December 12, 2011

WCRHL Division I - 1st Semester Recap - 1st and 2nd place teams

UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State share the spotlight!

What an exciting start to the 2011-12 season! Quite possibly the most competitive the WCRHL has ever been! Most games have been incredibly close and it’s tough at this point to call out a favorite to win the WCRHL Division I Regional Championship, but UC Santa Barbara has definitely made a case for themselves with their impressive 7-1 start.

The UCSB squad has been playing a great team game that has helped them capture first place in the WCRHL. They have been playing great, starting with excellent defensive play and finishing, with Travis Noe leading the way on offense with a league-leading 36 points in 8 games. Tyler Barrier has been excellent in his rookie year in the league with a league-leading 3.75 goals against average. The special teams for UCSB have been a high point for the team as they have scored on 50% (11/22) of their power plays and have yet to give a goal on 10 penalty kills. In addition to the perfect penalty kill, Noe has also added 2 shorthanded goals. UCSB lost the first game of their season against Arizona State University, but have gone on a streak, winning 7 straight games including a rematch against ASU in Huntington Beach, CA. The great second tournament effort is even more impressive considering UCSB was forced to play with 6 skaters, as Max Ryan and Jake Wiskel sat out with injuries.

Currently sitting in second place are the 2010-11 Division I National Champions, Long Beach State (5-2-1). Despite losing their offensive powerhouse and former captain, Ryan Burrows, Long Beach has still been able to manufacture the league’s best offense with 58 goals. Ryan Doyle and Paul Anderson have picked up right where they left off last year with 28 and 21 points, respectively. Their offense has also been complemented with the addition of ice hockey crossover, Taylor Abramson, who has added 18 points. Corey Jones’ league-leading .836 save percentage and the team’s solid defensive play has them tied at first in the league in goals against. Long Beach’s power play has been very productive, scoring on 51.9% of their chances (14/27). Long Beach has struggled a bit on the penalty kill, only stopping 61.5% of the chances (8/13).

Last year’s number two finisher, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is currently sitting at third place in the WCRHL, tied in points with Long Beach State, but in third due to tie-breakers.

WCRHL will highlight the next 2 teams in the standings soon, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UNLV.