Scoring not a problem on home opening weekend
vs Loyola Marymount
The 2017 season officially opened at Lakewood Ice on Friday night as the Loyola Marymount Lions came to Long Beach. Teams were trading rushes up the ice through the first quarter of the period when Beach defenseman, Adam Stanovich, was called for a check from behind.
As the Beach penalty-kill unit struggled in the first game, the focus was on making simple plays to avoid giving up the early lead. Fortunately for the Beach, the struggles of the season opener seemed to be long gone as they managed two short-handed goals on Stanovich’s penalty. Beach newcomer, Matt Hoeksema, opened up the scoring 20 seconds into the penalty. Just under a minute later, Luke Miller would double the lead and grab his fourth goal in two games. The elation would be short-lived as Loyola ended up finding the back of the net on the penalty to cut the lead in half. The teams would trade goals before the end of the period and the Beach would head into the second, up 3-2.
Long Beach controlled the remainder of the game, as Blake Sundy, Francis Lemay, Evan Rusch, Michael Hakimi, and Kody Ichinaga would all score to ensure an 8-3 home-opener win.
vs Chapman University
Saturday night, the Beach was right back at it with visiting Chapman University. Starting Chapman goalie, Jack Friedman, put on a clinic as he stopped all 15 shots in the first period to keep the game at 0-0.
Fortunately for the Beach, the scoring troubles soon ended as a power-play goal by Tyler Galgas would put the team ahead, half-way through the second. Joseph Toews and Kody Ichinaga would add two goals late to send the Beach into the second intermission up 3-0.
Ichinaga would find the back of the net two more times in the third, to complete the hat-trick, as the Beach scored 8-goals for the second time in as many games. Long Beach’s 8-1 win over Chapman puts the season record at 2-1-0, with both wins giving the team points in the WCHC standings.
