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EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 18, 2018 Page 5
Ducks Win Battle of SoCal Hockey
By Adam Serrao
For now, though it may even only last a
week, the Anaheim Ducks have earned bragging
rights over the Los Angeles Kings. With
a 4-2 victory against their rivals last Saturday
night, the Ducks came out feisty and ready to
assert their dominance. That’s exactly what
they did. The Kings may indeed be the better
team in the standings, even with the loss
last week. Anaheim walked right into Staples
Center, however, and proved that it is currently
the team containing more fight.
Speaking of fight, there was plenty of it to
go around on the ice last week in Los Angeles.
Before even three minutes could tick off of
the game clock, the Freeway Faceoff rivals
would drop the gloves to go at it, as everyone
might have expected. What most may not have
expected, though, was that it would happen
two more times on each ensuing faceoff after
that. “That’s good hockey right there,” Ducks
captain Ryan Getzlaf explained. “That’s just
guys who are sticking up for each other. It
was good to see it on both sides.”
Perhaps nothing encapsulates a Ducks vs.
Kings game more than three fights taking place
over the course of four seconds of clock time
in front of a sold-out Staples Center crowd on
a Saturday night. Despite who landed more
physical blows to their opponent, Anaheim
proved to be the team to come out with more
fight in the game. With two goals in the first
period of play, the Ducks jumped out to a
big lead and took the air out of the building.
Though Los Angeles fought back late, the
damage had already been done as the Kings
were unable to mount a comeback after being
down 3-0 in the third period of play.
“It was obviously an emotional game,”
Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “The start
was physical. With three fights in a row, everybody
got fired up pretty quick. I think the
first 40 minutes on our part were not to the
level that we want to play. Third period we’re
playing catch-up and with desperation, which
we should do the first two periods.” Los Angeles
didn’t end opposing goalie John Gibson’s
shutout bid until the third quarter when Nick
Shore snapped his 27-game goal drought. Just
a few minutes later, Kopitar would scratch on
a one-timer for his 18th goal of the year to
make things a bit interesting for the first time
all night. It was Corey Perry, however, who
would crush the hopes of the Kings and their
fans as he flung the puck into an empty net
from 170 feet away in a play that proved to
be a microcosm of the Kings’ entire night.
The loss marked the third straight for L.A.
– a team that is once again falling victim to
what looks to be another rollercoaster type of
season. “I thought we had a lot of guys who
showed up ready for the physical challenge -- we
had some guys that didn’t,” Kings coach John
Stevens explained postgame. “It cost us. It’s a
good lesson for us. We cannot win a game like
that unless we have everybody, and we needed
more tonight.” The Kings are going to need
more if they wish to stay near the top of the
Pacific Division standings. Since Dec. 1, Los
Angeles ranks dead last in the NHL in shots
per game. The Kings had 25 against the Ducks
in the game one week ago, but will certainly
need to manufacture much more offense in
the coming weeks as the schedule will only
continue to get harder and harder.
“I think both teams understand the implications
of these games,” Stevens went on to say. “I
think everybody’s coming to the game knowing
that the chips are on the table and everybody’s
going to be all in.” The Kings will have to be
all in the next time they take on the Ducks,
with a rematch that just so happens to be this
week. The Ducks aren’t the only daunting team
coming up on the schedule for L.A., though,
as the Kings will also face off against the likes
of the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and
Tampa Bay Lightning in the coming weeks.
After winning the last five consecutive Pacific
Division titles, this season has been somewhat
trying for a Ducks team that has been forced to
deal with their share of injuries to start the year.
The team’s victory against L.A. put it just four
points behind the Kings for second place in
the standings. With Anaheim’s history of great
play late in the season, one would have to think
that the Ducks are right where they want to be
heading into the latter portion of the schedule.
The Kings, on the other hand, must get back
down to the details, eliminate self-inflicted
wounds and eradicate their tentative play at
the beginning of games. If Los Angeles can
learn to consistently put together three periods
in a row of high-intensity play, ditch the
rollercoaster and get back to winning, then
their playoff chances will certainly be looking
bright. For now, though, the Ducks not only
have bragging rights, but also seemingly have
all of the momentum that they need moving
forward into the second half of the season.
– Aserrao6@yahoo.com •
“Ninety percent of hockey is mental
and the other half is physical.”
– Wayne Gretzky
Eagles Start Ocean League Play
By Gregg McMullin
The Ocean League schedule for El Segundo
High School has started. With an eye on returning
to the CIF Southern Section playoffs,
both the boys and girls basketball teams took
it on the chin. Both soccer teams did well in
their openers and the girls water polo team
is on a tear as it opens league play.
Girls Water Polo Streaking
The Lady Eagles had a great start to their
Ocean League schedule. They defeated Culver
City 13-2 and then went on to dominate
Beverly Hills 22-1. The 2-0 start in league
play gives the team momentum going forward
as it battles for its first Ocean League title
in six years.
The real story is how the team performed
in the Diamond Bar Tournament. The tournament
is set up as a CIF Southern Section
Maya Weiss takes aim before unloading on a score against Beverly Hills.
Division 5 playoff preview with only teams
that compete in Division 5 entered. El Segundo
fared well and ended the tournament
4-1, with its only loss in the finals.
In the tournament opener against Chino,
the Lady Eagles got out to an early lead and
won 10-5. Jenna Olson led the scoring with
five goals, Claire Lindsey had three goals
and Christina Mullane had two goals. Kaitlin
Rourke and Sophia Caravello split time in
goal and together had seven saves.
In game two against Cajon, the El Segundo’s
defense stepped it up against a high-scoring
team and secured a 12-4 victory. Lindsey
notched four goals, Mullane had three, Jenna
Olson and Christina Grenke added two each,
and Emily Wilkinson scored once.
The second day of the tournament turned
out to be a marathon day that started against
top-ranked Sunny Hills. The Lancers had
come into the tournament 12-1 overall, so El
Segundo would have to play its best game.
What made it even more challenging was that
the Lady Eagles were playing the tournament
with just one substitute, so their thrilling 8-7
victory was a huge win and marked the first
time in seasons that they had knocked off
a top-ranked team. Olson and Mullane had
three goals apiece while Lindsey and Emily
Wilkinson each scored once. Caravello’s
eight saves, many from close range, proved
the difference-maker.
In the semifinal against Corona, the Lady
Eagles dominated both offensively and on
defense to win easily 11-1. Caravello had
eight saves through the first three quarters
and Kaitlin Rourke finished the fourth
quarter with three saves. Lindsey and Olson
continued their brilliant play from the center
position. Lindsey led the team with three
goals and two assists. Wilkinson had some
great outside shots and scored three goals,
while Olson had two goals. Maya Weiss
scored from long range and Mullane scored
twice. The win against Corona put the Lady
Eagles in the championship game against
Long Beach Millikan.
The championship game was a backand
forth battle with several lead changes.
Playing short-handed all day long may have
contributed to the physically draining 11-10
loss to the second-ranked Rams, who improved
to 15-2 on the year. Olson led the
Eagles with four goals, Mullane had three
and Lindsey added two. Christina Grenke
put in an incredible half court lob shot for
a goal. Caravello continued her spectacular
play and had an incredible 15 saves against
a team that averages 14 goals per game.
The Lady Eagles are 14-8 overall and 2-0 in
Ocean League play. They faced Torrance on
Tuesday before going up against Santa Monica
at home at 3 p.m. on Monday. The winner
will have the inside track on a league title.
Boys Basketball
Overmatched In Opener
The Eagles had started their season with
a 12-4 record and confidence as they started
Claire Lindsey is one of the leading scorers for the Lady Eagles.
See Eagles, page 13
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