Newport-Mesa Ice Kings win OneHockey California Thanksgiving Tournament

The Newport-Mesa Ice Kings have yet to join the ranks of the varsity prep hockey clubs in Southern California, but the team is making its case to be moved up by the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League next year.

Newport-Mesa won the Junior Varsity/Midget A Division of the OneHockey California Thanksgiving Tournament in convincing fashion at the L.A. Kings Icetown in Riverside. The Ice Kings defeated the Pasadena Maple Leafs 5-0 in Sunday’s championship game.

Leading up to the title game, Newport-Mesa beat the Corona-Norco Stingrays 6-2. It also beat a tournament team from Bellflower St. John Bosco, the Brave Wolverines, 7-3.

The Ice Kings and the Maple Leafs also faced each other in the preliminary rounds, with Newport-Mesa coming out on top 7-1.

Joseph Cianfrani had five goals and nine assists to lead the Ice Kings in the tournament. Nicolas Carpino led the team in goals with six.

“We’re not going to be losing our captains for next year,” Ice Kings coach Lucas Romero said. “The new guys will able to follow the leaders, and we will be able to hang in the varsity division.

“Hopefully, the league will agree with me, and they will be looking to move us along. It’s something that I’m expecting to happen next year. It depends on our results.”

Solomon Sonenshine, a captain, and Cianfrani, an alternate captain, are both from Corona del Mar High.

Jake Simko (Costa Mesa) and Carpino (Laguna Beach) are also alternate captains for Newport-Mesa.

As a non-pure team, the Ice Kings would be looking to make a move to Division 3 if they were promoted to the varsity level next season.

Edison won the Division 3 championship last year before moving up to Division 1. Huntington Beach currently resides in Division 3.

Over the last few years, Newport-Mesa has shown itself to be a perennial contender in the Coast View Conference of the ADHSHL Junior Varsity Division. The Ice Kings finished second in the regular-season standings in each of the past two seasons.

In the 2015-16 campaign, the Ice Kings advanced to the semifinals in the playoffs. Last season, Romero’s first as head coach of Newport-Mesa, the team fell 1-0 in a shootout to Corona-Norco.

The Ice Kings are back in a similar position again. They are 5-1-1-0 in ADHSHL games, good for third in the Coast View Conference. Newport-Mesa (17 points) trails only Pacific Ridge (24 points) and Capistrano United (21 points), both of whom have played more games than the Ice Kings.

“We’re able to produce those kinds of results because all the players are buying into what myself and all the coaching staff have been preaching over the last couple of years,” Romero said. “There is absolutely no attitude problem. Everyone is buying in and pulling that rope in the same direction.”

Cianfrani, who also runs cross-country for CdM, leads the Ice Kings with nine goals and three assists in their seven league contests. Cole Bergstrom, from CdM, is second on the team with nine points.

Boden Lazio and Carpino have each scored three goals in ADHSHL games.

Locals not done running yet

Newport Harbor’s Alexis Garcia and Ocean View’s Edwin Montes, two of the top local boys during this cross-country season, have joined the seeded race in the Foot Locker West Regionals.

The meet will take place on the famed Mt. San Antonio College Course on Saturday.

Runners who place in the top 10 of the seeded races will earn a trip to the Foot Locker Nationals, which will be held the following Saturday at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Garcia took fifth place at the CIF State championship meet in Division II to earn his way onto the all-state team.

“He has to finish in the top 10, and he has a lot of guys from other states [to compete with], especially Utah,” Sailors coach Nowell Kay said of Garcia. “It will be interesting to see what happens.”

Runners from 12 different states will be competing in the regional meet.

Ocean View will be sending Montes, the Golden West League champion, into the seeded race. Jason St. Pierre will also compete in the junior boys’ race.

“More than anything, they both want to see what they can do at Mt. SAC,” Seahawks coach Daniel Hurtado said. “Since we didn’t run the invite this year, they are eager to see what they can do there.

“I know Edwin really wants to see what he can do against some of the best runners in the region.”

Annabelle Boudreau, the top runner for CdM’s state-qualifying team in Division III, will run in the freshman girls’ race.

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Foot Locker West Regionals

When: Saturday. The first race is at 7 a.m.

Where: Mt. San Antonio College (1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut, CA 91789)

Race schedule (locals included)

Freshman girls, 7:35 a.m.: Annabelle Boudreau, Corona del Mar

Junior boys, 8:35 a.m.: Jason St. Pierre, Ocean View

Seeded boys, 10:55 a.m.: Alexis Garcia, Newport Harbor, Jr.; Edwin Montes, Ocean View, Jr.

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