Hellmich key to 9-8 triumph

Steve Virgen

This game had it all: A pivotal match in the Golden West League

standings, a clash of crosstown rivals, four ties, three lead

changes, and a last-second shot attempt that would have sent the game

into overtime.

In the end, the Estancia High Eagles celebrated a 9-8 victory over

their rival, visiting Costa Mesa, Tuesday, when Estancia senior Jess

Hellmich scored the decisive goal with 1:30 left. Later, with two

seconds remaining, Hellmich blocked Costa Mesa’s final shot attempt

at sending the game into overtime.

“We were going in with the mentality that we had to win and we

wouldn’t accept anything else,” Hellmich said. “If we lost this game

our season was pretty much over. I was totally excited we won. We

only have two league games left and we have to win the next two in

order to make the playoffs.”

The Mustangs (6-8, 1-2 in league) overcame an 8-5 deficit in the

fourth quarter. Mesa went on a 3-0 run in 3:29, led by sophomore Adam

Douglas, who scored the three goals. After Mesa junior Brian Tipton

stole an Estancia pass attempt, Douglass went down to set and drew an

ejection. He then took an entry pass from Tipton and tied the score,

8-8, with 2:24 remaining.

In the closing moments, the teams traded missed shots. But with

1:20 remaining Estancia junior Paul Collier found his teammate,

Hellmich, on the wing, and Hellmich spun away from his defender and

finished his clear look to the cage.

The excitement continued when Collier recorded a steal with 1:16

left, but 25 seconds later, Estancia was called for an offensive foul

(push-off). Costa Mesa called another timeout and set up a play,

which ended up being a shot from about six meters out by Douglass.

The shot went through the hands of Estancia junior goalie Nate

Marsteller, but the goalie grabbed the ball before it floated into

the cage, with 30 seconds left.

All the Eagles (4-8, 2-2) had to do was run out the clock, but

they actually fired off a shot that went over the cage with two

seconds left, setting up the dramatics ended by Hellmich.

Senior Frank Gamboa led the Eagles with four goals, and he, along

with Hellmich, keyed Estancia’s big third quarter when the Eagles

outscored the Mustangs, 5-1. At halftime, Estancia Coach John

Carpenter told his players to increase their intensity and the Eagles

responded.

Estancia scored four unanswered goals in a 1:47 span. The

highlight of the run came with 2:46 left in the third quarter, when

junior Anthony Herman recorded a steal and quickly started a fast

break. He passed it to Estancia junior John Bates, who threw it

forward to Collier, who caught it at half-tank and in one motion

passed to Gamboa, who scored the goal for a 6-4 lead.

About 30 seconds later, Gamboa recorded a steal that ended a Costa

Mesa six-on-five situation, and Gamboa went out on the break and

finished it off with a lob shot for what was thought to be a

commanding 7-4 lead.

“(Gamboa) sat out last year (due to academic ineligibility),”

Carpenter said. “But this year he came back with a vengeance. He sets

an example and sets the tone for this team with his hard work.”

Tipton answered with a four-meter penalty shot and score, but

Gamboa ended the quarter with a goal on an outside shot.

Douglas led the Mustangs with four goals, while Tipton scored

three.

“My little, young guys went out and played hard,” said Mesa Coach

Bob Shupp, whose team features five sophomores, two freshmen, two

juniors and no seniors. “This was a game that both teams had to win.

It was an exciting game. It went back and forth.”

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Estancia 9, Costa Mesa 8

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 1 3 1

3 -- 8

Estancia 3 0 5

1 -- 9

CM -- Douglas 4, Tipton 3, Spencer 1. Saves --

Jaroslawksi 5.

Est -- Gamboa 4, Hellmich 3, Collier 1, Herman 1. Saves

-- Marsteller 8.