ANAHEIM – Orange Lutheran’s hockey team has established what it will be this season, and that’s a powerhouse.
Orange Lutheran scored twice on the power play and once shorthanded in a victory over JSerra, 6-0, on Saturday to open the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League Division 1 season at The Rinks Anaheim Ice.
Orange Lutheran (1-0-0) and JSerra (0-1-0) split their two championship match-ups last season, with the Lancers taking the state championship over the Lions and the Lions taking the ADHSHL title over the Lancers.
Orange Lutheran made its mark early on the 2016-17 series.
JSerra started what would be the first of several trips to the penalty box just 26 seconds in, and Parker Brakebill scored 15 seconds into the Orange Lutheran power play.
Two minutes after his goal, Brakebill jumpstarted a two-on-one chance and fired a pass right on the tape of Jeremy Mills who capitalized for a 2-0 OLu lead.
From that opening sequence, the Lancers dictated the pace of the game with their speed, skill and depth.
Along with the penalties and that OLu pace, JSerra’s grind-it-out style wasn’t able to generate much offense. The Lancers outshot JSerra, 41-8.
If that wasn’t enough, puck luck wasn’t on the Lions’ side either.
Two minutes into the second period, OLu scored its second power play goal as Jacob Furry’s cross-crease pass went off a JSerra stick and into the Lions’ net.
Midway through the second with JSerra on the power play, a whiffed pass at the Lions blue line was picked up by Brakebill who slid a backhand shot through for a 4-0 Lancers lead.
Despite the nine power plays for OLu and two more third-period goals by Jakob Nelson and Ryan Sarvak, JSerra’s strongest play came between the pipes.
JSerra goaltender Landon Pavlisin sprawled all over his crease in a gargantuan 35-save effort.
Lancers goalie Conner Taherian made eight saves.
