After jumping out to an early lead, the boys roller hockey team defeated Poway, 4-1 at Kit Carson Park, Feb. 5. The game opened with an early faceoff win by Brayden Firkus (11). 

In the first period, Firkus scored on the right side of the goal after a quick pass from Cole Craft (12), leading the score 1-0. However the Titans continued to fight back and stay in the game, forcing goalie Cedric Hume (12) to make seven saves in the first period. 

The Wolverines continued to get shots on goal as they passed the puck up the rink. However, the defense for both sides was strong as the Titans continued to stop Westview’s attacks and keep them to the perimeter. 

“We played good defense by playing patiently, and took time carrying the puck,” Craft said.

As the first period came to a close, Firkus said the Wolverines felt confident with their 1-0 lead. With less than a minute elapsed from the start of the period, the Wolverines won the puck back and attacked down the left flank. Miles Pine (9) received the puck and passed to a wide-open Craft in front of the goal. Craft’s goal put the Wolverines up 2-0. 

Yet this seemed to only motivate the Titans as they kept the puck for almost 40 seconds straight in the Wolverines’ defensive zone. Though they didn’t score on that possession, it only took a few more tries for the Titans to score with 10.25 left in the 12-minute period, bringing the score to 2-1. 

“We felt like we needed to score more and forced us to keep up our pressure,” Craft said.

After this goal, the game seemed a lot closer and both teams got multiple shots off, as Hume made four saves within the span of three minutes. But, the Wolverines kept pushing and Quan Dang (12) scored a goal just ahead of the end of the period,  extending the lead to 3-1. 

“I was happy because I knew that our hard work was starting to pay off,” Craft said.

To begin the third and final period, Hume made a strong one-on-one save and followed it up with two saves a few minutes later. Despite that last close save, the Wolverines began to take control of the puck as Marlie Berglin (12) nearly scored in the middle of the period. 

Soon after that, Craft scored his second goal with an assist from Firkus to seal the game, 4-1, with four minutes to play. With around three minutes left, the Titans got on a power play after a foul for Westview, allowing them to have a man up for two minutes. However, the Wolverines’ strong penalty-kill prevented many shots and held the lead.

“We were all very happy and proud to get our first win after the loss last week,” Craft said. “I think we pushed through pressure well and it was an important win for us.”

Firkus said that the team will continue to improve as the season progresses, building on the connections some of them already have with each other from playing ice hockey. Craft finds that the majority of the team rushes their possessions and he feels they have more time than they think.

“We need to be more patient and calm when we have the puck and be smarter when we defend,” Craft said.

 The season has six and a half weeks of games left, and the team feels that they should win most of their games as they complete the season. Firkus and Craft have confidence and expect the team to play well together as they progress.

“I think we will win most of our games and get better chemistry playing with each other more often,“ Craft said.