Another season has come and gone for the California Golden Bears Ice Hockey Team.
The 2019-2020 Bears were loaded with offensive talent up and down their lineup. Headlined by forwards Delfino Varela (8G, 14A, 18GP) and Gabriel Giammarco (10G, 10A, 16GP), the Bear’s explosive offense propelled them to a record of 14 Wins and 9 Losses overall. Not to outdone, however, were the Bears defensemen. D-men Matt Chorlian (2G, 7A, 22GP) and Jefferey Chen (6G, 6A, 24GP) kept Cal’s blue line solid all season long and kept opponents to 2 or fewer goals 11 games this season.
Goaltending was a definite lock throughout the 2019-2020 season. Veteran netminders Ethan Crick and Sami Morse provided stability in net that allowed the Bears to come together and roll as a team.
Rookies stole the show for the Bears this season. Headlined by Brian Faun (7G, 13A, 24 GP), Nolan McMahon (9G, 4A, 22GP) and Jake Sitak (5G, 4A, 19GP), the Bears rookies provided an major offensive boost down the stretch to Tahoe as they accounted for 18 out of the 36 goals (50%) scored in their final eight games. The Bears have a bright future and a lot to look forward to with more seasons of this rookie class.
The Bears went into the PAC8 championship in Tahoe on a six game win streak, as they swept their three final series of the season against UCLA, Eastern Washington University, and San Jose State University. This streak coincided with the mid-season addition of Junior transfer defenseman David Adams (6G, 3A, 9GP), whose physical presence on the blueline bolstered the Bear’s defense immensely.
Unfortunately for the California Golden Bears Men’s Ice Hockey Team, the 2019-2020 season ended sooner than they would’ve hoped. After finishing the season with 11 wins and 3 losses within their conference, the Bears qualified for 1st place in the PAC8 South division, earning themselves a matchup against Western Washington University in the 1st round of the PAC8 Playoffs in Lake Tahoe. After cruising past Western Washington in a 4-1 victory, the Bears moved on to play Boise State, to whom they would lose 4-1 after 60 minutes of desperate, hard fought hockey.
Cal Ice Hockey would like to thank all of the fans and donors who have contributed to the success of this program this season and over the years. Without you, Cal Ice Hockey’s season would not be possible.