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Baron skaters score big victory for Metro roller hockey bragging rights

 

Bonita Vista fells La Jolla Country Day by 10-4 score

 

By Phillip Brents

 

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 4, 2001 -- The best team in Metro Conference roller hockey?

 

After the first week of play, if one said newcomer Scripps Ranch, few might have

disputed that early season assessment. The smooth-skating and richly-deep-in-talent Falcons entered the season as if midseason form, defeating preseason favorite Bonita Vista, 7-4, and second-year Sweetwater, 16-0. The Metro's demanding 20-game season -- and its collection of rapidly improving squads -- have since made their presence felt. Four games into the season, there is only one undefeated team - and it's not Scripps Ranch.

 

The Falcons tasted their first loss in Metro play on Nov. 29 when La Jolla Country Day, the conference's other newcomer this season, stormed back from an early 5-1 deficit to score an inspired 8-6 victory in a meeting of 2-0 squads. The Torres had started the season in equally impressive fashion by defeating Sweetwater and Mar Vista by scores of 11-1 and 15-2, respectively.

 

After sending shock waves throughout the 11-team circuit with the win against the

Falcons, La Jolla Country Day promptly had its foundations shook in a 10-4 loss to a rapidly-improving Bonita Vista team Tuesday at Chula Vista RollerSkateLand. It's quickly become apparent that for those squads that don't come ready to play that anyone can beat anyone on any given day to invoke an overused sports adage. Scripps Ranch can once again attest to that after recovering from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat upstart Castle Park, 6-5, also Tuesday at RollerSkateLand.

 

Favorites? There now appears plenty from which to choose.

 

"If I could have that first game back," Bonita Vista coach Keith Quigley said

following Tuesday's watershed victory against previously undefeated La Jolla Country Day. "That was our sloppiest game of the season. We've come together since then." The Torres (3-1) found that out quickly. While LJCD team scoring star Nathan Sigmund was still waiting for his equipment to arrive and dress before hitting the floor, the Barons (2-1-1) had built a 4-0 lead. The Bonita Vista lead reached margins of 5-0 and 7-1 before the Sigmund-led Torres staged a comeback in the final period before finally being turned aside.

 

LJCD halved the score to 8-4 with 5:00 to play but simply could not overcome the early deficit. The Torres allowed two empty net goals in their all-offense blitz. Joey Galeno led the Barons with five goals and one assist but it was the play of novice goaltender Chris Muller that equally stood out as the difference in the game. Muller allowed seven goals in his first-ever high school game against Scripps Ranch while making 28 saves and has since buckled down between the pipes, allowing three goals in a 3-3 tie against defending Metro champion Hilltop on Nov. 27 and registering a shutout in a 15-0 win against Chula Vista on Nov. 29. In his last three games, Muller's goals-against average is 2.33.

 

"I'm still learning how to (properly) fall down and keep my legs spread. I'm feeling more confident after that first game," said Muller, who while still having difficulty in moving horizontally in the cage made up for it with steady positional play.

 

"Our team is improving. Chris has improved dramatically. I feel we have the best defense in our division," explained Bonita Vista senior co-captain Doug Lentz, who scored one goal and two assists in Tuesday's contest.

 

"Chris is picking up the game fast," Quigley underscored. Tuesday's game was easily the Barons' best of the young season. Bonita Vista came out committed to its game plan and did not stray from it throughout the matchup, playing with poise and intensity.

 

Lentz, set up by Galeno, gave the Barons a quick 1-0 lead. Galeno scored twice more to boost Bonita Vista to its decisive 4-0 first period advantage. Meanwhile, LJCD's woes would worsen before the insertion of Sigmund into the lineup could spark the Torres' offensive fortunes. Austin Ballow scored on a power play, assisted by Ruben Felizardo, to give the Barons a 5-0 lead. LJCD finally broke Muller's shutout on a power play goal by senior forward Jordan Simkin, assisted by junior defenseman Max Guise, but Bonita Vista quickly responded with another goal by Galeno, his third of the game. The second period ended with the Barons holding a 6-1 lead after winning the middle period 2-1.

 

LJCD coach Dean Wilson, who helped guide Team USA to the IIHF In-Line Hockey World Championship title as an active player, went for broke to start the third period by pulling sophomore goaltender Ben Bartlett. Chi Hom scored into an empty net to extend the BV lead to 7-1 before the Torres struck for back-to-back goals by Sigmund. After another Baron reply by Galeno, the Torres pumped into another goal, scored by Guise and assisted by Chris Bartlett. But Bonita Vista promptly answered back on a goal by John Donahoo and Galeno closed out scoring with an empty net goal.

 

Donahoo finished the game with one goal and one assist. James Arakaki also scored once for the victorious Barons, who received scoring points from seven players. "The thing with this Bonita Vista team is depth. We don't have superstar. We have six or seven strong players," Quigley said.

 

La Jolla Country Day engineered a third period comeback to top Scripps Ranch the previous Thursday. Sigmund led the Torres with three goals and two assists while teammate Frankie Warren added two goals and one assist. Dan and Rick Comrie paced the Falcons (3-1) with two goals and one assist apiece. Simkin led LJCD with five goals and three assists in its 15-2 win against Mar Vista the preceding Tuesday.

 

To the conference's credit, Scripps Ranch -- a two-time championship finalist in the club-based San Diego County High School Roller Hockey Conference -- has been given a stronger than expected challenge in the more modest junior CIF-sanctioned play loop. Goals by Alex Guerrero, Don McGraw and Richard Garcia gave Castle Park (2-2) a 3-0 lead through two periods in Tuesday's encounter against the Falcons at RollerSkateLand.

 

Scripps Ranch opened the final period with three unanswered goals, including two by Rick Comrie, to deadlock the score at 3-3. Garcia scored his second goal of the game to put the Trojans back in the lead at 4-3 before the Falcons exploded on the court for three consecutive goals to take a 6-4 lead. Rick Comrie finished the game with a hat trick while Dan Comrie had a goal and assist. The game-winning goal went to Scripps Ranch's Emil Tsaturov. Garcia closed out the game with a goal for Castle Park to finish with three goals and one assist.

 

Hilltop hiked its undefeated record to 3-0-1 following Tuesday's 11-0

shutout victory against winless Southwest (0-4) at Skate San Diego in National City. Erick Morgan led the Lancers with three goals and one assist while Trevor Stutzman added two goals and Steve Monroe contributed two goals and one assist.

 

Both Eastlake and Sweetwater rolled to their second consecutive victories also on Tuesday.

 

The Titans (2-1) defeated Montgomery 15-1 behind five goals and one assist from Royce Leomo, three goals and two assists from Tyson Leomo and three goals from Brian Baker. Eastlake goalie Azuma Franklin stopped eight of nine Aztec shots. Jamil Patiag scored the lone goal for Montgomery (1-3).

 

The Red Devils evened their record at 2-2 behind a hat trick by Brandon Fox, two goals by Marv Ferrer and a goal and assist from Chris Hernandez. SuHi goalie Louie Valentine had 20 saves. Chula Vista (1-2) was keyed by three goals by Thomas Doran and a goal and assist by David Rodriguez. The win was the first-ever by a Sweetwater team against the Spartans.

 

 "The team is playing really well. We've got a few more guys eligible after getting their physicals and cleared to play. That's helped. The team is playing stronger defense now," Red Devil coach Mike Duffy said.

 

Sweetwater scored its first win of the season by defeating Montgomery 7-1 on Nov. 29. Ferrer had a hat trick in that game while Steve Martinez added a goal and two assists. Valentine had 25 saves. Duffy also credited Martinez with a strong defensive game. Chris Troie had the Aztec goal while Montgomery goalie Jorge Camacho made 35 saves.

 

Eastlake netted its first victory by scoring a 9-0 shutout against Southwest. The Titans, who were led by three goals by Kyle Hughes and two goals and two assists by Tyson Leomo, finished with a 25-4 edge in shots.

 

Slap shots

Ballow led the Barons with three goals and one assist in their 15-0 win against Chula Vista on Nov. 29, while Donahoo, Lentz and Brent Nash all finished with two goals and one assist. Bonita Vista outshot the Spartans 33-7. Galeno had two goals in the Barons' 3-3 tie Nov. 27 against Hilltop. Stutzman scored four goals and added an

assist in Hilltop's 11-1 victory against Mar Vista on Nov. 29. Morgan notched all three goals for the Lancers in the game against the Barons.

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