Everything clicked for the Santa Rosa Junior College Polar Bears ice hockey team when they beat the University of California Davis Aggies 8-4 for their first win of the season.
Santa Rosa (1-2-0) bounced back from two early season losses to Gonzaga University and Santa Clara University in this match against UC Davis (1-2-0), which saw several Polar Bears with multiple scores, including forward Toby Petrus who scored three goals and two assists.
“We played decent hockey in the first two games but weren’t really able to close it out towards the end,” head coach Jackson Waldron said. “Still stuff to clean up, but we did enough things to deserve a win tonight.”
The game started going the wrong direction for the Polar Bears, with referees assessing Polar Bears rookie forward Brady Currotto a two-minute charging penalty only 15 seconds into the game. UC Davis capitalized on the ensuing powerplay, with Aggies forward Anthony Goldhawk scoring the first goal on an assist from forward Cameron Stone.
Following the early goal, the Polar Bears looked to rebound. Forward Toby Petrus scored his first goal off the assist from defensemen Angus Brodeur and forward Patrick Voors with 11:33 remaining in the first period.
With the score at 1-1, both teams traded scoring chances against each other. This continued until the Aggies’ second goal with 5:14 remaining. Aggies forward Chris Dunleavy put the puck past Polar Bears goaltender Alejandro Barajas with ease after a defensive breakdown left three Aggies in front of the goal.
The Polar Bears looked like they would finish another first period behind until referees assessed Goldhawk with a two-minute hooking penalty. Santa Rosa defenseman Gordy Brodeur quickly scored on an assist from defensemen Jonah Petrus to tie the game at two goals apiece with 2:15 left.
SRJC gained the momentum and started shooting the puck without restraint toward Aggies goaltender Timur Katsnelson. With only eight seconds left, SRJC rookie forward Logan Koop scored his first goal for the Polar Bears, rebounding a shot from Toby Petrus.
The first period ended with Santa Rosa up 3-2. Both teams had taken 17 shots on goal.
The Aggies returned to the ice at the beginning of the second looking flat and uninspired. The Polar Bears immediately jumped at the opportunity to increase their lead.
During a two-minute hooking penalty against Aggies forward Wyatt Moore, Polar Bears rookie forward Patrick Voors scored his first goal of the night, beating Katsnelson over his blocker side to make the score 4-2.
Following that goal, the Polar Bears played their best hockey of the season, by locking down on defense to prevent the Aggies’ offense from crossing the blue line pelting Katsnelson with shots on goal and forcing the Aggies into penalty trouble. Toby Petrus highlighted the Polar Bears’ offense when he scored a power-play goal, a slap shot off a pass from rookie forward Currato and Toby Petrus’ older brother Jonah, for the younger brother’s second goal.
The second period ended with the Polar Bears up by three, having and allowed only five shots on Barajas.
The Polar Bears kept the momentum going, with defensemen Gordy Brodeur beating goalie Katsnelson on a fast break for his second goal to increase the Polar Bears’ lead by four goals.
Less than one minute later, Voors upped the score to seven, scoring his second goal of the night off an assist from forward Toby Petrus and rookie forward Claire Zerbe.
With 12:48 remaining in the game, Toby Petrus earned his hat trick on a goal assisted by rookie forward Antonio Hernandez and Voors.
The Aggies scored two late goals after referees assessed several penalties including a two-minute roughing charge both against Voors and Goldhawk.
The Polar Bears earned their first win of the season when the buzzer sounded 30 seconds later. They defeated the U.C. Davis Aggies 8-4.
“Feels nice to get the first win,” Toby Petrus said after the game. “Good team effort all around.”
Polar Bears rookie forward Brady Currado agreed with Petrus. “Especially after being 0-2, it makes you feel like the things that you’re doing right are actually paying off, obviously helps us feel like we’re going in the right direction,” he said.
The Santa Rosa Polar Bears’ next series will be against their rival, the Santa Clara University Broncos, with the first game at 8:00 p.m. Oct. 21 at Snoopy’s Home Ice and the second game at 8:00 p.m. Oct. 22 at Sharks Ice Fremont.
