The faceoff at Santa Ana Star Center is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Rio Rancho defeated La Cueva for the championship at Outpost Arena in 2006 and beat St. Pius X last year at the Genoeva Chavez Community Center; in 2005, La Cueva defeated the Rams in the championship game, played at Tingley Coliseum.
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The Rams (15-3-1) have lost two previous meetings with the ‘Toppers, 7-3 in Los Alamos and 7-2 at Blades Multiplex Arenas in Rio Rancho on Super Bowl Sunday.
Through the regular season, the Rams scored more goals (117 to 102) than Los Alamos but also allowed more goals scored against them (46 to 31).
The teams played again in the pure-team playoffs last weekend in Taos, which ended in a 3-3 tie.
Before that meeting, the Rams began the playoffs Friday with an easy 11-0 rout of La Cueva.
Freshman Steve Casaceli scored what turned out to be the only goal the Rams would need in the game’s first minute, and junior Elliott Pope made it a 2-0 game 22 seconds later.
By game’s end, the Rams had taken 49 shots on goal, with senior Jojo Griego turning back a meager six shots sent his way by Da Bears.
Pope finished with four goals, Robby Webb added a hat trick, Casaceli had two goals and Derek Camacho had a goal; Michael Kalaber and Jordan Farnholtz had four assists apiece.
Facing Taos on Saturday evening, the Rams picked up where they’d left off against La Cueva.
A mere 20 seconds into the game, Farnholtz took a pass from Pope and scored; 24 seconds later, Webb made it 2-0.
“We told the kids, ‘It’s playoff time,’” said assistant coach Bob Pope. “’We get out every shift and compete.’ Players stepped up to the occasion.”
Amassing 47 shots by game’s end, the Rams skated off with a 5-3 victory, thanks to two goals each by Webb and Farnholtz, and two assists from Pope.
“(We) took our revenge on Taos, who beat us in the regular season,” Bob Pope said. “Rio Rancho never let up, despite giving up two goals in a 50-second lapse of effort. The guys played hard from start to finish — that’s all coaches could ask.”
On Sunday, with the rams and ‘Toppers already penciled in for the championship game six days later, “This was a non consequential match,” Bob Pope said. “Rio Rancho lit the lamp again, (this time) three minutes into the game, then again with 52 seconds left in the first, then at the buzzer of the first period.
“The guys came out with something to prove, as we dropped both games to Los Alamos in the regular season. (But) this was all Rio Rancho could get past the Los Alamos net-minder, and Los Alamos came back for three of their own to end the contest in a 3-3 tie.
“We brought our ‘A level’ game but not our ‘A level’ strategy,” he said. “We played them tough but didn’t show them anything.
“With many of the Los Alamos and Rio Rancho players having grown up together playing youth hockey in New Mexico, the handshake was quite the scene,” Bob Pope said. “(It was) the usual nice game, ‘See you next weekend,’ but it was nice to see two teams compete and then enjoy the traditional handshake.”
He said the Rams would be ready to defend their back-to-back titles at the Star Center, which held the recent prep skills and all-star game.
“The (coaching) staff has been skating every day with the team, having some fun and keeping our legs under us. Players are reminded we were a good hockey club, we have worked hard all season to get here, this was the goal: to return Rio Rancho to the state finals for the fourth season under the current coaching duo.”
Plus, he said, “We have quality players, and now we just need to take our ‘A game’ to the Santa Ana Star and play our game.
“We’re looking for Austin Short, Steven Casaceli, Bryan Paweski and Anthony Mastreandrea to continue to play well, and the usual suspects of our high-scoring punch to continue.
“Players carry a puck this week everywhere they go — it reminds them what is at stake, what it takes to compete and win a title,” Pope said.
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