Edison looks to rebound
Edison’s hockey team was off to the races.
The Chargers won their first five games, looking very much like the team that reached the Division 3 final of the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League playoffs last season.
That set up a thrilling set of back-to-back games against Servite, last year’s semifinal foe.
In the end, the Friars came away with a pair of one-goal victories. The sweep gave Servite a commanding lead for first place in the Coast View Conference, just past the midway point of its season.
Per the ADHSHL point system, teams receive three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, and one for an overtime loss.
Servite dealt the Chargers their first two losses, and the Friars now appear to have an insurmountable lead in the Coast View Conference. Servite (7-0-2-0) has 25 points with six league games remaining.
Edison (5-2-0-0) has 15 points with seven games to go.
Chargers coach David Walker doesn’t want his team to place its focus on getting back into the divisional race with Servite. He says his team needs to go back to the drawing board and return to the things that made them successful early on.
“When we’ve had success, it’s been games where we have possessed the puck and not given it away,” Walker said.
Another key for the Chargers moving forward is to stay out of the penalty box. Edison allowed two power-play goals, both to Luc Cross, in the second game against Servite.
Edison is getting the itch to get back in the win column, and it comes with the added motivation of playing Los Alamitos. The teams will face off at Lakewood Ice at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Although hockey is not yet a CIF-sanctioned sport, both schools are part of a traditional Sunset League rivalry.
“Any time you start the season like we did and all of the sudden have back-to-back losses, the kids are (anxious) to get back into the win column,” Walker said. “They all understand that the season is not a 30- or 40-game season, so every game has that much more importance to it.”
The Chargers will be without goaltender Savannah Gutierrez, who will be traveling to the East Coast for a tournament with the Anaheim Jr. Lady Ducks 16U AAA team.
Garrett Dato is expected to make his second start of the season between the pipes. He took the loss in a 5-4 defeat against Servite on Oct. 22.
On The Board
Huntington Beach picked up its first win of the season with a 6-5 overtime decision over Los Alamitos in its last contest.
Josh Pluth scored the game-winner 23 seconds into the extra session.
The Oilers (0-5-1-0) trailed 4-1 entering the third period, but a four-goal final frame sent the game to overtime. Evan Stapleton had two goals in the period, including the tying marker with 3:09 remaining.
“It was our first victory of the season, so it was kind of gratifying that way for them,” Oilers coach Shawn Pitcher said. “Hopefully, it will boost their confidence a little bit and we can get going on the right track.”
Huntington Beach has played competitively. All but one of its games have been decided by two goals or less.
The Oilers fell to Servite, 5-3, back on Oct. 1. The teams meet again on Saturday night, with the opening draw coming at 6:25 p.m from Lakewood Ice.
Upcoming Games for Area Teams
Edison Game: vs. Los Alamitos at Lakewood Ice, Rink A (Saturday, Nov. 5, 1:15 p.m.)
Huntington Beach: vs. Servite at Lakewood Ice, Rink B (Saturday, Nov. 5, 6:25 p.m.)
Newport-Mesa: vs. Orange Lutheran, Anaheim Ice (Saturday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m.)
COAST VIEW CONFERENCE STANDINGS (DIVISION 3)
Servite, 25 points (7-0-2-0)
Edison, 15 points (5-2-0-0)
Santa Margarita, 10 points (3-2-0-1)
Beckman, 10 points (3-3-0-1)
Los Alamitos, 7 points (2-2-0-1)
Woodbridge, 5 points (1-3-0-2)
Huntington Beach, 2 points (0-5-1-0)
