April 5, 2011

LM West Region Report: April 5, 2011

LM West Region Player of the Week Seth Stowell of El Capitan (Calif.) is averaging five goals a game.

Player of the Week

Seth Stowell, El Capitan Vaqueros (Calif.)
The senior attackman posted five goals and three assists in the Vaqueros’ 16-1 victory March 29 over Valhalla. By averaging five goals per game through nine contests, Stowell leads the West region in scoring.

West Region Top 10

1. Cherry Creek (Colo.) - 7-1 - Last year, Cherry Creek entered the state championship game against Regis Jesuit as the underdog. This season, numerous publications peg the Bruins as the heavy favorites to repeat.

2. Regis Jesuit (Colo.) - 10-0 – The Raiders graduated 15 seniors from last year’s team that lost to Cherry Creek in the state championship. But Regis Jesuit still features 21 returnees from last year’s roster and a top-ranked defense that’s yielded only 3.2 goals per contest.

3. Coronado (Calif.) - 7-0 - The Islanders caught buzz after holding opponents to 1.66 points per game in the first three contests. They also attracted more attention after upsetting De La Salle two weeks ago, holding the Spartans scoreless for three quarters.

4. San Ramon Valley (Calif.) - 6-1 – The Wolves upset St. Ignatius Prep for the second consecutive year and a 4-0 start have served as the main highlights thus far.

5. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) – 9-2 – The Wildcats began the week on a high note, securing a 9-4 upset Monday over De La Salle. St. Ignatius Prep held the Spartans scoreless in the third quarter and freshman goalie Cyrus Scott made five of his 12 saves in the fourth quarter.

6. De La Salle (Calif.) – 7-2 – Entering the 2011 season with the most CIF-North Coast Section titles, there’s plenty of reason to think De LA Salle should be able to do it again. The back-to-back champions feature a loaded senior class featuring Division I-bound Connor Hunt (defenseman, Cornell) and defenseman Eric McCosker, who has committed to Mesa State (Division II). But they haven’t been able to secure marquee victories over Coronado and St. Ignatius Prep because of offensive lapses.

7. Kent Denver (Colo.) – 5-1 – The Sun Devils have allowed only four goals per contest, including holding Chatfield scoreless in the fourth quarter.

8. Foothill-Orange County (Calif.)– 7-2 – The three-time defending Southern Section champion would be higher in the rankings, but its one-goal loss to De La Salle set the Knights back a bit.

9. La Costa Canyon (Calif.) – 6-1 – The Mavericks lose an impressive legacy in Dallas Hartley, who accepted the head coaching position at Chapman University. Four section titles and three runner-up finishes in seven season, including a 23-0 San Diego Section championship in 2010, may prove hard to follow. Jesse Foss’ squad so far barely held on to beat Arapahoe and suffered an upset against Foothill-OC.

10. Bainbridge Island (Wash.) – 5-0 – The Spartans caught many by surprise in last week’s Northwest Invitational. They overcame a four-goal deficit by scoring five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to secure a 9-8 victory over Oregon Episcopal.

Game of the Week

No. 4 San Ramon Valley at Garden City (N.Y.) - Thursday, 4:15 p.m.
San Ramon Valley has a pretty tough week with an East Coast trip that includes stops at Garden City (N.Y.) on Thursday and John Jay-Cross River (N.Y.) on Saturday. Those matchups will provide a good measuring stick on where the Wolves really rank among the country’s prep elite.

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