October 26, 2008
UC Santa Barbara dominant at WCRHL Kickoff Event
UCSB squads finish with an overall record of 12-0
The UC Santa Barbara Roller Hockey Club starts the season with a 12-0 record. This is the best overall record for all clubs in the WCRHL this season. Likewise, the UCSB club started the 2007-2008 schedule with 10 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie.
This season they had a harder schedule than the last, with the Division I team defeating archrival Cal Poly San Luis Obispo by a 6-4 score, and games against 3 other opponents that UCSB had never seen in WCRHL regular season play. UCSB defeated San Diego State 5-3, El Camino College 11-1, and CSU Northridge 10-0. The UCSB B Gold team defeated Sonoma State B, Cal Poly SLO B, Saddleback College B, and UC San Diego B with a combined goal differential of +26. The UCSB B Blue team defeated Cal Poly SLO B Gold, Sonoma State B, UC San Diego B and UC Davis B with a +22 goal differential.
All three UCSB teams looked strong, much of which can be attributed to their on-campus roller hockey rink that doubles as a multi-activity court for indoor soccer, basketball, volleyball and other sports. The rink is about 10-15 feet wider than standard roller hockey rinks, and the teams practice multiple times weekly, often at 7am before class, since rink time is at a premium due to the popularity of intramural indoor soccer and other activities.
Also in Division I play, UC Irvine has come out with a strong start, winning all 4 of their games and outscoring opponents 36-17. UNLV follows UCI and UCSB closely with a 3-1 record, while Long Beach State sits at 2-2. UC Irvine is led by Mike and Jordan Tasch, who are averaging over 4 points per game. They played a back and forth game against new rival Long Beach State, with UCI coming out on top by a score of 9-7, with Long Beach State opening the scoring 2-0, UCI scoring 5 straight goals to take a 5-2 lead, Long Beach State scoring 3 to remain even. From there the teams traded goals with UCI always ending up one goal ahead. UCI finished with an empty net goal for the 9-7 win.
In Division II play, UC San Diego started off where they left off at Nationals last season, with a 4-0 record and outscoring opponents 37-11. UCSD is followed closely by University of San Diego and Chico State, both off to great starts with 3-1 records. Another good showing in Division II is newcomer UC Santa Cruz who finished 2-1-1, rebounding nicely off of their 5-1 loss to Chapman University, tieing USC and defeating Cal Poly Pomona and Claremont College.
The UC Santa Barbara B squads both sit at 4-0, followed by Saddleback College B and Cal Poly SLO B at 2-2. The UC Santa Barbara squads will likely face off at the 949 Roller Hockey Center in Irvine in December to see which squad will remain on top. Cal Poly SLO B defeated Saddleback College B by a score of 5-4, so look for these teams to challenge the UCSB squads.
The Junior College Division has two teams participating, Saddleback College from Mission Viejo, CA and El Camino College from Torrance, CA. Saddleback finished the weekend 4-0, defeating Cal Poly SLO, Long Beach State, UC Berkeley and El Camino College. The Junior College teams season schedule consists of 3 games against the other Junior College, and games against various Division I and Division II opponents. El Camino finished the weekend 1-3, but the game that really matters is the game against Saddleback. The Junior Colleges will not play at the WCRHL Regional Championship Tournament, but will have their best of 3 series during the season dictate the 1st bid to Nationals for the Junior College Division. The teams will face off twice more this season, at the 949 Roller Hockey Center in Irvine in December and again in January.
Less than 3 weeks away, the WCRHL will be hosting 2 simultaneous events at Davis Indoor Sports Center in Davis, CA and the Rollerplex in Peoria, AZ on November 15th, 2008. Division II teams from Northern CA will participate at the Davis event and Division I teams will participate at the Peoria event. Schedules to be posted 2 weeks prior to the event. Check back often here at www.wcrhl.com for updates.