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WEEK 2 - USPHL Pacific Division Recap

  • Lyanna Yeow
  • Sep 23, 2024
  • 9 min read

Week 2 of the USPHL 2024-2025 Pacific Division kicked off the first official regular season games for the San Diego Sabers, Ontario Jr. Reign, and Bakersfield Roughnecks. The Ventura Vikings season officially started during Week 1. The week included a highly anticipated three-game series between the Bakersfield Roughnecks and the Ventura Vikings as well as between the Long Beach Bombers and the Lake Tahoe Lakers. We also saw the San Diego Sabers face the Ontario Jr. Reign again in a two-game series.


Bakersfield Roughnecks faced the Ventura Vikings in a three-game series at Iceoplex Simi Valley, Ventura Vikings' home ice. The Ventura Vikings were able to start the series strong with a win during Game 1 (6-4), however, the Bakersfield Roughnecks came back with vengeance which resulted in them taking over the rest of the series. The three-game series ultimately went in the Bakersfield Roughnecks’ favor after winning Game 2 (4-3) and Game 3 (5-2) in the series. 

Game 1 | Friday, September 20, 2024 | Ventura Vikings 6, Bakersfield Roughnecks 4 

In regards to puck possession, this game was evenly matched as the Bakersfield Roughnecks ended with a total of 20 shots on goal and the Ventura Vikings had a total of 25 shots on goal. Both teams also struggled on the power play as the Roughnecks were unable to score on any of their opportunities and the Ventura Vikings scored on one out of their eight attempts. Max Sutton was in net for the Roughnecks and faced 19 out of 24 shots on goal while Brasco Cirillo faced 16 out of 20 shots on goal. Kyle Noyes scored the Game winning goal for the Ventura Vikings during the second period and Calvin Ruggiero scored the empty net insurance goal which secured the win for the Ventura Vikings. 

Game 2 | Saturday, September 21, 2024 | Bakersfield Roughnecks 4, Ventura Vikings 3

Both teams had even puck possession during this game, however, the Bakersfield Roughnecks did have a slight edge on the Ventura Vikings as they ended with a total of 35 shots on goal and the Ventura Vikings ended with 30 shots on goal. The Roughnecks also had a slight edge on the Vikings in their power play attempts as they were able to score on 3 out of their 6 power play opportunities and the Vikings only scored on 2 out their 6 attempts. Zachary Follo was initially in net for the Vikings and saved 13 out of 14 shots on goal before Brasco Cirillo took over for the rest of the game and saved 18 out of 21 shots on goal. Jakob Barcelona, Roughnecks’ goaltender, saved 27 out of 30 shots which greatly helped to secure the win. The game winning goal was a power play goal scored by Roughnecks’ Christopher Larochelle.

Game 3 | Sunday, September 22, 2024 | Ventura Vikings 5, Bakersfield Roughnecks 2  

This game was heavily dominated by the Bakersfield Roughnecks as they maintained puck possession for the majority of the game which ended with the team having a total of 42 shots on goal in comparison to the Ventura Vikings ending with a total of 25 shots on goal. Both teams struggled on the power play in this game as well, however, the Vikings were able to score on one out of their three total man advantages. Stanislav Teplitskyi was the goaltender for the Bakersfield Roughnecks and saved 23 out of 25 shots. Brasco Cirillo was in net for the Ventura Vikings and saved a total of 37 shots on goal. Roughnecks’ Connor Claughton scored the game winning goal which was followed by Arsiyan Van de Brande scoring the insurance goal which secured the win for the Ventura Roughnecks.


The Lake Tahoe Lakers faced the Long Beach Bombers in a three-game series at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena, Lake Tahoe Lakers' home ice. The Lake Tahoe Lakers dominated the Long Beach Bombers and secured the win in all three games of this series. Game 1 resulted in a shutout for the Lake Tahoe Lakers (11-0) and was then followed by two victorious wins in Game 2 (9-2) and Game 3 (10-2). Two hat-tricks were recorded this weekend; one was recorded by Rory Gunn in Game 2 and the other was recorded by Tyler Gudjonson in Game 3 of this series.

Game 1 | Friday, September 20, 2024 | Lake Tahoe Lakers 11, Long Beach Bombers 0

Lake Tahoe Lakers maintained control of the puck possession throughout all three periods of the game. The Lake Tahoe Lakers ended with a total of 61 shots on goal. The Long Beach Bombers trailed behind with 21 shots on goal by the end of the game. Lake Tahoe Lakers also took advantage of their power play opportunities which resulted in them scoring on 4 out of their 7 attempts while Long Beach Bombers struggled to secure any goals on their 3 attempts. Tempers flared in the matchup and resulted in multiple fights. Stepan Vedernikov was initially in net for the Long Beach Bombers and saved 47 out of 55 shots on goal before Ethan Fitzgerald took over during the third period and saved 3 out of 6 shots. Perry Jacobs was in net for the Lake Tahoe Lakers shutout the Long Beach Bombers after saving all 21 shots he faced. Carter Lehmann scored the game winning goal and Ethan Thomas scored the power play, insurance goal which would secure the win for the Lake Tahoe Lakers during the first period of the Game 1. 

Game 2 | Saturday, September 21, 2024 | Lake Tahoe Lakers 9, Long Beach Bombers 2

The Lake Tahoe Lakers carried their momentum from their Game 1 shutout into Game 2 and continued to maintain puck possession all throughout the game. The Lake Tahoe Lakers ended with a total of 60 shots on goal while the Long Beach Bombers trailed behind with 21 shots. The Long Beach Bombers were able to take advantage of 1 out of their 8 power play opportunities, however this was not enough to overtake the Lake Tahoe Lakers despite them not being able to score on either of their power play attempts. Ethan Fitzgerald started out in net for the Long Beach Bombers and saved 32 out of 38 shots before Stepan Vedernikov took over in the third period and saved 19 out of 22 shots faced. Timon Franzen remained in net for the Lake Tahoe Lakers for all three periods and saved 19 out of the 21 total shots he faced. The two goals scored by the Long Beach Bombers included a goal scored by Brian Mantooth during the first period and a power play goal scored by Jeremy Loosmore during the third period. Rory Gunn scored the game winning goal for the Lake Tahoe Lakers during the first period and Cecil Belda scored the insurance goal during the second period. Rory Gunn recorded his first hat-trick of the season during the first period of this game.

Game 3 | Sunday, September 22, 2024 | Lake Tahoe Lakers 10, Long Beach Bombers 2 

The Lake Tahoe Lakers maintained consistency in regards to shots on goal (59 total) and improved on the power play which contributed to 3 out of the 10 total goals that they scored. The Long Beach Bombers ended the series with 30 shots on goal which was an improvement compared to their previous games, however, they struggled on the power play and were unable to score on their 3 opportunities. Stepan Vedernikov stayed in net for the Long Beach Bombers and saved 49 out of the 59 total shots faced. Liam Freel was the goaltender for the Lake Tahoe Lakers and saved 28 out of 30 shots faced. The two Long Beach Bombers goals were recorded during the second period which were scored by  Brian Mantooth and Rohan Bhangoo. Reece Hart scored the game winning goal and Tyler Gudjonson scored the insurance goal which ultimately secured the win for the Lakers during the first period.  Lake Tahoe Lakers' Tyler Gudjonson recorded his first hat-trick of the season.


The San Diego Sabers faced the Ontario Jr. Reign in a two-game series this past weekend. The Ontario Jr. Reign won by a landslide against the San Diego Sabers in Game 1 of the series (10-5) which took place on their home ice at Ontario Center Ice Arena. They then carried that momentum into Game 2 which resulted in a 5-1 final score on the San Diego Sabers’ home ice at Carlsbad Icetown. One hat-trick was recorded by Ontario Jr. Reign's Christopher Lai in Game 1 of this series.

Game 1 | Saturday, September 21, 2024 | Ontario Jr. Reign 10, San Diego Sabers 5

Puck possession was evenly matched as Ontario Jr. Reign ended with a total of 44 shots on goal and the San Diego Sabers had a total of 40 shots on goal. In regards to the power play, the San Deigo Sabers struggled as they were only able to score on 2 out of their 6 attempts in comparison to Ontario Jr. Reign who scored on 4 out of their 5 power play opportunities. Parker Lewis was in net for the San Diego Sabers and saved 11 out of 17 shots on goal before Mikhail Saratovtsev took over and saved 23 out of 27 shots. Ontario Jr. Reign also made a goaltender change during the second period; Nikolas Charles took over and saved 28 out of 20 shots on goal after Josh Henson saved 7 out of 10 shots on goal prior. The San Deiog Sabers started the game strong with multiple goals scored during the first period, however, it was not enough to keep the momentum rolling for the remainder of the game. Luke Cannon scored the game winning goal and Ayden Henry scored the insurance goal which contributed to Ontaro Jr. Reign’s win. Ontario Jr. Reign’s Christopher Lai recorded his first hat-trick of the 2024-2025 regular season after scoring three goals during this game. 

Game 2 | Sunday, September 22, 2024 | Ontario Jr. Reign 5, San Diego Sabers 1 

Ontario Jr. Reign had a slight advantage over the San Diego Sabers in regards to puck possession as they ended the game with 46 shots on goal and the San Diego Sabers ended with a total of 34 shots. Both teams struggled on the power play and did not score on any of their attempts. The first period ended in a standstill and was not broken until Ontario Jr. Reign scored the first goal of the game during the second period. They then continued to carry their momentum throughout the remainder of the matchup. Mikhail Saratovtsev saved 41 out of 45 shots on goal for the San Diego Sabers. Domenik McInenly was in net for the Ontario Jr. Reign saved 33 out of 34 shots which helped contribute to their win. The one goal recorded by the San Diego Sabers was scored by Liam Krupcyznski in the third period of the game. Ontario Jr. Reign’s game winning goal was scored by Mason Geng and their insurance goal was scored by Christopher Lai. 


Overall, Week 2 of the 2024-2025 regular season of the USPHL Pacific Division was exciting with the first shutout win recorded by the Lake Tahoe Lakers and three hat-tricks being recorded. The first hat-trick was recorded by Ontario Jr. Reigns’ Christopher Lai in game 1 of the two-game series. The second second hat-trick was recorded by Lake Tahoe Lakers' Rory Gunn during Game 2 of their three-game series. The third Hat-trick was recorded by Tyler Gudjonson in Game 3 of their three-game series this past weekend.


Below are the next scheduled match-ups and where to watch them:

Thursday, September 26, 2024

  • San Diego Sabers will face the Long Beach Bombers on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 7:00 PM PDT. This game will be located at Lakewood Ice.

Friday, September 27, 2024

  • San Diego Sabers will face the Bakersfield Roughnecks on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 7:30 PM PDT. This game will be located at Valley Childrens Ice Center.

  • Henderson Force will face the Lake Tahoe Lakers on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 7:30 PM PDT. This game will be located at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

  • Ventura Vikings will face the Ontario Jr. Reign on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 8:45 PM PDT. This game will be located at Ontario Center Ice Arena

Saturday, September 28, 2024

  •  The Bakersfield Roughnecks will face the Ontario Jr. Reign on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM PDT. This game will be located at Valley Childrens Ice Center. 

  • Henderson Force will face the Lake Tahoe Lakers on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM PDT. This game will be located at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

  • The San Diego Sabers will face the Ventura Vikings on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 8:00 PM PDT. This game will be located at Carlsbad Icetown.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

  • Henderson Force will face the Lake Tahoe Lakers on Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 12:00 PM PDT. This game will be located at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.


Stay tuned for the next weekly recap of the 2024/2025 regular season for the USPHL Pacific Division!


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