Both Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita — the No. 1 and 2-ranked teams in California — lost their first games at the USA Hockey Youth National High School Championships on Thursday at the Hardee’s Iceplex in Chesterfield, Mo.
Orange Lutheran, this year’s state champion, fell to Carroll of Indiana, 3-0, while Santa Margarita lost to Jesuit College Prep of Dallas in a shootout, 3-2, in pool play of the tournament’s Pure Division.
Carroll goalie Trevor Hawkes recorded 31 saves in the shutout victory over the Lancers (35-3-1), who outshot the Chargers, 31-25. Carroll tallied two goals in the second period, and added its final goal on a power play in the third.
Santa Margarita (31-17-2) trailed 2-0, but sent the game into overtime with two third-period goals by Gregory Bennett and Dante Saccacio. Bennett’s goal was assisted by Jeff Shibata and Tyler Gebauer, while Shibata also assisted on Saccacio’s score.
Both Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita will be in action Friday. The Lancers take on Edina of Minnesota at 1:30 p.m. (PST), while the Eagles will face North Broward Prep of Coconut Creek, Fla., at 7 a.m. (PST).
The top two teams from each of the four pools in the tournament advance to the championship round, scheduled for Sunday. The championship game is slated for Monday at 8:30 a.m. (PST)
All of the tournament’s games are available live and on-demand by visiting USAHockey.FASTHockey.com
