By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, Dec. 18, 2001 -- There are no longer any undefeated teams in the Metro Conference’s embryonic roller hockey circuit. That was taken care of in rather spectacular and shocking fashion — depending on which end of the score one’s allegiances fell — when Scripps Ranch stopped defending league champion Hilltop, 10-0, in a non-league played Dec. 13 at Skate San Diego. The magnitude of the score simply makes one sit back and take a breath.

“We did everything right. The guys did everything they were coached to do. It was one of those games when everyone played his position and ran the offense right. Everybody played their best,” noted assistant coach Don Cerone, who ran the team that night in the absence of head coach Greg Friedman.

The Falcons played the near-perfect game, possibly the team’s best in two years, according to one school administrator. Scripps Ranch played all three lines. All three lines played a superb game of back-checking to limit Hilltop’s offensive chances — a fact reflected in shots by both teams. The Falcons outshot the Lancers 30-10, pumping 10 goals past the conference’s top netminder, Adam Meehan, who had entered the contest with a 1.17 goals-against average.

Scripps Ranch (6-1-0 overall) defeated Chula Vista, 25-1, on Tuesday to regain its perch atop the Mesa League standings with a 3-0-0 league record. The Falcons’ lone loss thus far this season has come against the conference’s other newcomer, La Jolla Country Day. According to Friedman, what the Falcons have learned throughout first-round play in their new league is that they must retain their focus in order to be successful against the conference’s top tier of challengers. Against the conference’s lower tier of teams, Scripps Ranch has delivered another message: in order to compete, local programs are going to have to develop players at a high level of competition at an early age.

“Starting as a freshman in high school is not going to do it,” Friedman said.

The Falcons have a full junior varsity team, comprised of 16 players, that competes in a club league in North County. The Scripps Ranch varsity roster, numbering 14 players, includes the elite players in the program — players with either ice hockey or competitive travel team experience in roller hockey. It’s a self-leveling program — and one that looks only to get better. This year’s varsity roster is comprised of nine sophomores, three juniors and two seniors.

Sweetwater coach Mike Duffy is in the process of organizing junior varsity and middle school roller hockey club leagues at Skate San Diego that should formally begin play after the first of the year. While it’s a much-needed start for local programs, established teams like the Falcons remain an arm’s length — or two — away from most Metro teams. But the pursuit continues in earnest for the few area squads that do boast a collection of players seasoned in elite tournaments like the Tour Pacific Cup and North American Roller Hockey Championship series. Those teams include Bonita Vista, Hilltop, Castle Park, Eastlake and La Jolla Country Day — teams that occupy conference’s the top tier along with Scripps Ranch, though still chasing the Falcons.

“You can’t beat experience,” Friedman said. “If we continue to play like we did against Hilltop, we’ll be OK.”

Sophomores Brandon George and Colin Beam combined for the shutout against the Lancers, who had entered the game having outscored opponents 52-7. George played two periods while Beam played one period. The pair split time in Tuesday’s game against Chula Vista with George maintaining a shutout through his half of play and Beam allowing the lone goal in the third period after the Falcons had rolled to a 16-0 lead playing everyone in the lineup.

Sophomore Geoff Bjork led Scripps Ranch with seven goals in Tuesday’s game. Sophomore Dan Comrie had five goals while junior Rick Comrie and sophomore Jennings Brieck both recorded hat tricks. Against Hilltop, Dan Comrie tallied four goals while Brieck contributed two goals and one assist, Emil Tsaturov scored twice and Rick Comrie had a goal and two assists.

David Ruiz, assisted by David Rodriguez, scored for Chula Vista in Tuesday’s game against the high-flying Falcons.

At the other end of the circuit, Mar Vista improved its season record to 2-4-1 following Tuesday’s 14-2 non-league victory against Montgomery (1-6-0). Clint Jones led the Mariners with five goals. Mar Vista boasts three players with club experience: sophomores Clint Jones and Anthony Arciga and junior Andrew Fisak . Top players on this season’s team include those three key players along with juniors Ricky Osorio and Dan Rumsey. Jones led the Mariners in Tuesday’s game with five goals while Fisak scored twice.

Head coach Ron Cole said enthusiasm is the guiding force on his squad. “The coaches and administrators in the district have put together a quality league that gives the players a great hockey experience. The league will only get better over the next few years with the individual skills of the players improving. Every player I’ve seen out there is having fun,” he said.

Chris Troie and Bobby Palma scored single goals for Montgomery. In the nets, Brian Dimmock made 40 saves for Mar Vista while Danny Valle had 17 saves for the Aztecs.

CP's McGraw leaving no regrets

Castle Park’s Don McGraw is definitely not resting on his laurels as the Metro Conference’s scoring leader. McGraw had five goals and one assist in the Trojans’ 9-8 South Bay League victory against La Jolla Country Day on Dec. 13 at Chula Vista RollerSkateLand and scored four goals and two assists to lead his team to the top rung of the league following Tuesday’s key 7-3 win against defending league champion Hilltop at Skate San Diego. With the crucial victories, Castle Park improved to 3-0-0 in league play, 5-2 overall (with one forfeit loss).

In six games (excluding the forfeit loss, a 20-0 on-court win against Chula Vista in the season opener), McGraw had scored 27 goals and 11 assists.

In the high-scoring game against the Torres, the Trojans jumped out to their customary early lead before La Jolla Country Day turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 advantage. The teams traded goals thereafter with the Torres’ Max Guise netting the 8-8 game-tying goal with 3:21 to play in regulation. Castle Park’s Emmanuel Madrid scored the game-winner in purely dramatic fashion with one second left. Madrid finished the game with two goals while teammate Richard Garcia had one goal and two assists.

Nathan Sigmund led La Jolla Country Day (4-3/1-2) with five goals and three assists — putting his signature on all eight Torres’ goals. Chris Bartlett added a goal and assist for LJCD, which was outshot 30-26.

In Tuesday’s climactic showdown against Hilltop, the Trojans opened a lead in the second period. Arturo Garcia had three goals and four assists to support McGraw’s goal-scoring. Erick Morgan scored twice for Hilltop, which also received a goal from Ben Nixon. The loss was the second consecutive for the Lancers, who had skated to a perfect 5-0-1 start to the season.