MARINERS TO CARRY WINNING STREAK ON THE ROAD : VENTURA HOCKEY TEAM CREDITS SUCCESS TO PLAYING HIGHER-LEVEL FOES.

Byline: Kirby Lee Daily News Staff Writer

The Ventura Mariners have taken their lumps playing this season against higher-level Junior A hockey teams, but the experience has reaped dividends in competition against their Junior B counterparts in the Western States Hockey League.

After suffering eight defeats in nine games against Junior A teams, the Mariners swept a three-game series this weekend against the Southern California Bombers, to win their seventh consecutive WSHL game.

Ventura (8-9) beat the Bombers 10-3 Friday and 7-3 Saturday. On Sunday, the Mariners exploded for a season-high point total in a 16-2 rout against the Long Beach-based expansion team to improve to 7-1 in WSHL. Nearly 1,400 fans attended the weekend homestand at the Easy Street Arena.

Jason Slinger, a winger from Camarillo, had four goals and Thousand Oaks' Shane McGillivray contributed four assists Sunday. Eight different players scored. Defensemen Emery Lykins and Lubosh Digrin scored three times. Micah Wouters added two goals and goalie Sam Skoryna made 24 saves.

Perhaps equally impressive was the fact the Mariners were without three starters. Center Tate Madick was sidelined with a foot injury, and Jeremy Drobinski and Scott Bennett missed the game because of misconduct suspensions.

``We weren't at full strength, but we're really coming into form,'' Mariners coach Sean McGillivray Sr. said. ``The league is much stronger. We haven't had any blowouts until this series. We really hit our stride, and the kids have a lot of confidence.''

The Mariners will be on the road for the rest of the month for their next six WSHL contests. The defending league champions travel to Albuquerque for three games against the New Mexico Ice Breakers next weekend. The following week, Ventura will play the Alaska Ice for three games Nov. 22-24 in Anchorage before returning home to face the Junior A Cleveland Barons from Dec. 6-8.

``Even though we were losing, playing the Junior A teams builds us up,'' said center C.J. Carlson. ``They are doing a lot of good for us. Now, we're making a statement in league.''

Slinger, a third-year player, leads the Mariners with eight goals and nine assists. Drobinski, a defenseman from Czechoslovakia, has five goals and Wouters has 11 assists. Skoryna has held opponents to 3.75 goals per game.

``This year, we are really young, but we have a lot of talent,'' said captain Keoni Huegli of Northridge. ``Losing those games early this season was a wakeup call for us.''

Seven players from last year's team which finished third in the Junior B national championships in New Jersey have gone on to play college hockey.

Carlson, 18, of Marquette, Mich., who has five goals and eight assists this season, is among 17 newcomers on the 22-player roster. With no returners behind the red line, defense was a question mark. However, Detroit's Jeff Logas, who played for Little Ceasars, a Midget AAA team, has filled in well.

Ventura has been bolstered by the addition of Buddy Bothwell who played with the Junior A Bozeman Ice Dogs of the American Frontier Hockey League. Newbury Park's Sam Kuzyk and David Perry of Northridge are other players with Junior A experience.

``I heard about the Mariners and came out here to see what it's like,'' Carlson said. ``It's definitely nice to play on a team that has some history and it's nice to be on a winning team.''