The Santa Rosa Junior College hockey team fell 8-0 to Reno on Friday, Feb. 6 at Snoopy’s Home Ice as the visitors capitalized on an early surge and extended offensive-zone pressure.
Reno seized control in the opening period, scoring 4 goals to build momentum. Santa Rosa struggled to contain Reno’s speed through the neutral zone, allowing clean entries that led to extended time in the defensive end.
Reno added 1 goal in the second period before pulling away with 3 more goals in the third.
Defenseman Jon Christenson said slowing Reno’s top offensive threat proved difficult despite adjustments as the game progressed.
“It was honestly just neutralizing one of their star players, No. 95 Christopher Lai,” Christenson said. “He ended up with 5 of their 8 goals. We started collapsing into the center and covering lanes better, and I got a few blocked shots on him, but once he got speed through the neutral zone, it was tough to stop.”
Extended time in the defensive zone also wore on the Polar Bears, according to Christenson.
“When we can’t clear the zone, it just gets exhausting,” he said. “There’s a lot of back-and-forth, and if you’re forced into an icing, you don’t get a change. It keeps tired legs out there, and that wears you down pretty quickly.”
Forward Will Cornelius said breakdowns up ice contributed to Reno’s scoring chances.
“As forwards, some of us — including me — got caught down in the offensive zone,” Cornelius said. “They broke it past us, and it turned into odd-man rushes. We let them skate around us too much in the defensive zone.”
Despite the lopsided score, left wing Traber Burns said the team remained connected and continued to adjust as the game went on.
“It’s not hard when we already love each other,” Burns said. “We kept hustling throughout the game and didn’t give up.”
Burns added that Santa Rosa began to find defensive answers later in the game, particularly at even strength.
“Once we locked down No. 95, we kind of figured out how to play defense a lot better,” he said. “5-on-5, we started to figure things out. The third period kind of got away from us, mostly because of penalties.”
Burns also pointed to increased physical play as part of the team’s response.
“Our response was really in our strategy,” he said. “We got a lot more physical with them, and it was working. If we tighten up, stay physical and keep an eye on a couple guys, I think we can have a much more even game.”
The Polar Bears had little time to dwell on loss, facing Reno again Saturday in the second game of the back-to-back series.
Santa Rosa will return to the ice to host San Jose State University at 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at Snoopy’s Ice Arena.
