Ice Hockey: Edison captures Commissioner’s Cup
ANAHEIM — Ryan Osterkamp was the second-leading scorer for Edison High’s ice hockey team in the regular season.
During the playoffs, he averaged less than a point per game.
While the Chargers captain did not have a high-scoring postseason, it is arguable that he made two of the most important plays for his team in the final game.
The junior’s timely play helped push his team over the top in its return trip to the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League Division 3 championship game.
Osterkamp scored the go-ahead goal with 2:38 left in the second period, and Edison rallied for a 6-4 win over La Puente Bishop Amat to take the Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday at The Rinks Anaheim Ice.
Edison (14-3-0-1) claimed its redemption for its title-game loss to St. John Bosco the previous year.
The Chargers certainly weren’t sorry to see the Braves get promoted this season. St. John Bosco went 17-0-1-0 in winning a championship in its first year in Division 2.
Osterkamp’s only point of the game was the goal that broke a 3-3 tie. His shot over the right pad of Christopher Cantillo (20 saves) was part of a second wave of quick strikes for Edison. James McGuire’s tying marker had come 1:28 earlier from Jake Gealy and Nico Santoro on a power play.
Losing to Huntington Beach in the Surf City Face-off at the end of the regular season had planted a seed of doubt in the Chargers’ minds, but they recuperated for a magical four-game run.
“I really think the momentum shifted greatly between those goals,” Osterkamp said of taking the lead. “That really put us back in the game.”
“I really think that coming back here and winning it, it was just tremendously impressive for all of us.”
The junior forward won his second championship of the school year. He started at left tackle for Edison’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 title-winning football team in his first year of playing the sport.
Osterkamp played a big part in the eventual game-winner, too.
Edison was on a crucial penalty kill in the third period when its captain delivered a hit that freed the puck up for a short-handed opportunity. Charley Lowe went unchallenged from the defensive blue line, and he converted the breakaway high on the stick side for a 5-3 lead.
“I knew that I had a chance to get the goal, just win the game for us,” Lowe said. “I felt like if I got that goal, we won. It would have boosted all of our confidence, and we would keep trying until the end. That’s what happened.”
Lowe chimed in with his thoughts on avenging last year’s finals loss, saying, “It feels way better this year than last year. This is our home now.”
Playing in championship games may feel like home now, but the Chargers were not afforded that peace of mind at the beginning of the game. Within the first four minutes, Clayton Davis-Bracamontes had put the Lancers (11-3-3-0) on top, 1-0.
“When they scored their first goal, I think it kind of hit all of us that we need to come out and start playing better,” Trevor Arsenault said. “We came out, and we were flat. They scored right off the bat. It was kind of a wake-up call for the rest of the game.”
The all-senior top line of Arsenault, Gealy, and Riley Lord scored twice in short order, and the Chargers had the lead 2:03 after the Davis-Bracamontes goal.
Bishop Amat retook the lead with goals by Brendan Kerr-Fretwell and Nicolas Goodling before the end of the first period.
Gealy had a game-high four points, including an empty-net goal to seal it with seven seconds left.
Arsenault and Gealy combined for 20 points in the tournament.
Lord started playing the game in his freshman year when he met Gealy through connections outside of the sport. Hockey was the reason he came to Edison, and he has a championship to celebrate with the seniors that became his best friends.
“It was crazy how fast it went. I’m just trying to keep up with these guys,” Lord said of playing with his linemates. “They’ve been playing since they were younger. It’s harder for me, but I held my own.”
“It’s amazing. I never thought that this would ever happen.”
Chargers goaltender Savannah Gutierrez stopped 18 of 22 shots in the win.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
