DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff UCLA sophomore
defenseman Mike Mount tangles with USC sophomore
forward Jorgen Slots in UCLA’s 11-0 loss on
Friday. USC d. UCLA 8-2, 11-0
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In a season with few highs and many lows, the UCLA ice hockey
team may have hit rock bottom.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a team hindered
by youth and in search of an identity.
The Bruins (2-10, 1-7 Pac-8) lost the Crosstown Cup after a pair
of losses to USC ““ an 8-2 road loss on Thursday followed by
an 11-0 fight-laden debacle the next night.
“There’s been worse, but this is bad,” USC
head coach Mark Wilbur said of Friday’s shutout.
Thursday’s game mirrored the first game played between the
two teams almost three weeks ago, where the Trojans (7-9, 5-3) went
on to score seven unanswered goals in the last half of the game.
With the score tied at two late into the second period, USC scored
six goals in the last 23 minutes.
Then Friday, the Trojans took control early, as they caught the
Bruins flat and jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of
play. A fight in the stands forced the premature end of the first
period as teams were told to go to the locker rooms and allow the
spectators time to cool off.
“It’s unfortunate what happened in the
stands,” UCLA captain Eric Grahling said. “That’s
not really part of college hockey.”
The Bruins came out from the stoppage in play with a different
attitude. Looking to chip away at the lead, UCLA started to play a
physical game.
But after 10 scoreless minutes, the physical nature got out of
hand and the fight broke out on the ice instead of the stands.
“We tried to let them know that if they’re going to
win, they’re not going to win easy,” UCLA senior James
Costello said. “They’re going to go home with a couple
of bruises.”
UCLA’s penalty box turned into a conference room, and the
Trojans responded with two goals on the pair of ensuing 5-on-3
power plays to put the game away.
UCLA did not stop hitting, though. Amid a raucous atmosphere the
game turned “chippy,” with crushing hits delivered back
and forth.
Though they were beat on the scoreboard, the Bruins would not
let the Trojans beat them up.
Friday’s ugly loss may have been just what the doctor
ordered for the inexperienced Bruins ““ a chance to prove what
they were made of under the worst of circumstances.
“I think the thing that can be salvaged is that we did go
out and show that we had character,” Grahling said.