette ranked second in team points on the evening with one goal and three assists while Jacob David dished out three helpers. Jesus Grijalva was credited with one goal.

The teams appeared evenly matched in the opening minutes before the Mariners went on a scoring tear. Mar Vista eventually built a 7-1 advantage through two periods before the Spartans (1-2 in league play) finally got their offense untracked.

Trevon Rogers scored all five Chula Vista goals, with assists credited to Ansel Gonzalez and Alex Wallace.

The Spartans collected their first league win by defeating Castle Park, 18-2, in a game played Dec. 1. Rogers led the Chula Vista scoring parade with 11 goals.

Barons get belated start to 2011-12 season, capture opener, 10-8, over Trojans

SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12, 2011 –The CIF-Metro Conference’s 12th season rolled out the week of Nov. 28 and there was one team conspicuously missing from the line-up of 18 inline teams: head coach Keith Quigley’s Bonita Vista Barons.

In fact, when the second week of the season began Dec. 5, the Barons were still on the inactive list.

Two more games had to be postponed, bringing the total number to four.

It was something that Quigley had never experienced before in his 14 years coaching the Barons, who can trace their origin to 1998 as a member of the club-based San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference.

Quigley’s dilemma: he didn’t have enough players to fill out a team.

“This season was really the first time in all my seasons that I've been coaching Bonita that I had a lot of trouble recruiting enough players to form a team,” Quigley said. “I had held three team meetings on campus before the season had started and there was lots of interest at those meetings. But when it came to getting the season started and actually coming out to play for the team, most of those that had attended my meetings pretty much disappeared.”

In recent seasons, the Barons had fielded teams with little bench depth but this was beyond the BVHS coach’s worst nightmare. Would the Barons, with two Kiwanis Cup championship titles in their rich history, not field a team for the 2011-12 season?

It proved to be a close call.

“I contacted the school's athletic director to ask if I could attend the freshmen and sophomore P.E. classes to do a roller hockey presentation to recruit more players and it worked,” Quigley said. “I now have a team of 15 players, though a few of them are currently ineligible.”

Bonita Vista rolled onto the playing surface at the Skate San Diego facility in National City for its first game on Dec. 12, and came away with a lot of smiles after recording a come-from-behind 10-8 victory against the Castle Park Trojans.

“My gosh!” Quigley simply exclaimed after the game.

A pair of returners led the way for the Barons: Jonahan O’Brien paced all scorers in the game with seven goals while Joey Vera netted a hat trick.

Goaltender Nicole Tran, another returner, remains one of the team’s most vocal leaders. In fact, Bonita Vista’s roster includes eight girls — the most in the team’s long history, Quigley noted.

Among the promising newcomers is sophomore Miranda Peters. “She seems to be really enjoying the sport,” Quigley said. “As the coach, what I like about her is her focus and intensity.  She plays defense and she's not afraid to mix it up.”

The BVHS coach said his squad was understandably excited to win its first game. “It was a back and forth battle,” Quigley said. “With not that many practices under our belt as a team, I was very happy to see that my Barons never gave up. We battled till the end and found a way to win.”

Bonita Vista finished 4-16 in 2010-11 and this season looks to be equally challenging. However, Quigley’s outlook remains simple. “I want these players to have fun, improve in the sport of hockey and give 100 percent at every practice and every game,” he said. “I want them to just play to the best of their ability.”

That is the core message of high school sports, and that’s what makes the CIF-Metro Conference, the state’s only sanctioned high school inline hockey league sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), not only unique but special.

Castle Park held early leads of 2-1 and 3-2 before the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. The contest was tied five times. Bonita Vista held leads of 4-3 and 6-5 before staying on top for good.

Horacio Mireles keyed the Trojans with four goals while David Anderson collected three goals and one assist, Juan Luna picked up a goal and assist and Joshua Avina was credited with one assist.

Lancers roll past Red Devils 21-1
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12, 2011 - The Hilltop Lancers scored the game’s opening 21 goals before Sweetwater’s Adrian Guerrero notched the Red Devils’ first goal of the 2011-12 season with 6:25 to play in the final period. George Godinez paced Hilltop with nine points on five goals and four assists while teammate Richard Pol collected four goals and two assists. Three Lancers each racked up four points: Jeremiah Schultz (three goals, one assist), Phillip Fune (two goals, two assists) and Nick Tesner (one goal, three assists). Also for Hilltop, Luis Ontinveros posted two goals and one assist, Alberto Perez scored two goals, Tanner Franklin had a goal and assist, Alfron Arrequin had two assists, Sebastian Ross scored one goal and Giovanni Rude had one assist.

Wolf Pack keeps on rolling in search of Kiwanis Cup championship
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12, 2011 - The cast is nearly the same as remains the team’s goal: to win a conference championship. The Wolf Pack, fielding its best-ever team, came close in 2010-11 by placing runner-up to the Westview Wolverines by a narro0w 2-0 score. It was the first final in several years that did not include two North County League teams, but West Hills with its complement of talented ice hockey travel team players ran into a buzz saw: Wolverines senior goaltender Greg Kurth.

“We out-shot them something like a two-to-one margin but their goaltender had the game of his life, it seemed -- I think he was the MVP of the game,” WHHS coach Steve Baldwin said. “Obviously, our goal is to get back to the championship game this year.”

Will the 2011-12 season hold similar promise? Westview proved it was still two goals better than the Wolf Pack in a 6-4 season opening non-league victory. Thus far, that has been the only blemish on West Hills’ new season record.

Besides the Wolverines, the Wolf Pack looks to be challenged by the Poway Titans. All three teams appear to have established themselves as the teams to beat in 2011-12 with superlatively strong starts.

"We're pretty solid this year," the elder Baldwin said. "We lost 6-4 to Westview to start the season and look to be very competitive with Poway, which we haven't played yet. I think any of those three teams -- Westview, West Hills and Poway -- can finish 1-2-3 in the playoffs."

West Hills improved to 4-1 on the season by clobbering Eastlake, 17-1, in a non-league encounter at Skate San Diego. The game was tied, 1-1, on goals by WHH newcomer Brad Majeski and Eastlake’s Zac Zasueta 1:13 apart midway through the opening period before the visitors took command and went into cruise control.

The Wolf Pack led 4-1 after the first period and 12-1 heading into the final period.

Cory Dermody (six goals) and Eric Baldwin (two goals, four assists) led West Hills with six points each while David Baldwin and Dominic Keiser each contributed two goals and two assists, newcomer David Gulliver scored two goals, Jared Wiese collected a goal and assist, Zach Peters picked up two assists and Majeski and fellow newcomer Ran Vononi each scored one goal in support of new goaltender Jarrett Schilling.
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The Wolf Pack lost three seniors to graduation but added two talented underclassment to reload in its title quest.

Gone are All-CIF defenseman Spencer Galaas and all-league defenseman Joe Swanson. West Hills also lost the services of standout netminder Kenoa Cooke to an elite hockey prep school.

However, the Wolf Pack picked up a pair fo 16U AA ice hockey players in the guise of Majeski (a junior forward) and Vanoni (a sophomore forward).

Impact returners include David Baldwin, a junior forward, and Eric Baldwin, a senior defenseman, junior forward Cody Boyer, Dermody, a senior forward, Wiese, a senior defenseman and Keiser, a senior forward. Joining them along with Majeski and Vanoni is Gulliver, a junior forward.

What West Hills has working in its favor this season is its three tier development system, with 12 players each on varisty, junior varsity and junior high teams.

"Making it to the finals last season attracted a bunch of kids," Steve Baldwin said. "I think we had 28 last year, and this year we're carrying the maximum load at all three levels."

Poway falls short in bid to unseat defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 12, 2011 – The Poway Titans scored four second period goals to take a 6-5 lead over three-time defending Kiwanis Cup champion Westview but couldn’t weather two third period goals by the Wolverines, who remained undefeated on the season with a 7-6 comeback victory in a match-up of elite North County League powers.

Westview got out of the gate fast with a 3-2 first period lead, though the Titans notched the game’s opening goal and led 2-1 in the opening four minutes. But the Wolverines closed out the period with two goals to go up by a goal and notched the opening goal of the second period to lead 4-2. But Poway tied the score at four-all before Westview went up again, 5-4, before the Titans took a one-goal lead with the final two goals of the period.

Cory Wadstrom scored the six-all equalizer with 11:13 left in the third period and Chris Lee notched the game-winner with 2:36 remaining in the contest.

Kyle Clements led the Wolverines with two goals and two assists while Wadstrom collected two goals and on assist, Willy Morrison contributed a goal and two assists and Dylan Dixon had a goal and assist. Freshman star Eric Wright paced Poway with three goals while Mac Pitts dished out four assists. Three other Titans scored goals: Nick Brooks, Spencer Oliver and Reed Kinsey, who also had an assist.

Scripps Ranch derails Rancho Bernardo in North County League battle
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 12, 2011 – The North County League championship race appears far from over after Scripps Ranch defeated defending league champion Rancho Bernardo 7-4. Jon Gauthier keyed the victorious Falcons with five goals and one assist while Brandon Lopez contributed a goal and two assists, Travis Sherman scored one goal and Connor Kelleher dished out three assists. The Falcons led 5-3 after two periods on the strength of four second period goals. Jake Troyer led the Broncos with three goals and an assist while Alex Kaiser scored once.

Cathedral Catholic Dons keep newcomer Del Norte winless
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 12, 2011 – Nick Sciabarra scored eight goals and tacked on one assist to power the Dons to an 11-5 non-league victory against the Del Norte Nighthawks in a non-league game for both teams. The game was deadlocked at three goals after the opening period. That’s when Cathedral Catholic got its offense jump-started by outscoring Del Norte 5-2 in the middle period. The Dons rounded out the victory by racking up the only three goals of the third period. Michael Looney scored once and collected five assists while Josh Feist and Brad Tyler each had one goal and one assist. Troy Grahl led the Nighthawks with three goals and one assist while teammate Thomas Akerson matched Grahl’s four points with two goals and two assists.

Southwest tips Mar Vista in battle for top South Bay League spot
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 13, 2011 -- Each team in the South Bay League will play the other four times this season. That works out to 16 league games for the league's five members. It's a lengthy league sechedule but one that appears long on building leauge rivalries in what likely ranks as the most competitive season -- from top to bottom -- in the league's history. The Southwest Raiders and Mar Vista Mariners each met Tuesday at Skate San Diego with early unbeaten marks in league play. The defending league champion Mariners took an early 1-0 lead but the Raiders came back to score a 6-2 victory.

"The play of our goaltender, Sean Garcia, was a real key for us, especially in the first period when Mar Vista really put a lot of pressure on us," Southwest coach Jerry Nestlerode said. "Strong goaltending and playing our team system of supporting each other on the rink really was the difference for us."

Hunter Calef got Mar Vista rolling on a goal scored just 37 seconds into the game. But the Raiders came back with a pair of unanswered goals to take a 2-1 lead. Martin Winfield scored an even strength goal just under two minutes later to tie the contest and Winfield then set up Sarah Herrera for a power play goal with 3:50 left in the opening period.

The Mariners' Calef scored an even strength goal with 1:39 remaining in the first period to knot the score at 2-all.

Southwest chipped away at the MV defense with the game's final four tallies. The Raiders went up, 3-2, on the only goal scored in the second period as Angel Rocha scored 1:34 into the period.

Southwest scored three more goals in the third period -- one each by Alejandro Martinez, David Castellow and Winfield.

Winfield finished the game with two goals and two assists to pace the Raiders while Rocha collected a goal and assist. Angel Alamillo also was credited with one assist.

Southwest improved to 3-0 while Mar Vista dropped to 2-1 in league play.

Chula Vista tops rival Sweetwater 5-2 in South Bay League match-up
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 13, 2011 -- The Sweetwater Red Devils appear to be building momentum as the season goes on but couldn't overcome a Chula Vista team that played its best hockey of the game in the final period. The Red Devils built a 2-1 lead on goals by Ricky Lawson (in the first period) and Adrian Guerrero (early in the third period). But the Spartans closed outt the game with the final four goals to escape with a 5-2 victory in a key South Bay League match-up. Trevon Rogers paced Chula Vista with three goals.

Red Devils, Trojans combine for one heck of a roller hockey game
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 14, 2011 – The teams may not be at the top of the standings but the Sweetwater Red Devils and Castle Park Trojans certainly did their best Wednesday to chalk up one of the most exciting – and entertaining to watch – games in the early stages of the 2011-12 season. The teams – both winless on the young season – traded goals throughout the South Bay League contest, with the Trojans eventually taking a 7-6 lead with 4:11 remaining in the second period.

That’s where things got particularly exciting. The teams remained separated by that one-goal margin for more than seven minutes overlapping between the second and third periods, with each rush down the court by the respective teams promising either the tying goal or an insurance tally. The Red Devils were cheered on by a large collection of enthusiastic fans. That enthusiasm seemed to transfer from the crowd to the Sweetwater team.

The Devils tied the game at 7 on a goal by Mauricio Estrada 3:03 into the final period, and the teams went back to alternating rushes. This time, the deadlock prevailed for more than 10 minutes, with each shot and save eliciting crowd noise.

Castle Park’s David Anderson scored his seventh goal of the game to put his team in front, 8-7, with just 1:14 left in the game. But that only seemed to make Sweetwater more determined to score the equalizer, which the Devils did off the stick of Estrada with 30 seconds to play in regulation.

The five-minute sudden-death overtime period didn’t last long. Estrada scored his fourth goal of the game with just 14 seconds expired to send Sweetwater off the rink with a dramatic 9-8 victory.

“At the end of the game, I was really tired,” Estrada said. “But my coach told me to play the last minute. That’s what I got that goal to tie the game. I was really excited for overtime. I wanted to win the game. When I got that breakaway, I gave it all I could.”

The win boosted the Red Devils to a 1-3 record, 1-2 in league, while the loss dropped the Trojans to 0-4 on the season, 0-3 in league play.

Cathedral Catholic doubles up Hilltop in a game much closer than final score indicates
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 14, 2011 -- The final score went down as 8-4 in favor of the visiting Cathedral Catholic Dons but with just over five minutes to play, it was a 6-4 contest with the Hilltop Lancers starting to apply pressure. But the Lancers were called for a key penalty with 1:22 left and the roofed caved in shortly thereafter as the Dons exhaled a collective sigh of relief with two late insurance goals.

Cathedral skated into the winter break with a 5-1 recod while Hilltop entered the break 2-3.

"We have a lot of new players this year and we're still trying to fit everyone into the team," Dons senior forward Josh Feist said.

So far, it seems to have gone well.

Feist was a catalyst of last year's Cathedral squad making its debut at the CIF level. The Dons finished 13-8 overall, including a 6-3 record in posting a runner-up finish to league champion West Hills in Central League play. Feist finished xx in team scoring with 61 points, registering 25 goals and 36 assissts. He ranked second on the team to fellow returner Nick Sciabarra (47 goals, 20 assists).

Feist (one goal, five assists) and Sciabarra (five goals) led the scoring attack against the Lancers while teammate Abdrew Valeriano picked up two goals and one assist. Kevin Roderate and Griffin King each were credited with one assist.

Also back this season is Stephen Hooker. Among the newcomers this season are twins Scott and Tim Melbourne.

The Dons remain a very fast and tactical-oriented team despite fielding a slightly younger squad this season. Cathedral opened up a 1-0 lead on a goal scored by Sciabarra 4:10 into the game. Hilltop tied the score on the first of two goals in the game by George Godinez a little over three minutes later but the Dons got a go-ahead goal by Sciabarra with 2:15 left in the peirod and would go on to build a 4-1 advantage by the middle of the second period.

Hilltop kept within striking distance, closing the gap to 4-2, 6-3 and 6-4 before Richard Pol was penalized for abuse of an official with 1:22 to play. Valeriano scored a power play goal with 42 seconds to play to make the score 7-4 and Valeriano tacked on an additional goal with 17 seconds left for the final margin of victory.

Godinez and Alfonso Arrequin each finished the game with two goals to lead Hilltop while Nick Tesner and Jeremiah Schultz each were credited wtih assists.

The Dons advanced as far as last season's quarterfinal playoffs after receiving the No. 6 seed in the 10-team Kiwanis Cup championship tournament draw, dropping a 4-3 decision to third-seeded Poway.

Feist said it was a step up from the team's previous home in the club-based San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference.

"CIF is more competitive and, with teams playing more than once each week, it makes it more serious," said Feist, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Calgary before moving to the United States prior to his freshman year.

Because of his Canadian roots, Feist said his favorite sport has always been hockey, and he's taken quite nicely to its cousin in California, inline hockey.

"Roller hockey is a lot more fun," Feist said. "I've always liked hockey. I like its fast pace. It's been my favorite sport since I was a kid. I've always played ice but I also like roller. It's pretty much the same."

Wolverines top Broncos, remain unbeaten in 2011-12
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 14, 2011 -- Dylan Dixon -- who rang up both goals in last season's Kiwanis Cup championship game victory against West Hills -- collected two goals and two assists to lead the Wolverines' 7-1 North County League victory over the Rancho Bernardo Broncos. Kyle Kelly and Cory Wadstrom each contributed one goal and one assist while Kyle Clements and Rishad Dilal each scored single goals. Zach Semonian scored the lone goal for Rancho Bernardo, which trailed 3-0 early in the second period.

Titans trip up Del Norte Nighthawks by 12-4 margin
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 14, 2011 -- The Nighthawks notched the first goal of the game (by Troy Grahl) and held Poway to a 1-1 first period standoff but the Titans proceeded to gain momentum, scoring three times in the second period to take a 4-3 lead and out-scoring the CIF newcomers 8-1 in the pivotal third period to claim the North County League victory. Charles Pitts led the Poway assault with four goals and three assists while super freshman Eric Wright tallied two goals and three assists, Reed Kinsey contributed three goals and one assist and Spencer Oliver collected a hat trick. Grahl led Del Norte with three goals while Thomas Akerson scored once, T.J. Hunt netted two assists and Eric Duong and Matt Schrag each were credited with one assist.

Scripps Ranch rolls past La Jolla Country Day in non-league match-up
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 14, 2011 -- The Falcons racked up six second-period goals and scored five more times in the final period to skate away with a 14-6 non-league victory against the La Jolla Country Day Torreys. Scripps Ranch spread its scoring around. Brandon Lopez scored six goals and added one assist while Jon Gauthier had four goals and three assists, Bruce Gilmore scored twice and Ryan North and Cory Hughes each scored single goals. Connor Kelleher dished out four assists while Travis Sherman was credited with one assist. Ryan Owsiany scored five of the six LJCD goals while Cameron Sowka was credited with one goal for the Torreys.

West Hills steam rollers Otay Ranch to capture 21-2 non-league win
ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER, Dec. 14, 2011 -- Cory Dermody scored just 13 seconds into the game to push the Wolf Pack in front by an early goal. But the Mustangs deadlocked the score on Cole Beatie's goal just 1:36 later. Otay Ranch's Jon Managbanag scored with 1:20 left in the opening period but by that time West Hills had built a comfortable 8-1 lead. The Wolf Pack closed out the game with 13 unanswered goals. Dermody (five goals, one assist) and Eric Baldwin (two goals, four assists) led West Hills with six points each while David Gullover and Cody Boyer each collected three goals and two assists and four players finished the game with three points: Jared Wiese and Ryden Kerr with three goals each, David Baldwin with two goals and one assist and Brad Majeski with three assists.

Titans out-skate Mariners to win 8-2 non-league clash
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2011 – It was a meeting of the old and the new for Eastlake coach Ron Cole as his new team, the Eastlake Titans, faced off against his old team, the Mar Vista Mariners, in a non-league game to close out the month of December. “That was a weird one,” said Cole after his new team defeated his old team by a score of 8-2.

Cole had coached the Mariners since their inception but made the move to Eastlake this season after a coaching vacancy opened there. The win was the second of the young season for the very young Titans. Freshman scoring sensation Aaron Meyer led the charge with four goals while Mike Mechling and Sam Bawden, another frosh scoring wizard, each contributed two goals and two assists.

The game was slow to form a decisive outcome as Eastlake led just 2-1 after the opening period. But a six-goal outburst in the middle period sealed the deal for the Titans, who built a commanding 8-1 lead heading into the final period. Hunter Calef scored both goals for Mar Vista (2-2).

Red Devils light up Barons for 10-6 non-league victory
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2011 – The Sweetwater Red Devils, who themselves got a later than expected start to the 2011-12 season, continued to build momentum with 10-6 non-league victory against the Bonita Vista Barons, playing in just their second game of the season. Mauricio Estrada led SuHi with five goals and three assists, followed by teammate Ricky Lawson with four goals and two assists. Jessica Flores also scored one goal for the Devils, who picked up assists from Adrian Guerrero and Robin Sagun. Jon O’Brien scored all six BV goals, with assists going to Lucas Hanson and Joey Vera.

The game was tied four times: 1-1, 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6. The Barons held leads of 1-0 and 6-5 before Sweetwater rattled off the game’s final four goals to skate to the win.

Southwest Raiders open second round of South Bay League play undefeated
SKATE SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2011 – The second round of South Bay League play faced off Thursday for the Southwest Raiders and it ended the same way the 2011-12 season began: with a victory against the Chula Vista Spartans. At 5-0 in league play, the Raiders are off to their best start in school history.

Southwest has been a member of the CIF-Metro Conference since its formation in 2000-01.

Head coach Jerry Nestlerode said the recipe to success is simple: teamwork.

“We have a lot of seniors, a lot of experience,” the Raider bench boss said. “It’s a team that’s learning to buy into the system. We’re playing and thinking as a team and seeing the results. We’re trying at Southwest to play a team which takes all the players’ individual skills and gets them working together. In the first five games, the kids have played where everyone is reading from the same page. It’s fun to watch.”

Southwest’s senior class includes 11 players. Senior standouts include defenders Martin Whitfield, C.J. Baiza and David Costello, forwards Steven Regaliza and Angel Alamillo and goaltender Sean Garcia.

Sophomore center Angel Rocha has also made a major impact on the team, which includes 15 players on the roster.

Whitfield led the team with five goals and one assist in the latest 7-3 victory over the Spartans while Sarah Herrera was credited with two goalsd and Carlos Ochoa was credited with two assists. Alejandro Martinez, Alamillo and Rocha each picked up an assist in the win.

The Raiders built a 4-0 lead and led 6-1 before Chula Vista scored two late goals. Ryan Mothershed (two goals, one assist) and Trevon Rogers (one goal, two assists) keyed the Spartans each with three points.

Southwest remains the only undefeated team in the South Bay League at this point of the season. Mar Vista, which dropped a 6-2 decision to the Raiders on Dec. 13, is 2-1 in league play.

With 11 more league games for Southwest – and 13 more for Mar Vista – it’s too early to determine a champion, though every league victory from now on will certainly go a long way in cementing this season as likely the team’s most successful in school history.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens,” Nestlerode said.

2010-11 recap

Wolverines regroup, win another CIF hockey banner
Westview shut outs West Hills, 2-0, for fourth Kiwanis Cup title in six years

The big question mark all season long had been the final order of finish among the top four teams to gain entry into this year’s CIF-Metro Conference semifinals. The two semifinal winners would obviously play in the championship game. But the addition of a third place game for the first time further spiced up the proceedings.

The second-seeded West Hills Wolf Pack and the fourth-seeded Westview Wolverines both captured semifinal thrillers to meet in this year’s title game, played March 2 at the Escondido Sports Center.

The top-seeded Rancho Bernardo Broncos and the third-seeded Poway Titans, meanwhile, rolled to a finish in the third place game.

In both instances, the underdog prevailed.

Westview won its third consecutive Kiwanis Cup championship by recording a 2-0 victory over West Hills, which was fielding its best-ever team.

Prior to that, Poway set the stage with a dramatic 5-3 victory over the Broncos.

Rancho Bernardo, the team picked to win it all, finished fourth while Westview, a team reeling somewhat with four losses in its final six games, wound up winning it all.

Some 2010-11 season, in fact.

The Wolverines (17-6) received a pair of goals from Dillon Dixon and goaltender Greg Kurth recorded a rate shutout victory to stymie the Wolf Pack’s championship aspirations.

Dixon put Westview up 1-0 on a goal scored almost exactly midway through the first period, set up by Decker Seilhan. Dixon then doubled the Wolverines’ lead with 5:16 left in the middle period, this time set up by teammate Rishad Dalal.

Kurth took care of the rest with several brilliant and timely saves. West Hills went 0-for-4 on the power play, including a man-power situation in the final five minutes of the third period. The Wolf Pack also came up empty on two second period power play opportunities.

Likewise, the West Hills defense was up to the task — holding Westview scoreless on two power plays, including a pair in the first period.

The Wolf Pack finished the season 20-3, with two losses to the Wolverines.

Westview matches Scripps Ranch (2003-05) with three consecutive conference championships. The Wolverines have now won four Kiwanis Cup championships during their six years as a conference member (2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011).

RB won Kiwanis Cup titles in 2007 and 2008 to maintain the North County League’s dominance in the sport.

Poway 5, Rancho Bernardo 3
The Broncos (18-5) got the first goal of the game but the Titans (15-8) stormed back with three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead after the first period. Poway did not look back after that, going up 4-1 on a goal with 4:19 elapsed in the second period.

The Broncos did get closer to make for an interesting finish as Brian Gravelle scored midway through both the second and third periods to narrow the Titan lead to 4-3.

But Poway sealed its third place finish on a goal scored with 58 seconds to play by Conner Liebman, assisted by A.J. Wright.

Ryan Hockett led the Titans in the game with two goals and one assist while Wright also scored once to go with his assist for two points. Ian Busch also was credited with one goal while Spencer Oliver was credited with one assist.

Jake Troyer opened scoring for the Broncos, assisted by Zach Semonian. Gravelle’s third period goal, also set up by Semonian, came on a power play.

RB also had another man-up situation after closing to within 4-3 but could not capitalize.

Poway was whistled for four penalties in the game and gave up one power play goal. The Broncos were not called for a penalty in the game.

Championship Finals
Final order of finish
1. Westview Wolverines (seeded fourth), 17-6
2. West Hills Wolf Pack (seeded second), 20-3
3. Poway Titans (seeded third), 15-8
4. Rancho Bernardo Broncos (seeded first), 18-5

Final Playoff Rankings
1. Westview Wolverines (17-6)
2. West Hills Wolf Pack (20-3)
3. Poway Titans (15-8)
4. Rancho Bernardo Broncos (18-5)
5. Scripps Ranch (8-13)
6. Cathedral Catholic (13-8)
7. La Jolla Country Day (11-11)
8. Otay Ranch Mustangs (12-10)
9. Eastlake Titans (9-12)
10. Mar Vista Mariners (11-10)