Knowing that we had a 6:00 pm Saturday home game, some of us parents started tossing around the idea of having a little
tailgate party. What started out as a weinie-roast turned into a royal feast. We had burgers, dogs, red-hots, and Buffalo
wings. There was three kinds of potato salad, steaming hot bean dip, and sweets galore. It seemed like every parent tried
to outdo each other with the epicurean delights they brought. With two grills going and eight coolers dispensing beer, this
team established itself as the premier tailgaters in all of sports.
Oh yeah, there was
also a game. Following the mutha of all parties, the Ventura Mariners Bantam Killer Bees opened the SCAHA regular season with
a rematch against the Pasadena Maple Leafs. The boys had a pretty easy time with the Leafs the previous week, so there was
some concern that they might take this game lightly. Any fears were quickly erased as the Mariners came out with intensity.
They overwhelmed Pasadena and quickly established dominance. They kept their opponent pinned in their zone and pumped shot
after shot on net. Niko Utash was blowing us all away. In recent weeks this kid has found an extra gear and this game was
no exception. Luke Tickle was also playing like a man possessed, scrapping for rebounds and creating havoc in the crease.
If it weren't for Pasadena's goalie and his magnetic glove hand, this game could have been ugly.
The
Mariners finally solved the goalie near the end of the first period. Killian Anderson dug the puck out of the corner, deked
his way through a handful of Leafs and found his teammate in front of the net. Jason "Mr. Clean" Hart took the feed and buried it
without hesitation. I thought for sure it would be the prettiest goal we'd see, but a minute later Brian Zacchia roofed a
back-hand that looked like it came off the stick of a pro. The boys closed out the opening frame with an aesthetically pleasing
2-0 lead.
In the second, the Mariners continued to pressure. It became apparent that something odd
was going on: these boys were actually playing hockey. What I mean by that is, they were playing as a team. They played their
positions, moved the puck, regrouped, and worked the break-out. I don't think a kid took more than two strides without making
a pass. If I didn't know better I'd swear that all that stuff Coach Sergey works on in practice was actually beginning to
stick. The only goal the Mariners would get in this period was a perfect example of this. All five skaters touched the puck.
Cameron Torres passed to Josh Kuchinski, who found Jason down low. That's all you need to know, because Jason doesn't miss.
The
only complaint I had, and it's a small one, was that the kids could have played a little more physical. That's not to say
there wasn't some nice hitting. Patrick Dalton let us all know his shoulder is fine and Shane Heller absolutely crushed a
dude in the corner. The Mariners continued their dominance in the third period. The team's most lethal and consistent duo
hooked up when Brian found his buddy Conor Gleason. Tyler Samuel closed out the scoring when he hammered a lose puck into
the top corner.
Goalie Gianluca Allen didn't see a lot of action, but when he did he was ready. On
one of the rare times the Leafs were able to break through, Gianluca showed he too had a magnetic glove hand. The only thing
left to prove in this game was nailing down the shutout. Gianluca's dad was over talking with a parent from the Maple Leafs.
At that exact same moment, this Leaf parent's kid sprung loose and scored breaking the shutout. I think we all know were to
lay the blame. Despite a small blemish the Mariners played an outstanding game and won 5-1. It certainly was great start to
the regular season.
The biggest reason the team was so successful was without question the defense.
Our blue-liners not only shut everything down, they made the smooth transition to offense. Cameron, coming off of a broken
finger, played as good as I've ever seen him. He was always in perfect position and never got beat. Blake Burlew got his head
up and both found the open man and cut off the other team's passing lanes. Josh has really taken to his leadership role. He's
like the quarterback for the whole team, directing traffic, and making those beautiful head-man passes. It wasn't just the
good individual efforts either. These guys are understanding how to work together. If Patrick would sneak in and play the
puck, JB Lovelace would back off and cover in case he missed. If Josh was pressured down low, Tom Dobrokhot was back giving
him an easy outlet. Playing defense is one of the hardest things to do in hockey. You get the most responsibility and the
least glory. It takes a special kid to play D and this week's 3 Stars will reflect this.
Though they
only scored half as many goals as they did last week, this was a much better effort. How can that be, you ask. Last week the
boys took advantage of a goalie having an off day. This week they imposed their will on a goalie that was most definitely on.
I'm really proud of the way the kids played. I couldn't be any happier with the job Segey, Jere, and Steve are doing. Most
of all I think it's great the way we're all coming together. This is genuinely a fun team to be a part of. In the post-game
parking lot party a yell from the peanut galley let everyone know "We're undefeated!" This is true, and for what it's worth,
we're also tied for first place. Let's keep it going.
Slight Correction: In these game reports, I like to mention something about every kid on the team, even if they
are backing up or out with an injury. Last week I neglected to mention Gianluca and Cameron and I feel terrible about it.
I can't fix it (actually I could but I'm very lazy) so to even things up this week I won't say anything about Mark Becica
or Corey Werden. Oops.
