The Santa Rosa Junior College Polar Bears (2-1) hockey team returned home from Santa Clara where they lost 3-2 and dominated the Fresno State Bulldogs in two double-digit wins 11-2 and 13-1 on Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1 at Snoopy’s Home Ice.
Polar Bears’ forward Adam Berry was happy to return to his beloved home rink.
“Snoopy’s is a special place,” Berry said. “There’s so much character here and it’s such a blessing skating on this ice, thanks to Snoopy.”
Game 1
The Polar Bears blew out the Bulldogs 11-2 in game one. Berry led the way for the Polar Bears, scoring in every period with a total of three goals.
Period one was a strong introduction, with Santa Rosa scoring two goals and the Bulldogs scoring only once. A couple of checks and powerful slams into the boards from both sides kept the crowd engaged.
The Polar Bears took a commanding lead in the second period by scoring three more goals and holding a four-point advantage. Tension continued to grow between the teams as altercations erupted.
During the second intermission, audience members purchased pucks to toss into the rink for a chance to win SRJC merch. Money raised from the game helps to fund the Polar Bears Hockey Club.
SRJC dominated the third period, scoring a whopping six goals. Five different players scored, with forward Jon Christenson picking up two.
Fresno State grew more frustrated as the Polar Bears piled in goals. Frustrations led to the Bulldogs checking Santa Rosa players into the boards, leading to multiple fights erupting.
Game one ended 11-2, with the Bear Cubs having all the momentum going into the next day.
Game 2
Game two reinforced the first win as Santa Rosa (2-1) came out with a cooler head and another landslide victory in this matchup.
The Polar Bears took a 5-0 lead in the first period and kept up the pace in the second period, taking a 9-0 lead at halftime.
Fresno player Reagan Ceccarelli shoved Polar Bear forward Kirill Konoplianko, ending with Konoplianko getting slammed into the ice. The referees had to pull and hold back Konoplianko from the opposing player–Konoplianko received a four-minute timeout.
The altercation led to Ceccarelli being disqualified from the game and Fresno forward Frank Bernall being penalized with a two-minute timeout, which received a roar from the crowd.
Thirteen minutes into second quarter Santa Rosa and Fresno faced off in a three-on-three.
SRJC continued to pour it on in the third period, scoring four more goals and going up 13-1. Christenson scored two goals and assisted in one. The Polar Bears held the 13-1 lead the rest of the way.
They will play next on Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8, in Reno against the University of Nevada. Santa Rosa will return to Snoopy’s Home Ice to play two more matches against Nevada at 9:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22.
