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The 2003/2004 California Golden Bears Mite B team was Sergey's first job as a head coach. The team featured Tom, Killian,
and Gianluca as a skater. The first report is from the previous year when Tom was credited with a goal that he didn't score.
The second report is what I believe to be Tom's actual first goal. Due to the confusion, I didn't give him enough credit for
the momentous achievement.
February 18, 2003 - “High Rollers”
The Mighty Mite California Golden Bears took their
show on the road this
President’s Day weekend, traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada. This four-game
tournament was only part of the attraction, but nonetheless the Bears came to
play. Game one was against the host Outlaws. Our boys put up a valiant fight,
but fell short in the third period, losing 5-2. Killian Anderson and Harut
Kaldzhyan played excellent hockey, earning high praise from the coaches. Game
two was a barnburner vs. the Temecula Sabers. Both teams played hard and ended
up tying 6-6. However, during the game Haroutun Kupchyan shot a puck that
deflected off the back of David Nardoni’s skate and went in the Sabers’ net.
Inexplicably, the officials waived the goal off (note: there was no distinct
kicking motion). As it turned out, that disallowed goal would have been the
game winner and would have put the Bears into the championship game.
Instead of playing for the trophy, the Bears got to
play two against their
buddies The Ventura Mariners. Game three between these old friends was as
exciting as they come. The Bears came out gunning and built a 3-goal lead, but
the Mariners came back and made a game of it. When the smoke cleared the Bears
had a 5-4 victory. Game four, the last of the tournament, saw the Mariners
extract a little revenge, beating a tired Bears squad by a score of 5-2.
Tournament-wide, the Bears played very well. Every kid had his moment and some
excelled. Gordie Dean was rock-solid on defense. Continuing his ascent, Tom
Dobrokhot played with tremendous intensity and heart, and if you believe the
score-sheet, scored his first goal. Manny Mancha was buzzing the whole time and
had some great scoring chances. Killian had the most physical four games you’ll
ever see a six year old have. Defenseman Chris Agaronian did some nice things
along the blue-line. Top-liners David, Haroutun #33, and Billy Tarasoff all
contributed a tremendous amount of offense. David and Haroutun #33 both
registered hat tricks. Goaltenders Chris Liner and Jackson Germaine each had
numerous big-time saves.
Hockey wasn’t the only fun these kids had over
the holiday weekend.
Imagine turning these rowdy Bears loose on the Vegas strip. As if erupting
volcanoes and the destruction of Atlantis weren’t enough, there were arcades,
all-you-can-eat buffets, and 3-D movies. The Dean’s hosted a great party for
all the parents and kids in their luxurious hotel suite. There was so much
exciting stuff going on, most of the boys had sensory overloads. On top of all
the hoopla there was a tremendous amount of sportsmanship among the
participating teams. It was nice hanging out with the Mariners again as well as
getting a chance to meet the great people from Temecula. I
would like to give a big high-five to the Outlaws for putting on one heck of a
tournament. The Bears may not have won, but they had a blast and that’s just as
good.
September 14, 2003 - “The Battle For California”
No this is not about the recall election; it’s
about the California
Golden Bears against the California Stars last Sunday. Our Mighty Mites were
shorthanded as fan-favorite Jay Saldana was home with a head cold. With patched
together lines, the Bears came out gunning. Harut Kaldzhyan got the scoring
started with a beautiful goal in the opening frame. A few minutes later, Sam
Tafferner scored his first goal ever and gave the Bears 2-0 lead. The game remained
close, though the Bears controlled the play. The Stars put the pressure on with
a power-play goal in the second period. The Bears defense clamped down and the
forwards kept pouring it on. To seal the deal, blue-liner Tom Dobrokhot scored
the insurance goal from the point. The Bears won this hard-fought contest 3-1.
The Defensive trio of Tom, Frankie Newman, and David
Cunliffe was
flat-out awesome. They shut the Stars down. David erased threat after threat,
while Frankie’s heads-up play got the puck out of the zone. They also did a
superb job of holding the blue-line for the offense. On the rare occasion that
the Stars broke through, goalie Stevie Beecher sent them away disappointed,
making all the big stops. The forwards spent most of the game attacking the
Stars zone. Chase Thesman put on a dazzling stick-handling display, skating
through the other team like they were cones. Killian Anderson took a beating,
but still managed a number a great scoring chances. Gianluca Allen very nearly
scored and Johnny Rosenblum had a couple of close ones as well. The forwards
were also defensively responsible, back checking and covering guys in the slot.
This was a total team effort that saw every single
Bear contribute to
the victory. The boys all skated their hearts out. No one dogged it. Nobody
dragged his feet. I’m also particularly proud of the class and dignity in which
our team displayed. Physically, this was a rough game and the kids kept cool
heads and stayed focused. The Bears take California. The battle may be over,
but the war has just begun. Great job boys! Now, let’s get ready for next week.
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