San Antonio Roller Hockey League
Updates
Important Info
01/25/26
Games are cancelled for tonight.
Upcoming Games: 02/01/26
8:00PM: Czechia (H) vs Russia (A)
9:00PM: Czechia (H) vs Italy (A)
As always, check Facebook for updates and pick-up
Last site update: 01/25/26 15:21
Game Previews
Week 2 Preview
Game 1 Preview: Russia 🇷🇺 vs Czechia 🇨🇿
Narrative:
Week 2 kicks off with a rematch from last week as Russia faces off against Czechia — and boy, is it starting to feel like these teams are on a tour together. The bad news? Czechia still doesn’t have a goalie. The good news? They do, but it’s Taylor Newton, and he’s back from his California vacation tan, rested, and presumably not wearing sandals in net.
Russia, meanwhile, will try to continue their perfect (and heavily caveated) start. Their 2-0 record is as legit as a Jaiden team playoff run — looks great on paper until you start asking questions.
Key Storylines:
- Collin Iacarella is still cooking, but rumors swirl that if he scores too many, he might have to start showing up weekly. Will he bother showing up to the game just to protect his “double headers only” contract?
- Jacob Hernandez is quietly becoming the Robin to Collin’s Batman. And by Robin, we mean the Chris O’Donnell Robin from Batman and Robin. Oof.
- Taylor Newton’s return should stabilize Czechia’s back end… or he’ll overcommit on a poke check and just call it quits after missing.
Czechia Without Mallery:
The Czech defense will have to cover for Mike Mallery’s absence, which means someone else is going to have to pretend to care about defensive positioning this week. Odom? Darin? Neil Lewis maybe?
Prediction:
Russia probably still wins this one, but if Newton plays lights-out and Czechia pretends to know how to backcheck, we might get our first OT of the season. Maybe.
Game 2 Preview: Czechia 🇨🇿 vs Italy 🇮🇹
Narrative:
Fresh off 36 minutes of exhaustion and broken dreams, Czechia gets to turn right around and face Italy in the second game of the night. Italy, as always, is a bit of a mystery — one part tamale-fueled chaos, one part Ray Ortega yelling about something nobody else saw, and one part Felipe Rodriguez pretending he’s retired.
Italy, coming off a close loss to Russia, is definitely looking to get on the board. Czechia? Probably just looking around trying to find someone to blame for the predicament they find themselves in.
Key Storylines:
- David Narvaiz has shown flashes of competence — could he be the hero Italy never asked for?
- Which Ray is which? And more importantly, can either of them stay out of the penalty box?
- Felipe’s Fake Retirement Tour continues in net, likely with a few dramatic glove saves followed by 3 “should have had them” goals.
Unknown Variables:
- Will Czechia have enough left in the tank for Game 2?
- Will Darin say anything postgame that forces us to roast him in the recap?
- Will Gilbert remember what team he’s on?
Prediction:
This one feels like the toss-up. If Italy rolls deep with a full squad, they can absolutely catch Czechia asleep at the wheel. But if Czechia rallies around Newton and plays like they did in Game 2 last week, it could be close — or, at least entertaining.
Watchlist – Players to Keep an Eye On
- Collin Iacarella (Russia) – 5 goals already and barely trying. Will he be present this week in the hunt for that MVP narrative or does he only care every third week?
- Brandon Popham (Czechia) – With Mallery out, he may need to skate 3x as much. He won’t, but he might yell about it.
- Ashton Baggett (Italy) – The king of disappearing after scoring one goal. Can he make it two this week? The pressure’s on.
- Ray Salvano (Italy) – It’s never the same game when Ray doesn’t trip someone and then argue it wasn’t his fault.
Quick Stats
Standings
| Team | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Russia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Czechia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
p = President’s Trophy
* = Clinched Playoff Berth
e = Eliminated from Playoffs
League Leaders
| Player | Team | G | A | Pts |
| Iacarella, I | Russia | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Hernandez, J | Russia | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Chase, I | Russia | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Goalie | Team | W | GAA | SV% |
| Artzberger, G | Russia | 2 | 2.50 | 0.878 |
| Rodriguez, F | Italy | 0 | 3.00 | 0.903 |
| Odom, R | Czechia | 0 | 5.00 | 0.815 |
Minimum 1 games played
League News
Week 1 Recap
Game 2: Russia 3 – Italy 2
“Nobody got hurt, but we kind of wish someone had just to spice things up.”
There are bad games, there are ugly games, and then there’s whatever this was. In what could only be described as a deliberate war of attrition, Russia eked out a 3-2 win over Italy in a game so slow, it may still be happening somewhere in a time loop.
The only people who enjoyed this were the goalies — and even they looked bored.
Scoring Summary
| Period | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assists | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3:19 | Russia | Iacarella, Collin | none | 1 – 0 |
| 2 | 0:27 | Italy | Narvaiz, David | Ortega, Ray | 1 – 1 |
| 2 | 3:29 | Russia | Hernandez, Jacob | Chase, Ian | 2 – 1 |
| 2 | 10:11 | Italy | Ortega, Ray | none | 2 – 2 |
| 3 | 5:17 | Russia | Iacarella, Collin | Hernandez, Jacob | 3 – 2 |
Penalty Summary
| Period | Time | Team | Player | Infraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7:39 | Italy | Salvano, Ray | Tripping |
This was a game played at half speed, with both teams looking like they’d just finished a Red Eye flight and were forced to play without coffee. Russia controlled most of the game, but not in a dominant way — more like in the “you can have the puck, we’ll wait” kind of way.
Italy, without their captain Junior and with a quiet showing from most of the team, leaned heavily on Ray Ortega (by accident, not design) and David Narvaiz to keep it close. Ray Salvano also made his presence known by whining about penalties and then immediately earning one — the rare “complain-to-call” combo.
Collin’s first of the night came early in the first when he took a no-angle wrist shot that deflected off a shin guard, a stick, and possibly someone’s Subway sandwich in the stands before beating Greg Artzberger.
The game-winner was courtesy of a nice give-and-go from Jacob Hernandez to Collin, who actually hit the net — shocking everyone on both benches.
Russia’s defense was bend-don’t-break, and with Felipe back in net (after being baited into playing via a promise of free tamales), they had just enough to hold on.
Notable (Or Not) Moments
- Collin Iacarella was spotted walking into the rink saying, “Just here for my contracted double header. I’ll see y’all again in April.”
- Jake Hernandez spent the entire powerplay trying to flip the puck up for a Michigan but was overheard muttering, “I just can’t get it up today.” Someone in the stands whispered, “happens to a lot of guys.”
- BVV is on one of these team, right?
Final Thoughts
This game was so slow and uneventful, it might be used as a calming aid on future flights. Russia got the win — credit to them for staying awake long enough to do so. Italy showed signs of life but only in between sighs of boredom.
Three Stars:
★ Collin Iacarella – 2 goals and 1 reminder that he’s still better than half the league
★★ Jacob Hernandez – Goal + Assist, which is more than we can say for the rest of the team
★★★ Ray Ortega – Gets two Italian points. Maybe.
Game 2: Russia 5 – Czechia 3
This one had all the excitement of a lukewarm soup. Despite what the scoreboard suggests, this game was a chaotic mess of missed shots, accidental goals, and enough bad decisions to make a soap opera blush. Russia walked away with the 5–3 win, completing the sweep on the night, but it really should’ve been worse. For Czechia, it’s a miracle it wasn’t.
Scoring Summary
| Period | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assists | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:20 | Russia | Iacarella, Collin | none | 1 – 0 |
| 2 | 0:49 | Czechia | Lewis, Neil | none | 1 – 1 |
| 2 | 3:50 | Russia | Iacarella, Collin | Hernandez, Jacob | 2 – 1 |
| 2 | 6:44 | Czechia | Popham, Brandon | none | 2 – 2 |
| 2 | 7:23 | Russia | Chase, Ian | none | 3 – 2 |
| 2 | 10:29 | Russia | Chase, Ian | Hernandez, Jacob | 4 – 2 |
| 3 | 3:05 | Czechia | Mallery, Mike | Popham, Brandon | 4 – 3 |
| 3 | 8:22 | Russia | Iacarella, Collin | Hernandez, Jacob | 5 – 3 |
Penalty Summary
None (unless you count Odom playing goalie as a crime)
Russia came in feeling good after their first win, and Czechia rolled in without Taylor Newton, who was off in California pretending to be an athlete at NARCh. In his place? Rick Odom. In net. For a full game.
Russia’s early strategy was simple: shoot from anywhere and let the chips (and the pucks) fall where they may. Turns out, when the opposing goalie’s default stance is “collapsed lawn chair,” you don’t need to be too selective. Two of Russia’s goals were fired in from deep corners, making even neutral fans question the laws of physics and mercy.
Post-game, Collin Iacarella freely admitted the team’s strategy was to aim high — specifically, above Odom’s permanently crouched shoulders. Great in theory, but Russia’s execution looked like they were firing pucks into orbit. One unnamed fan was reportedly concussed after a “high shot” launched over the net and cleared the glass with ease.
For Czechia, things weren’t all doom and gloom. Neil Lewis scored early in the second, proving once again that even in chaos, a Lewis will find the back of the net. Brandon Popham notched a goal and an assist, and Mallery was left all alone in the slot to fire one in despite playing like he was half-asleep and fully confused. If nothing else, it was scrappy.
Shout-out (or maybe not) to new guy Darrin who made his league debut and didn’t totally embarrass himself. He looked serviceable and said a few things post-game, so by league rules, we’re obligated to bury him here. He’ll learn.
This game could’ve (and should’ve) been a blowout, but between Russia’s poor aim and Czechia’s duct-taped defense, it somehow stayed respectable. Still, some fans left during the third period to go watch pickleball. We’re pretty sure we also found Darrin at the pickleball courts for the entire third period.
We’re not saying it was the worst game ever. We’re just saying the highlight was the functioning scoreboard.
Notable (Or Not) Moments
- Rick Odom in net for Czechia was a big talking point — mostly for Russia. Collin Iacarella’s pre-game strategy was “just shoot high,” assuming Odom would spend most of the game kneeling like he was protesting something.
- Czechia’s defensive effort was… okay. Most of Russia’s shots missed the net entirely, so technically Czechia played solid D by watching the puck sail wide.
- Darin the new guy may have been introduced to the league, but we’re still waiting for him to introduce himself to the puck.
- Collin and Jacob operated as a functioning two-man unit while the rest of Russia mostly served as spectators.
Final Thoughts
Russia may have swept the night, but this was far from convincing. Without Jaiden present, this team just felt like it was playing in business casual — nothing too flashy, nothing too intense, just enough to win. Czechia, meanwhile, was left wondering if they’d have been better off pulling someone out of the stands to add a spark to the offense.
Russia improves to 2-0, but there’s an asterisk hanging over both wins. One over a captain-less Italy, and one over a goalie-less Czechia. Let’s not order the championship t-shirts just yet.
Three Stars
- ★ Collin Iacarella (Russia) – 5 goals across the night, including a hat trick in Game 2. Still insists he’s only playing for the cardio.
- ★★ Jacob Hernandez (Russia) – 3 assists in Game 2 and finally put those “Michigan” attempts away in favor of actual production.
- ★★★ Brandon Popham (Czechia) – 1G, 1A and did everything short of standing in net to try and keep his team in it. Technically got called for a “Too Many Men” penalty when he had to skate over to Rick and deliver a hand-written note that said “We’re pulling the goalie.”
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