CLAREMONT/POMONA, Calif. (Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2022) - The Poets traveled to Claremont and Pomoma this weekend to play in the Gary Troyer Tournament, winning three of their four matches.
Tournament Game #1: Whittier 11, Johns Hopkins 8
In its first match of the tournament, Whittier took on Johns Hopkins. As the first period opened, the Poets got off to a scoring frenzy and shared the ball amongst their team. By the end of the first, they were winning 4-0. The second was most of the same for the Poets as they once again had a great offensive period. At halftime, they held a 7-1 lead, and five Poets were on the board with goals. In the second half, miscommunication and costly fouls gave Johns Hopkins an opportunity to fight back. Ultimately, Whittier won the game 11-8.
Eight Poets were got points in this match, led by Kaan Hamurculu's three goals and Ricky Reyes Jr.' five total points.
Tournament Game #2: Air Force 21, Whittier 9
The second game of the tournament was against a tough Air Force team. Reyes was able to put the team on his back in the first period and scored the first three goals of the game. Whittier held a 4-3 lead at the end of the first. After a back-and-forth second period, the Poets had a 7-5 lead going into the half. Momentum began to switch toward Air Force in the third quarter. By the end of the period, the Falcons had a 10-8 lead over the Poets. A combination of exclusions, turnovers and poor defensive communication ultimately plagued the Poets, and the final score would be 21-9 Air Force.
Whittier could not get much going during the game, except for some exceptional offensive plays by senior Reyes, who scored five goals for the Poets.
Tournament Game #3: Whittier 9, Biola 7
In its first game of the day, Saturday, Whittier faced the Biola Eagles. Coming off an incredible Friday, Reyes picked up where he left off. He scored two goals in the first period and gave Whittier a 2-0 lead. The second period saw Biola score two unanswered goals and tie the game going into halftime. The third period started with a scoring frenzy, and the period was led by senior Tommy Baier' who scored three goals of his own. By the end of the third, the Poets led 7-5. As the fourth began, the Eagles quickly scored two goals to tie the game at 7. Reyes would not let this comeback happen though as he rattled home another, and Ethan Saenz put the final nail in the coffin with a last-minute goal to give Whittier the 9-7 victory.
Reyes (four goals) and Baier (three) each provided a strong offensive output for the Poets. Luke Shropshire played exceptional defense and came away with four steals, while goalie Pierre-Louis Pinchaud recorded a .462 save percentage.
Tournament Game #3: Whittier 13, Westcliff 8
In their final game of the tournament, the Poets took on the Westcliff Warriors. Early in the season, Whittier took on Westcliff and lost, so this was a revenge game for them. Whittier had began the other tournament games with an the early, but it found itself trailing 2-1 as the first period buzzer rang. The second quarter saw Whittier fight back and tie the game going into the half at four. As the second half started, the teams took turns scoring goals on each another before Whittier assumed a 8-6 lead heading to the fourth. The last period once again turned into the Reyes show. He scored four goals to bring his total for the game to six. Whittier sealed the victory, 13-8. Goalie Pinchaud was outstanding once again for Whittier, posting a .652 save percentage.
The Poets had a successful business trip in Claremont and Pomona at the Gary Troyer Tournament, leaving with a 3-1 record. The star of the tournament was Reyes, who domniated in the pool, who scored 17 goals in the Poets' four tournament games. Another strong tournament performance came from Pinchaud, who racked up a .436 save percentage.
Now the Poets' record stands at 7-9. Their next game will be Oct. 5, as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Occidental Tigers, a SCIAC opponent.
Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
