Bruin ice hockey loses season opener 8-1 to Loyola Marymount
By Kimberly Lajcik
Oct. 8, 2010 7:35 p.m.
Correction: The original headline for this article stated the score of the game twice.
The season opener for UCLA ice hockey featured a newly formed Bruin team and ended in an 8-1 loss against the Loyola Marymount Lions Wednesday night.
For three years, the Bruins have started off their season against LMU. Last year, the Lions came back from a five-goal deficit in the third period to earn a 8-7 victory over the Bruins. The team insists this year’s loss is indicative of early season challenges and not a reliable indicator for the rest of the season.
The first practice for the Bruins occurred only eight days before Wednesday’s match against an LMU squad that already had two blowout wins on their early-season record.
“This was out first game. … We haven’t gelled yet, we haven’t adapted to our own strengths and talents, but the talent is there. It’s just a matter of being comfortable with each other,” said Jonathan Lee, a second-year economics and architecture student and team captain.
A team characterized by its defensive prowess, UCLA started off in character, only allowing one goal in the first period, but then struggled in the second period, in which it allowed four goals. The game was nearly a shutout for LMU, as the first and only Bruin goal came in the final two minutes of the third period, by way of forward Charlie Linehan.
Linehan scored by capitalizing on a loose puck the goalie couldn’t control after a shot on goal by forward-right wing Daniel Vaynter.
“The game was a lot closer than the score indicated. A few unlucky bounces created breakaways (for LMU), and we didn’t convert all the chances we had,” said Michael Carder, a second-year business economics student and assistant captain of the team.
The most significant change during the Bruins’ season opener was the absence of their new coach due to a scheduling conflict. A former assistant hockey coach for the University of New Brunswick, Mark Francis joined the Bruin coaching staff in late September.
“I’m surprised with the talent level. I really had no expectations and I’m surprised on what we have,” Francis said.
As a New Brunswick coach, Francis had taken teams to national championships and even took home a few titles. During his first weeks as coach, Francis has already implemented new systems of play and coaches the team with an emphasis on fundamentals.
The Bruins were coached by the assistant coaching staff during the game.
Francis and the rest of the team leave Friday for Berkeley, where they will play a two-game series against the Bears Friday and Saturday night. This weekend’s series against California will be the first Pac-8 conference games for both teams.
