Tritons Earn 3 Points
Huntington Beach, CA- The UC San Diego Roller Hockey Club continued their season this past weekend (November 21, 2015) with games against University of Arizona, Cal Poly Pomona, and Sonoma State University.
The first game of the day was an early matchup against a strong University of Arizona team. The Wildcats came ready to play in the opening period and outworked the Tritons to jump to an early lead just a minute and a half in. Arizona wouldn’t stop there and they were able to tack on two more tallies before the end of the first period putting the Tritons down 3-0. UC San Diego would rebound in the second as they began to muster up some offense, but were unable to find the back of the net. The third period began with the score still 3-0 and the Tritons knowing they had quite the hill to climb. Despite the intense effort, UC San Diego was unable to put the puck in the back of the net, and they would fall 3-0.
In the second game of the day, the Tritons looked to find the win column as they went head to head against Cal Poly Pomona. The first period was a hard fought battle with good scoring chances coming from each team but the Tritons found themselves down 1-0. Just 26 seconds into the second frame, the Broncos scored from a sharp angle shot that just roller over the goal line to extended their lead to 2. UC San Diego looked determine to rebound from this and score their first goal of the tournament. Finally with 23 seconds left in the second period, and a penalty being called on Cal Poly, Dylan Shives rocketed a shot pass the Bronco netminder to cut the deficit to 1. Entering the third period with momentum, the Tritons looked determined to tie the game. They fought hard during the entire 12-minute period and finally with just 18 seconds left and goaltender Peter Simonsen on the bench for an extra attacker, forward Grant Marcy fired one into the net to draw the score even at 2. With the game now in overtime, the Broncos were able to sneak a shot past the UC San Diego goaltender to take a 3-2 overtime win.
Just an hour later, UC San Diego would take on Sonoma State for their last game of the day. The five-man squad looked tired as the Seawolves jumped out to an early 3-0 lead just seven minutes into the game. However, a short intermission proved to be exactly what the Tritons needed as they came out hard in the second period. In a matter of 40 seconds, the Tritons got a goal from Adrian Garcia Badaracco and two from Dylan Shives to tie the game at 3. The two teams would exchange goals during the remainder of the second period to set up an exciting 4-4 third period. Grant Marcy would give the Tritons their first lead of the tournament with a goal just 45 seconds into the final frame. The goal proved to be just what UC San Diego needed as goalie Peter Simonsen would shut down the Seawolves offense in the third period making 9 of his 26 saves to clinch the win.
The second half of the season will continue for the UC San Diego Roller Hockey Club as they head to Tucson, AZ on February 6, 2016.
