Brothers Clash and Heroes Rise in Dramatic Game Three

Game Three also came on May 16, at the tail end of Game Two, an evening of double-header action. All teams have now played one another, which means siblings battling on different teams have had their first opportunity to duke it out on the rink. 

The moment did not disappoint. The Kinsey brothers brought their quintessential tenacity, infusing their game with invigorating drama. And the Hoffmann boys both had skill on display, each of them showing up on the score sheet for their respective teams. 

We know that blood is thicker than on-rink feuds, but that didn't stop the players from giving it their all. Game Three set the stage for exciting rivalries that will surely build throughout the season. 

Game Three Recaps

La Jolla Riptide vs. Torrey Pines Talons 

In the opening minutes of the game, both the La Jolla Riptide and Torrey Pines Talons seemed to be scrambling, with each team having some defensive zone breakdowns. But then the Riptide scored with 11:57 remaining in the first half, and they never looked back. 

The Riptide had an odd-man rush that ended with Nate Kallen pulling the Talons’ lone defenseman and goalie out of position, allowing him to make a stealthy backhand pass to a wide-open Lars Erickson, who put the puck into the yawning cage. Just seconds later, the Riptide re-gained puck possession after a Talons defensive-zone turnover, which led to a well-executed give-and-go between Dillon Bilek and William Anderson that resulted in Anderson ripping home a wrister from the top of the right circle. 

A few minutes later, Bilek and Anderson combined for another goal. Anderson won a defensive-zone faceoff forward to himself, skated the puck into the offensive zone, and threaded a pass between the Talons defense, putting Bilek on a breakaway on which he capitalized.    

The Talons got on the board midway through the second half. Talons’ captain Ray Kinsey got the best of his older brother, Reed Kinsey of the Riptide, after Ray hustled through what could have been a hooking penalty against Reed, collected an outlet pass from Colton Grover off the wall, and skated in on a two-on-one opportunity. With the passing lane well guarded, Ray released a wicked wrister that went far post and in, reducing the deficit to two.

But the Riptide answered right back. Taking advantage of the Talons’ extremely loose man-on-man coverage, Jimmy Becker casually skated the puck out of the Riptide defensive zone and found Kallen skating open in the middle of the rink. Kallen was allowed to walk in uncontested, and he juked the goalie out of his jockstrap before tucking the puck into an empty net. 

With 6:03 left in the game, the Riptide went on the power play, which was ultimately the most entertaining segment of the game. While out on the penalty kill, Ray Kinsey got to a loose puck and beat the high-man for the Riptide, going in on a breakaway—or so he thought.

Barreling down the rink on a ferocious backcheck was none other than Ray’s older brother, Reed Kinsey. Reed closed the gap and made a diving play that resulted in Ray losing his footing and crashing into the Riptide goaltender. 

The referees came together to deliberate on the play, and in that time, Reed Kinsey put on a chirping clinic, entertaining teammates and fans alike, as he light-heartedly berated his brother, calling out, “Jello legs Ray!”

Ultimately, Ray was awarded a penalty shot, which was denied by Riptide goalie Quinlen Johnston off a well-timed poke check. 

After killing off the penalty, the Talons struck again when Ray Kinsey and Jack Allen criss-crossed in the offensive zone, Kinsey dropping it off to Allen, who skated in and ripped a shot that found the back of the net.

Shortly after scoring, the Talons found themselves on another penalty kill. This time, the Riptide converted, a beautiful cross pass from Bilek to AJ Wright, who had plenty of time to receive the puck and release a shot before the goalie had time to recover. 

Seconds later, Wright picked up an errant pass and streaked into the offensive zone, deking a Talons defender and wiring in his second goal of the game, putting the Riptide up 7-2, the final score.

Final Score

La Jolla Riptide: 7
Torrey Pines Talons: 2

Keys to the Game

• La Jolla finding Grade-A scoring opportunities off the fast break
• Torrey Pines activating their shooters, but need to intensify their man-on-man defensive coverage

Gaslamp Guardians vs. Old Town Outlaws

The game between the Old Town Outlaws and Gaslamp Guardians was fast and exciting, with teams exchanging opportunities in a back-and-forth battle that required extra time. 

The Outlaws kicked off the scoring with an early goal by Noe Santos, who went from thieving bandit to sharp-shooting ranger in a highly skilled sequence: he stripped the puck from a Guardians’ defenseman, took a couple stickhandles and strides toward the net, and released a missile of a shot that beat the tendy near side.

Shortly after, the Guardians struck back with a gorgeous goal from captain Kyle Agnello. Agnello collected the puck off an offensive-zone faceoff won by teammate Anthony Mata. Taking the space available to him, Agnello circled into the center of the rink and cut through a couple of Outlaws defenders before going one-on-one with the goalie. Agnello deked to his forehand and out-waited the Outlaws tendy, roofing the puck from a tough angle and knotting the game at 1-1 just over two minutes into the first half. 

Later in the first half, Agnello broke the tie with another beautiful goal, taking it coast-to-coast and all the way around the Outlaws net before circling in front and shooting a sneaky shot from atop the crease. 

Shortly after, the Outlaws tied the game off an offensive-zone faceoff. Bryan Dodson won the draw, and the puck made its way to Evan Medeiros at the point. Medeiros fired a shot on goal that generated a prime rebound that Dodson gathered and stuffed into the net to tie the game up again. 

Just ten seconds into the second half, the Outlaws struck again. Dodson built speed in the neutral zone to get open for a pass from Ben Hoffmann. Receiving the pass along the left board near the center line, the right-handed Dodson hustled east to west, gaining speed and maintaining separation from the Guardians defenseman before taking a forehand shot that found the back of the net, regaining the Outlaws lead.

But the Guardians responded with beautiful team play. They moved the puck from low to high in the offensive zone, allowing their skaters to cycle with speed. Eventually, Logan Wise caught a pass from Mata and fired home a wrister from the top of the left circle, finishing off a slick tick-tac-toe passing play between Eli Hoffmann, Mata, and Wise. 

With the momentum, the Guardians continued to fly and keep up the pressure. Oren Berengolts received an outlet pass and skated into the offensive zone with speed, criss-crossing and dropping the puck for Agnello, who found a shooting lane and sniped top glove for the hat trick goal, putting the Guardians up 4-3 with 11:45 remaining in the second half. 

And the back-and-forth excitement continued...

The Outlaws’ Ben Hoffmann picked up a blocked shot and released a quick wrister that found twine, tying the game back up. 

The Guardians’ Eli Hoffmann--twin brother of Ben Hoffmann--and Berengolts converted on a two-on-none break, putting the Guardians up 5-4 with 3:40 remaining in regulation. 

The Outlaws’ Dodson picked up the puck from behind his own net after it was shot off the glass and went coast-to-coast before finishing with a nasty top-shelf snipe from a tough angle that somehow found daylight between the goalie’s shoulder and crossbar. His hat-trick goal. 

All tied at the end of regulation, the game extended into the first overtime of the EDL season.  

Two minutes into the three-on-three overtime, the Outlaws’ Santos and Hoffmann got on a two-on-one break. Santos slid the puck across to Hoffmann, who got behind the defender and pulled the puck across the crease before sliding it five-hole and winning the game 6-5.

Final Score

Gaslamp Guardians: 5
Old Town Outlaws: 6

Keys to the Game

• Gaslamp generating opportunities through cycling and strong puck support
• Old Town proving their resilience while using speed, size, and skill to generate opportunities off the rush