Surfers Ride Into First Place With Week-Six Win

Week six was another treat for fans of the San Diego Elite Draft League. Stellar goaltending. Bar-down clappers. Relentless forechecking.

The Temecula Vineyard Vipers have found a mid-season rhythm that’s put them on their first win streak of the season, and the North County Surfers three-game win streak puts them at the top of the standings and looking like the most well-rounded team in the league as we cruise into the second half of this inaugural season. 

Week Six Recap

North County Surfers vs. Del Mar Bandits 

This was a matchup between two teams carrying drastically different momentum. The Del Mar Bandits were coming in on a two-game losing streak while the Surfers were rolling with a two-game win streak. While the first half of the game held back-and-forth action, the Surfers pulled away in the second half, leaving the Bandits in search of answers to pull them out of their slump. 

The Surfers set the tone early in the game with a sizzling 3-on-1 rush that ended with a clap-bomb snipe from Ray Kinsey at the top of the circles. The Surfers built off this early momentum with some aggressive forechecking that extended Surfers’ puck possession and led to a quick follow-up goal from Reed Kinsey, who let fly a seeing-eye wrist shot from above the circles to make it 2-0 early in the first half. The Bandits responded nicely with help from sub David Baldwin, who was able to slow down the play with calculated neutral zone puck possession and find Noah Meni with a lead pass that Meni caught and released in stride to get the Bandits on the board. This would be the Bandits’ only goal of the game. 

After ending the first half with a 3-1 lead, the Surfers continued to pour on pressure and capitalize on opportunities. Seven Surfers players ended up on the score sheet: Ray Kinsey (3G; 2A), Reed Kinsey (2G; 1A), Jay Neal (1G), Dylan Woods (1G), AJ Wright (1A), Brian Pino (1A), and Bryce Runyan (1A). In addition to getting a helper, goaltender Bryce Runyan played terrific in net, stopping 18 of 19 shots and backstopping the Surfers to a commanding 7-1 win over the Bandits. 

Despite the loss, a couple of Bandits players stood out. In addition to the Baldwin-Meni connection, defenseman Keith Gurr and forward Colton Grover both had standout moments. Gurr looked reliable and composed in the back end, nicely distributing the puck for clean zone exits. Grover had dazzling moments on offense that had everything but the goal finish. On the other end, all Surfers players showed up and played as a unit. They upheld their unofficial title as the highest energy team, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

For backstopping the team with a near-perfect game, Bryce Runyan was recognized as player of the game.

Final Score
North County Surfers: 7
Del Mar Bandits: 1

Temecula Vineyard Vipers vs. Mission Bay Ospreys

After ending their losing streak the previous week, the Temecula Vineyard Vipers came out looking like a team on a mission. With an even more complete bench this week than last, they absolutely hounded the Mission Bay Ospreys with relentless forechecking and impressive backchecking, notable pressure coming from young forward Logan Wise and veteran defenseman Chad Lewis. Add on to that some very opportunistic moments from the Vipers, led by a three-goal performance from forward Wes Langeloh, and the Vipers would go on to win this one with an end score of 4-1.  

Despite losing, the Mission Bay Ospreys played with hustle and bite, making it an entertaining bout between two focused teams. The biggest obstacle for the Ospreys was Vipers goaltender Zach Cummings, who stopped 15 of 16 shots and made some absolutely momentum-swinging saves to keep his team ahead at pivotal points of the game. This included two beautiful back-to-back saves in the dying seconds of the first half and an equally huge save to kick off the second. Saves that enabled the Vipers to maintain a 1-0 lead until Langeloh scored his second goal of the game with an absolute dart that he rifled top corner while serving on the penalty kill.

The most impressive element to the Vipers’ game this week was their full-team commitment to defense, which was on display across the entire lineup. From tendy Cummings never giving up on the play, to intense forecheck and backcheck pressure, to  effective communication ensuring all defensive assignments were being met, the Vipers whole team showed up for the full 30 minutes, and they were rewarded with a big win to start their first win streak of the season.

For making pivotal saves and being a bonafide spider monkey, Zach Cummings was recognized as player of the game.

Final Score
Temecula Vineyard Vipers: 4
Mission Bay Ospreys: 1

Looking Ahead: Keys to the Game
These are key ingredients deemed necessary for each respective team to find success, as analyzed by the San Diego Elite Draft League back office.

Del Mar Bandits: Up the team communication to pick up attacking players earlier when defending and to generate quality offensive-zone opportunities instead of relying on individual run-and-gun efforts.

Mission Bay Ospreys: Shoot to score in all game situations. The speed and chemistry are there, but that won’t matter without finishing off plays with an intentional shot. 

North County Surfers: Keep doing what you’re doing, setting the tone with high energy, physical play, and team camaraderie.

Temecula Vineyard Vipers: Stay committed to the defensive side of the game to open up opportunities for the top-end scoring talent.