Club hockey shoots for improvements from last year’s performance

David Giroux came into UCLA not sure where to take his talent.

The freshman was already a veteran ice hockey player, and he wasn’t sure if a college club team would be too low-key and unstructured.

But his arrival was perfectly timed.

This year’s club hockey team has approached its sport at a totally different angle since last year’s unimpressive season, where they went 5-14.

This time the team is stressing accountability among its players. One skater’s error on the ice puts additional pressure on the other four, and the Bruins have taken that to heart now more than ever.

“If one guy’s out of place, the whole system’s wrong,” Giroux said. “On our penalty kill, if one guy’s not moving side to side with the diamond, then there’s gonna be an opening and they’re gonna score.”

Since last year, the team drastically cut down on retaliatory penalties and fighting after the whistle.

Players choose discipline over impulse and the result can be measured in fewer minutes spent fighting penalties during games.

The Bruins have also put an emphasis on dedication to practice. Because of limited availability of ice rinks in Los Angeles, the team travels to Panorama City for a weekly practice running from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Such little time makes commitment to the club all the more important and leaves no room for compromise.

“Obviously we’re not NCAA athletes where sports come first, but we need to prioritize as a team so we can be committed to hockey,” Giroux said.

“You know when your midterms are gonna be, and you can plan your week around one practice.”

Another improvement since last year was the addition of three dangerous new freshman forwards.

Giroux, Kevin Lystad, and Doo Soo Kim have provided size and speed, along with experience, to an offense averaging more than eight goals per game.

The Bruins won’t get away with such prolific scoring tonight.

They face the Trojans at the Staples Center in the second of five games known as the Crosstown Cup. USC gave UCLA fits last year, winning all five matches by one goal.

But UCLA managed to eke out a 4-3 shootout win in the first match of this year. UCLA had only practiced twice while USC had three weeks of training, but the Bruins were still able to erase memories of last year’s five-loss sweep.

All signs point to a nail-biter in the second game of the series, but the Bruins don’t see it that way.

“It’s always an emotional game. We get so invested ““ sometimes that compromises our focus and confidence,” senior defenseman and co-captain Jonathan Lee said.

“It shouldn’t come down to a one-goal game or a lucky bounce. We need to beat them by more than that.”

With this new approach of discipline and accountability, the Bruins have been perfect in the first third of their season.

Their 7-0 start includes a 12-1 blowout win against Cal. No other opponent has come close to UCLA, and the results reflect the transformation in the players’ approach to the game.

The increased discipline within the team has allowed coach Mark Francis to do his job better.

“From a coaching standpoint, it’s been much easier to get them to buy in when we’ve had results like this,” Francis said. “They get what I’m trying to show them, and so the success feeds on itself.”

With a win tonight, the Bruins would prove themselves to be a hockey team and not just a club; a collection of athletes who compete and not just students practicing their hobby.

They would be positioned to enter January undefeated, and come into the Pac-8 tournament as the team to beat.

Last year’s team was bounced in the first round against a talented Oregon squad, and this year they look to go deep.

“Usually it was good enough to beat USC,” said sophomore forward and co-captain Mark Yost. “But now we want to beat everyone.”