Sabers Split Weekend Series with Win over Ventura, Loss to Jr Reign

In back-to-back games, the San Diego Sabers walked away with one win and one loss, matching up with the Ventura Vikings for game one, followed by the team traveling to Santa Barbara, California, to play the Ontario Jr. Reign in game two. 

Photos by Emily Ferguson

Friday, October 11 - San Diego Sabers 3, Ventura Vikings 2

Starting the weekend off on home ice, the San Diego Sabers earned a win against the Ventura Vikings, resulting in a 3-2 victory. The first period ended with no scoring action, but early in the second period, Ventura’s forward Calvin Ruggiero scored the game's first goal and then went on to score their second and final goal in the same period. At the tail end of the second period, the Sabers forward #94 Sam Bailey scored their first goal of the game, with an assist from #21 Caleb Murray and #91 Briar Dickson. The third-period action consisted of Sabers forward #6 Knut Hornkvist tying the score with a goal and assist from #11 Liam Krupcyznski and #24 Sammy Albano, leading the game into overtime. With neither team scoring in overtime, the teams battled it out in a shootout, with the Sabers taking the win thanks to forward Sammy Albano scoring and ending the game with a Sabers victory. 

Saturday, October 12 - San Diego 2, Ontario Jr Reign 5

Following their home win, the Sabers traveled to Goleta, CA, to battle against the Ontario Jr Reign, where they suffered a loss of 5-2. 11 minutes into the first period, Jr Reign’s Tyler Huston scored the first goal of the game and only goal in the first period. The Sabers kicked off the second period with a goal from forward #94 Sam Bailey with an assist from #91 Briar Dickson, tying the game, which unfortunately would not last long, with the Jr Reign forward Jesiah Bennett also scoring in the second period. The third period was action-packed, starting with a goal from Jr Reign’s Denver Craig, who would later score a hat trick and secure Jr Reign’s win. Preventing a natural hat trick, Sabers forward #6 Knut Hornkvist also scored in the third period with an assist from #11 Liam Krupcyznski and #21 Caleb Murray. The team made a valiant effort and ended with 41 shots on goal to the Jr Reign’s 36 shots, with no shortage of penalties between the two. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to take home the win. 

The Sabers next play on Thursday, October 17th, against the Long Beach Bombers at 7:00 p.m. After this weekend's matchup, the Sabers look to rematch the Ontario Jr Reign on home ice on Friday, October 18th, at 1:00 p.m. and even the score.