Braves close out regular season with big wins

The previous 15 games, even with a few downs, have been very impressive and commendable. St. John Bosco opened the season with a shutout and carried their momentum throughout the next games. With every loss resulted in a huge comeback with high final scores. The remaining three games of the season were just as exciting as the St. John Bosco battled the Panthers Warriors United, Capistrano United 3, and Corona Norco 3.

GAME 16 | Friday, January 26, 2024 | St. John Bosco 10, Panthers Warriors United 1

St. John Bosco faced against Panthers Warriors United at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena Rink #4 and won with a final score of 10-1. 

During the first period, St. John Bosco recorded 3 goals within the first period while Panthers Warriors United scored 1 goal. St. John Bosco scored first with Teegan Garnder recording a goal at 14:22 which was assisted by Mattan Benisty (1-0). Patrik Cech scored a powerplay goal which was assisted by Ian Sullano and Krish Jindia at 11:00 (2-0) and another powerplay goal at 08:00, assisted by Noah Rebollo-Pena (3-0). Panthers Warriors United scored the first and final goal of the game at 05:32 (3-1). Penalties were even-split during the first period as both teams ended with two penalties each. St. John Bosco’s goalie Nicholai Rubio faced 7 shots, only letting one go in while Panthers Warriors United's James Valenzuela faced 14 shots, letting 3 slip past him. The score after the first period was 3-1 in favor of St. John Bosco.

St. John Bosco took control of the second period and scored 2 goals which made the score 5-1 by the end of the period. Kaden Curry scored a power-play goal, assisted by Jacob Gonzalez, and Gardner recorded another goal at 14:00 which was assisted by Luca Lira and Rebollo-Pena. Panthers Warriors United were unable to answer back and remained scoreless in the second period. Penalties were even-split again during the second period as both teams ended with three penalties each. Rubio faced 9 shots and did not let any go through while Valenzuela faced 15 shots, letting 2 slip past him.

The third period was dominated by St. John Bosco as 5 goals were scored in this period. Cech recorded two unassisted goals at 16:01 (hat-trick) and 12:59 which extended their lead and made the score 7-1. Sullano scored a goal at 14:40 which was assisted by Cech (8-1). Gardner scored the last two goals of the third period; one goal at 08:15 (hat-trick) which was assisted by Curry and a PP goal at 01:57, assisted by Curry and Cech. Gardener’s two goals in the third period made the final score 10-1. Cech and Gardner both recorded a hat trick during Game 16. Panthers Warriors United were unable to answer back and continued to remain scoreless in the third period. They were also the only team to receive a penalty in this period. Rubio faced 2 shots and did not let any go through while Valenzuela faced 10 shots, letting 5 slip past him. 

Overall, St. John Bosco had a very successful Game 16 and carried this momentum into Game 17 against the Capistrano United 3. 

GAME 17 | Friday, January 27, 2024 | St. John Bosco 10, Capistrano United 1

St. John Bosco faced against Capistrano United 3 at Great Ice & FivePoint Arena Rink #2 and won 10-1. 

The first period resulted in St. John Bosco scoring 4 goals and Capistrano United 3 scoring 1 goal. Patrik Cech recorded the first goal of the period which was unassisted at 15:24 (1-0). Not long after, Luca Lira scored at 14:18 and was assisted by Noah Rebollo-Pena and Ian Sullano (2-0). After Capistrano United 3 scored at 11:12 which momentarily made the score 2-1, Kaden Curry recorded a goal, assisted by Teagan Gardner and Rebollo-Pena, at 08:19 which extended St. John Bosco’s lead and made the score 3-1. Cech scored the last goal of period one which was unassisted at 03:18 and made the score 4-1 by the end of the first period. There were no penalties recorded during the first period. St. John Bosco had 16 shots on goal and Capistrano United 3 had 2 shots on goal by the end of period one. 

St. John Bosco continued to carry their momentum from the first period into the second period as they scored 3 goals which were left unanswered. Sullano scored the first goal of the second period at 15:36 which was assisted by Rebollo-Pena and Gardner (5-1). At 09:49, Gardner scored a goal which was assisted by Curry (6-1), and would score again at 08:16, assisted by Curry and Rebollo-Pena (7-1). Capistrano United 3 remained scoreless during this period. There were a total of five penalties during this period (three for St. John Bosco, and two for Capistrano United 3). St. John Bosco had 12 shots on goal and Capistrano United 3 had 6 shots on goal by the end of the second period. 

The third period was also controlled by St. John Bosco as they scored 3 goals. Curry scored at 13:15 and was assisted by Rebollo-Pena which made the score 8-1. Later in the period, Cech scored an unassisted goal as well as recorded another hat-trick at 03:16 (9-1). Shortly after Cech's goal, Jacob Gonzalez scored his first goal of the season which was assisted by Curry and Mattan Benisty which would make the final score 10-1. Capistrano United 3 was unable to score any goals during the third period. No penalties were recorded during this period. St. John Bosco and Capistrano United 3 both ended with 5 shots on goal by the end of the third period.  

Overall, St. John Bosco had a very successful Game 17 and tried to continue to carry this momentum into Game 18 against Corona Norco 3. 

GAME 18 | Saturday, February 3, 2024 | Corona Norco 4, St. John Bosco 2

Corona Norco 3 opened the first period with a goal at 5:56 which was followed up by a St. John Bosco unassisted shorthanded goal scored by Cech. The first period remained tied 1-1 while goaltenders Nicholai Rubio (St. John Bosco) and Makai Collins (Corona Norco 3) both faced 5 shots on goal. 

St. John Bosco scored first in the second period with a goal by Marcus Martinez which was assisted by Cech at 5:20 (2-1). Unfortunately, this would be the last goal that St. John Bosco would be able to score as they were unable to answer back on the remaining three Corona Norco 3 goals which made the final score 4-2. 

By the end of the game, both teams had six penalties. St. John Bosco had all six of their penalties in the first period while Corona Norco 3 had five penalties in the first period and one penalty in the second period. St. John Bosco had 14 shots while Corona Norco 3 had 20 shots on goal by the end of the game. 

Although the last game of the regular season did not end in a win, St. John Bosco’s perseverance and determination throughout the series as a whole was impressive and commendable. Every loss always resulted in a comeback. This mindset will be crucial as St. John Bosco goes into the playoffs. 

The leading scorers by the end of the regular season were Patrik Cech (63 PTS), Noah Rebollo-Pena (31 PTS) and Teegan Gardner (24 PTS).

• Patrik Cech, a forward on the team, has recorded 50 goals, 13 assists, and 11 hat tricks in 17 games played during the 23-24 regular season
• Noah Rebollo-Pena has recorded 9 goals, 22 assists, and 1 hat trick in 17 out of 18 games played during the 23-24 regular season
• Teegan Gardner has recorded 13 goals, and 11 assists, and 1 hat trick in 15 out of 18 games played during the 23-24 regular season

When focusing on the St. John Boscos’ goalies, 

• Nichiolai Rubio’s stats consist of 4 wins, a save percentage of 0.924, and a 1.82 GAA with 10 games, 158 shots against, and 336 minutes played by the end of the 23-24 regular season
• Zavyer Ballon’s stats consist of 5 wins, a save percentage of 0.903, and a 1.83 GAA with 9 games, 113 shots against, and 306 minutes played by the end of the 23-24 regular season
• Michael Mamuzich’s stats consist of 4 wins, a save percentage of 0.821, and a 3.40 GAA with 8 games, 95 shots against, and 255 minutes played by the end of the 23-24 regular season

St. John Bosco will face Bishop Gorman 3 on Friday, February 23, 2024 at 8:30 PM. This game will be located at Anaheim ICE NHL Rink.