West Hills Falls 2-0 in Roller Hockey Title Game

With no roller rinks remaining in the East County after the closure of Santee's Rollerskateland two years ago, the number of schools with roller hockey teams remaining in the Grossmont Conference  dwindled to one. So it came as a huge surprise to find that West Hills High has developed into a powerful program.

From practicing on outdoor asphalt basketball courts on the north side of the school's football stadium to playing games some 20 miles away in National City,  a Wolf Pack program that benefitted from an influx of ice hockey players achieved a No. 2 ranking among schools in the San Diego Section.

And second they remain.

On Wednesday, in the 2010-11 Metro Conference championship game, two-time defending champion Westview made it a three-peat by blanking West Hills 2-0 at the Escondido Sports Center in Kit Carson Park.

Wolverines goalie Greg Kurth registered the rare roller hockey shutout, while Dillon Dixon tallied both goals for Westview (17-6), which matched Scripps Ranch (2003-05) for most consecutive section titles. It was also the school's fourth title over six seasons.

Westview entered the tournament as the fourth seed, but a Dixon goal in overtime was the difference to eliminate top-seeded Rancho Bernardo 6-5 in the semifinals.

For West Hills (19-3), it was both the first Final Four and first title game appearance in school history. On Monday, the Wolf Pack doubled up Poway, 4-2, behind two goals and an assist by Spencer Gaalaas.

In the third-place game, Poway topped Rancho Bernardo 5-3, and in the club division, San Pasqual capped a perfect season with a 13-2  verdict over Del Norte, giving the Golden Eagles (12-0) a fifth consecutive championship.