Hockey: Hockey team loses to Trojans but shows improvement

A win would have been nice for the Bruins, but sometimes
it’s the bright spots that make losing easier to swallow.

And in USC’s 6-2 victory over UCLA Tuesday night at
Staples Center, the men’s ice hockey team took a step in the
right direction following the 12-0 disaster against UC San Diego
Friday night.

The Bruins kept themselves in the game against a Trojan squad
that has only lost once this season by playing a much more inspired
and disciplined game than they did against UCSD.

“There’s no substitute for heart,” junior
forward Eric Allen said. “You can’t teach it, you
can’t practice for it. It’s great to see guys come out
after getting beat like we did by UCSD.”

UCLA’s resiliency was definitely apparent Tuesday night in
front of thousands of UCLA and USC fans, who stayed to watch the
two rivals face off after the L.A. Kings defeated the Calgary
Flames, 4-1.

USC is still the favorite to win the Pac-8 again this year, but
without Raffie Kalajian, who graduated last semester and was their
top goal-scorer, the Trojans looked like a much more beatable team.
Without Kalajian, they seemed to be lacking a certain presence that
has helped carry them this season.

The Bruins started the first period with momentum on their side
after freshman Scott Freschet, who played defense for the second
consecutive game, was stopped on two consecutive scoring
chances.

The pendulum swung the other way when the Trojans scored a
shorthanded goal and quickly put two more on the board to take a
3-0 lead.

Yet the Bruins were not going to let the game slide completely
out of reach as they have in the past against the Trojans, as
Freschet pounced on a loose puck in the slot to pull the Bruins
within two goals.

UCLA (4-12, 2-9 Pac-8) had more chances to pull even with USC,
including a breakaway by Brian Song early in the second period. But
the Trojans were able to stymie the Bruins and jumped out to a 5-1
lead in the second period. USC’s offense produced 33 shots on
goal, which is an improvement for UCLA’s defense, which has
at times allowed over 50 shots in a game.

“Defensively, we played well,” sophomore defenseman
Carlos Cazares said. “There were certain moments in the game
where (a defenseman) wanted to make a big play, which is not a bad
decision in a game like that, “¦ but there were times when we
went in and there was an odd man rush.”

“We minimized the goals (against) compared to the other
games,” junior winger Alex Omoto said. “It definitely
sets a precedent for the next time we play.”

In their previous four games this season, the Bruins had allowed
11.5 goals. Allowing only six goals to the Trojans, who were
averaging eight goals per game, gives the Bruins something to smile
about.

In addition to a stronger-than-usual defensive effort, the
Bruins can also build off a strong performance by freshman
goaltender Brian Schuster, who entered the game in the second
period and allowed a single short-handed breakaway goal on 15
shots.

“He did play on his head, and I’ve got to nominate
him as one of the players of the game,” Allen said of
Schuster, who has seen limited action this year among a logjam of
goaltenders on the team.

“I felt pretty solid going in once I got the butterflies
out of my stomach,” Schuster said.

The Bruins earned their second and final goal at the end of the
second period on a two-man advantage when Paul Medina found a loose
puck in front of the net and fired it past a sprawling Trojan
goaltender.