Bruins, Trojans to face off in grudge match

Thursday, October 17, 1996

HOCKEY:

UCLA hoping to upset USC, who won six straight last yearBy Hye
Kwon

Daily Bruin Staff

Ice hockey is not what most people would conjure up when
engaging in a game of word association involving the phrase
"rivalry between UCLA and USC." But make no mistake about it. The
annual battles on the ice rink most definitely have their niches in
the war between the two schools.

This Sunday at 3 p.m., the two schools will resume the battle
which can be adequately described as a grudge match.

"It’s much more physical (than other games)," defenseman Patrick
Masson said. "Last year, I was among three guys ejected from the
game, along with Mike Siegel and Chris Manning. That goes to show
how rough things can get."

In six regular season matchups last season, the Trojans skated
to wins on each and every occasion over an inexperienced UCLA
squad. In the season series, USC outscored the Bruins 38 goals to
10. On one occasion, the Trojans succeeded in netting 12 goals,
while UCLA managed just two.

Sunday’s game at the Disney Ice Arena in Anaheim will offer the
Bruins a long-awaited chance to redeem themselves and to get the
big monkey off their back.

"That was pretty embarrassing," Masson said. "But we’re a
different team this year. It’s going to be a slaughter. We’re going
to destroy them."

From a team that finished in third place in the 1995-96 season,
USC returns key players who are the backbone of this year’s team.
Most notable among the group is Ken Clarke, a forward who tallied
23 goals and 28 assists a year ago.

To counter the experience that USC possesses in its players,
UCLA head coach Brad Jensen will rely on key newcomers. Defenseman
Jeff Rieger, team scoring leader Dumas Maugile and Zack Rynue are
just some of the new talents that Jensen will deploy on the
ice.

"Our new players are doing a great job for us," Jensen said.
"They’re doing well at the second and the third lines."

In the last two games, UCLA has been showing up timid in the
first two quarters. Against both Bay Area foes, the Bruins allowed
their opponents to jump out to leads, which made an all-out
offensive surge a necessity just to finish the games in ties.

"The key is getting started in the beginning," Masson said. "We
definitely have the talent, we just need to come out relaxed."

Despite the fact that they are gearing up for an intense session
of hockey, the Bruins are approaching the physicality of the game
in a careful manner. Masson is quick to point out that
aggressiveness on the ice has to be vented in a productive way.

"If our defense gets caught up in the physical game, we’ll lose
track of our defensive obligations and we might give up shots and
break-aways," Masson said. "Plus, we can’t lower ourselves to
playing the rough game. A reward better than a punch in the face
will be the winning score on the board. That’ll make them feel the
sting more."

JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin

UCLA ice hockey has high hopes of beating archenemy USC this
Sunday with the addition of new talent to the team.