ROLLER HOCKEY:Monahan, Newport dominate Back Bay rival

IRVINE — Newport Harbor High’s Cameron Monahan was the league’s leading scorer last year, so at first glance it might not make sense to see him between the pipes.

Actually, goalie was his first position and it remains a favorite, even after eight years in roller hockey.

So he was happy to comply on Wednesday night. Monahan stopped seven shots and the Sailors beat rival Corona del Mar, 7-1, at the Irvine Roller Hockey Center in an Interscholastic Hockey Federation JV-A game.

“He played at goalie at the tournament level when he was younger,” said Newport Harbor Coach Nabeel Gerges. “He just tried playing out [of goal] and just turned into an exceptional skater.”

After the contest, Monahan immediately had another game one rink over with his travel team. But the fact that the Sailors (5-0) could beat Back Bay rival CdM (1-3-1) wasn’t lost on Monahan, who is also leading the league this season with 13 goals and 11 assists in three non-goalie games.

“Everyone was pumped up tonight for the Battle of the Bay,” he said with a widening grin. “We wanted to [beat] them, and we did … They may have beat us in football, but not hockey. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

CdM did win the latest battle on the gridiron, 14-6, on Sept. 21. But the Sailors used strong goaltending from Monahan in the roller hockey Battle of the Bay. In his two games in goal, Monahan, a junior, has allowed just two goals, although he admits his favorite part of the game is now scoring.

“Top shelf, roofing it,” he said. “That’s where momma hides the cookies.”

Brett Olinger, Ryan Panella, Ryan Iverson, Josh Jobse and Joey Grocki all scored for the first-place Tars, Olinger and Grocki finding the back of the net twice.

Olinger, a freshman who has been playing since he was 4 years old, plays a valuable middle defenseman role for Newport.

“My job’s to stop the puck, take it up and try to make a goal out of it,” Olinger said. “I like playing defense, being able to pick off the passes that come through.”

Corona del Mar was hurt in the contest, Coach Rich McHugh said, because its two captains — Jake Schwartz and Patrick Rolfes — were both at a water polo awards banquet.

“We had to do a lot of double-shifting to keep up with them,” McHugh said. “They’re the top team we’ve seen. They had more puck possession than us, and they have stronger skaters.”

The Sea Kings were behind 6-0 before Michael McHugh scored with 5:11 left in the final of three, 15-minute periods.

“They’ve got some pretty great players, and they’re a pretty fast team,” Michael McHugh said. “I’m pretty excited that I scored. Hopefully, if we play them again, all of our players will be there. It’s frustrating; it’s always a closer game when our key players are there.”

Defender Drew Brahs and forward Timmy Rolfes also played well for Corona del Mar, and busy goalie Connor Benvenuti stopped 29 of 36 Newport shots.

For the Sailors, the goal is to stay on course to return to the JV-A championship game. That’s where Newport Harbor lost last season, 7-4 to Los Alamitos.

“Our team’s pretty strong top to bottom,” Gerges said. “Our goal each game is to make sure we’re prepared and don’t beat ourselves. We should be able to beat most of the teams in league, if we stick to our game plan. These guys are a real unit.”

Monahan said his team will definitely be up to the challenge.

“We’re good at defense and offense,” he said. “We’re taking it this year, for sure. No doubt.”