The Santa Rosa Junior College hockey team fought hard but falling to early-season rival UC Santa Clara, losing 11-2 on Oct. 24 at Snoopy’s Home Ice.
According to head coach T.J. Albrecht and players, the game was closer than the final score indicated. SRJC kept its foot on the gas for most of the matchup but the Polar Bears were no match for the Broncos’ oppressive offense.
A scoring frenzy broke out early. In the first period, the Broncos tallied two goals within two minutes of each other. Five minutes later, SRJC center and winger Traber Burns responded with a hustle play, outstretching his stick to beat the Broncos defender to the puck. Scoring the Polar Bears’ first goal of the night. Burns contributed to both SRJC’s goals and showed immense joy with his performance on the ice.
“It’s awesome, man,” Burns said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played well at a competitive level; I took four years off of hockey and just came back to it this year.”
Santa Clara led 5-1 at the end of the first period. The Broncos offense proved too much for the Polar Bears, extending their lead to 9-1 in the third.
“I’d like to see more turnovers in the neutral zone,” Albrecht said. “I think our strategy is to turn the puck over, that’s our offense right there. But we had some chances tonight too.”
Goaltender Luc Caron was constantly pelted by Broncos shots. Second-chance opportunities in front of the net resulted in many of the goals. While the stat line says otherwise, players and coaches agreed Caron was keeping the club’s head above water and their chances alive.
“Our best player is Luc, our goalie,” Albrecht said. “Everyone knows it.”
In the third period, the roar of Snoopy’s Home Ice grew as chances started to pile up for the home team. SRJC showcased some of its best puck control of the night in the final three minutes, culminating with defenseman and winger Will Cornelius burying a pass from Burns. The score-starved crowd erupted.
“The No. 1 positive is that we kept our effort level up at 100% the entire game, no matter what the score was,” Burns said. “We fought hard, that’s the work paying off.”
The Polar Bears return to Snoopy’s Home Ice on Oct. 31 to face UC Santa Barbara.
