Broken Brooms: Trojans Fall Short in 6-5 Loss

Hey everyone,

These post-loss recaps will be shorter in general. There may or may not be period recaps posted and occasionally won't audio highlights. Posting never seems quite as fun after a close loss like this one. It doesn't help that my vantage point was terrible (ice level, off of the corner), so I didn't see all of these plays as clearly as normal.

Period 1

The Trojans jumped out to a very quick start, scoring three unanswered goals and peppering starting Titans goaltender Alex Miller with shot after shot. Cory Adler got the first on the powerplay off of an Adam Zakuto rebound. Nick Helmer got the second off of an Adler rebound. Mitchell Landsinger got the third with a perfectly placed wrist shot. Fullerton responded with two unanswered of their own. Kyle Oyama had more success against starting netminder Zack Keith, finishing off a Chris Houlihan feed. Then Houlihan got his own goal from Oyama to trim USC's lead to 3-2. The Trojan powerplay stayed hot though. After Alex Hite held the blue line, he sent a rink wide point-to-point pass to Dante Caravaggio. The offensive defenseman wound up and ripped a blazing slapshot into the far top corner of the net. Four first period goals was all she wrote for Miller and he was replaced by Brandon Heethuis (pronounced heat-hoose).

Period 2

Then things got ugly for Keith and USC. This was truly a period to forget as the Titans scored 3 unanswered to take a 5-4 lead into the third. Keith looked shaky and didn't come up with any truly spectacular saves on the night as a whole.

Period 3

The third went a little better for the Trojans. Although the Titans extended their lead midway through the period with Payne Sauer's second goal of the night, USC had far more shots and scoring chances. Unlike the previous night, however, they couldn't seem to beat Heethuis for most of the period. With 3:24 left, The Trojans cut their deficit in half when Zakuto hopped on a puck near the far faceoff circle and slapped it past Heethuis. USC was buzzing following that goal, threatening to tie a few times, until Scott Mason's penalty with 2:03 left killed the Trojans' momentum. Helmer and Lewis each had shorthanded chances, but couldn't get the puck in and the Titans hung on for the win.

Some news and notes from the loss:

- Zack Keith may have seriously harmed his chances to be the guy to replace Matt Buttweiller. He was underwhelming in the loss, making few big saves and giving up a pair of easier goals. Compared side to side with Adams' performance the night before, Keith doesn't stack up. Adams faced more shots and more difficult shots, while giving up fewer goals. Coach Wilbur is unlikely to make a decision off of one bad night, so let's hope this is just that... a bad night.

- Some odd game management at the tail end of the game. Although USC was shorthanded, it controlled play in the Titans zone, and even with less than 30 seconds remaining, Keith never went to the bench for the extra skater. It wasn't like Keithe wasn't looking to the bench for the signal either. I'll try and ask Coach Wilbur about that decision before the next game.

- Penalties killed USC once again. Adam Zakuto and Mitchell Landsinger each took a double minor. Landsinger had 6 penalty minutes alone in the third period. The worst penalty though was Mason's hooking penalty to essentially kill off any chances at a comeback. Yes, the referee should be a touch more lenient in that situation, but Mason did get his stick in the midsection and you have to be more disciplined there. The Trojans in general have to be more disciplined, because they've traditionally ended up on the short end of calls in San Jose State away games.

- Here's a look at USC's goals per period so far.... First period: 6 goals scored, 2 against. Second period: 1 goal scored, 6 goals against. Third period: 4 goals scored, 2 goals against. Obviously the Trojans are starting well, but completely losing focus in the second period. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend.

- Something simultaneously positive and concerning is the offensive success of the first line... and lack of offensive success elsewhere. The first line has scored 7 of the Trojans' 11 goals so far this season. Each of the three members of that line had at least a goal and an assist tonight. However, the second line only has two goals so far, and one of those was incredibly fluky. The third line has another and the defense scored the 11th. USC needs more balance between the top two lines or else they could struggle to score as consistently as they need to.

- Some injuries to keep an eye on. Max Ernst tweaked his wrist before the game. He played through it, but it's something to watch. Nick Helmer also pulled his shoulder a bit during the first period, but stayed on the ice. That would be a major offensive loss.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Adler - 1 (Zakuto) PP

Helmer - 3 (Adler, Zakuto)

Landsinger - 1 (Comisar)

Caravaggio - 1 (Hite)

2nd Period

NONE

3rd Period

Zakuto - 3 (Helmer)

Getting it Started Right: USC Wins Opener 6-4

Before I get into the game recap, an important note. Audio highlights and interviews have been reposted in a new embeddable player that should actually work. If there continue to be problems, let me know and I will post the direct link to the raw audio file up.... I apologize if this has been frustrating anyone... In general, audio highlights may take a day or two to get posted.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the news, notes, and game recap.

Period 1

Direct audio link

The Trojans kicked off the season right with an explosive first period. The completely rebuilt first line of Nick Helmer, Cory Adler, and Adam Zakuto was responsible for a lot of the Trojans' success. The first goal of the game came off of a beautiful feed from the goal line extended to the front of the net, Helmer to Zakuto. USC's first goal of the season was also Zakuto's first as a Trojan as well as Helmer's first point. Zakuto wasn't done just yet. He added another tally less than 4 minutes later with a beautiful redirection of defenseman Matt Lewis' shot from the point. Not wanting to be left off of the scoresheet, Cory Adler took a hooking call with 2 minutes left. However starting goaltender Phil Adams and the USC defense stopped the Titans' 5 on 3 aspirations and took a 2-0 lead into the locker room.

Period 2


Direct audio link

For whatever reason, USC decided to take a period off. The Titans Chris Houlihan ended Adams' shutout with a goal just more than 5 minutes in. Noah Comisar quickly re-extended USC's lead to two goals with a high effort, but relatively flukey unassisted goal. Houlihan answered back for CSUF, slipping in behind the USC defense, and sliding the puck through a crack of daylight between the post and Adams. Phil definitely wanted that one back. Although the Titans fell short on their first 5 powerplay opportunities, the made no mistakes with a sixth chance. This time it was Fullerton blueliner Payne Sauer burying a Houlihan rebound past a diving Adams. That tied things up 3-3. If this were the 2008-09 season, USC would've lost this game in heartbreaking fashion....

Period 3


Direct audio link

But this is a new season, without the heartbreak this time. The Trojans came out of the locker room with a determination that's been missing for so long. Just 6 seconds into their second powerplay chance of the game, Adler won a draw to Helmer who forced his way to the net and slipped a puck past Brandon Heethuis. That momentum kept rolling. Minutes later, third line forward Max Szentveri gathered in a loose rebound from James Anderson's shot and found the back of the net to give USC a more comfortable margin. An Elan Dunaev goal brought the Titans within 1 again, but Adams and the Trojans held firm. With under two minutes to go, Nick Helmer finished off the Titans for good with a truly unassisted goal in which he: was tripped up, blanketed by defensemen, skated through all of them like pylons, and sending the puck into the bottom of the net. Simply incredible. The Titans kept pressing, but Adams held his ground and the Trojans finished off a tough 6-4 win.


Some notes from the game:
- The new additions for USC are really lighting things up. Every one of them seemed to make a contribution in some area of the ice. Nick Helmer had three points, including two clutch third period goals. Adam Zakuto chipped in two goals. Alex Hite made some incredible defensive plays, including completely shutting down a breakaway. Max Ernst made effort play after effort play. Scott Mason brought a nice physical edge to the ice as a forward. Adam Kwon gives USC the confidence of having a third goaltender. The new guys made some noise out there.

- Max Szentveri is far from a new guy, but I've simply never seen him play as well as he played tonight. He was a physical force, despite his relatively small stature, making one particularly jaw-dropping hit in the first period. He skated harder than I've seen him skate. He had 4 legitimate scoring chances and wasn't afraid to pull the trigger. His game-winning goal was the reward for a night of hard work. After the game he told me that he knew in the first period that he was going to score that night. Sensational game.

- Speaking about sensational games, Phil Adams announced himself as a legitimate heir to Buttweiler's throne. He made some ridiculous saves tonight. Adams was an artist with his glovework. On a breakaway in the second period, he denied Kyle Oyama by flashing the leather and snatching the puck away. In the third, Oyama had a rebound chance pop onto his stick, sent it towards the open side of the net, but Adams made a beautiful reflex save. He may not be the most technically sound netminder, but boy is he fun to watch and USC would've surely lost without him.

- Maybe it's a mark of the Mike Gawlik era, but one thing is for sure. Physicality is back in Trojan hockey. USC bullied CSUF with punishing hip checks and free trips into the boards. Everyone hit. Everyone played physical hockey. A possible reason for USC's third period success is that the Titans were tired.

- Cory Adler needs to play more disciplined hockey. The top line center had 12 penalty minutes during the games, and often took penalties at incredibly inopportune times.

- Despite being played on USC's home ice, Fullerton fans outnumbered the Trojan faithful 2 to 1.

- Rumor has it Alex Lofthus will not be playing for USC this season. The Ryder Fyrwald comeback may not amount to much either.

- Dante Caravaggio has a blazing slapshot, so it's not a surprise that he was the Trojan that fired the puck that hit me in the eye. I'm just glad it deflected a couple of times first.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Zakuto - 1 (Helmer)
Zakuto - 2 (Lewis)

2nd Period

Comisar - 1

3rd Period

Helmer - 1 (Adler) PP
Szentveri - 1 (Anderson, McClanathan)
Helmer - 2


Hope everyone can tune in to tomorrow night's broadcast.

Alex

CSUF Line Pairings

Hey everyone,

Below are Coach Wilbur's expected line pairings and lineup for this week's series against Cal State Fullerton. There are some key names missing and this is all subject to change.

Forward Lines
Cardinal: Nick Helmer - Cory Adler - Adam Zacuto
Gold: Noah Comisar - Mitchell Landsinger - Max Ernst
Teal: Scott Mason - Charlie Mach - Max Szentveri
Green: Clark McClanathan - Vishal Gajendran - Alex Jurdi

Defense:
Michael Gawlik, Jason Bush, Matt Lewis, Dante Caravaggio, Alex Hite, James Anderson

Goalie:
Phil Adams, Zack Keith, Adam Kwon

Some interesting notes about this lineup:

- There are two new players on the top line. Freshman star Nick Helmer and Arizona transfer Adam Zacuto. Helmer has looked like a top line player all along, skating at a whole different speed during practices. I'm curious to see what he does in a game situation. I haven't seen as much from Zacuto, except for an absolutely ridiculous breakaway move that finished with the puck tucked just underneath the crossbar.
- Phil Adams was listed ahead of Zack Keith on the goaltending depth chart, and may end up the starter this weekend. However, the list also happened to be in alphabetical order, so we'll have to find out for sure later tonight.
- Josh Cerasuolo and Josh Frazier are listed as scratches for this weekend. Cerasuolo is out due to a fractured arm. I'm not positive on the exact reason why Frazier is out for this series.
- There were several prominent Trojans expected to be on this year's team that were not even listed on the full numbered roster or as scratches. Star junior Alex Lofthus is not in the list and his #12 was given to Josh Cerasuolo. Defenseman Alex Schauffhausen is not on the roster either. Finally, the anticipated return of Ryder Fyrwald may not happen after all as he is unlisted as well. However, Alex Jurdi and Vishal Gajendran are listed as playing, but weren't listed on the roster either. Tune into the game for more details on what all of their situations are.

Listen in tonight! Should be fun.

Training Camp

Hey everyone!

Contrary to what I said in the last post I did attend training camp with USC down in Escondido this weekend. I scouted out the team from the ice itself, wearing jeans and borrowing a lefty stick. Here are a few notes/observations:
- Zach Keith is starting to find his groove. After a shaky tryouts, Keith shook off some of his rust and making his case to start.
- This year's freshman phenom? Without a doubt it is Nick Helmer out of Minnetonka, MN. He's a deft stick handler with a precision shot and a lot of speed. Expect big things.
- A potential factor for the semester ahead... A solid three or four Trojan players have a class ending at 6 pm on Fridays. This could make Friday home games particularly interesting roster-wise.
- Because of this wrinkle and heavy traffix, Friday's session had a relatively low attendance, while Saturday's was more like a traditional practice.
- I would have more notes from Saturday, except I spent most of the session in the hospital. During a passing/shooting drill I was positioned near the far corner in line with some of the players. A slapshot deflected off of the goalies stick, the crossbar and then hit me right below the eyebrow on my upper right eyelid. Without going into the gory details, a sizeable gash was opened up and my right eye swelled up somerhing awful. For a while I wasn't sure if I'd lost vision in that eye for good. Luckily I should make a full (albeit ugly) recovery. Maybe I should stick to the pressbox.....
- Special thanks to team trainer Cindy Bailey and former player Ryan Farias for their unbelievable help.

That's all I've got. Look for a roster to be posted Tuesday and be sure to tune in on Thursday.

Tryouts

Hey everyone!

The season is almost here and the team is starting to come together. Last night, Coach Wilbur ran the second night of tryouts out in Anaheim Ice.

Here are some news and notes:
- This is a stacked team offensively. Besides Michael Joyce and Tyler McLinn, everyone is back and then some. Ryder Fyrwald, USC's 2007 offensive star, has rejoined the team after a year off. Some new potential stars entering the mix should also improve the Trojans' goalscoring.
- One new star is a transfer from Arizona's ACHA Division 1 program. The last name is escaping me, but the first name is Zach (I was too busy filming...). He scored the goal of the night on a breakaway. He toe dragged right, before clanging the puck off of the joint between crossbar and post and into the net. Wilbur's jaw dropped.
- Captain Michael Gawlik made his presence felt. He smashed two of his teammates into the boards. This should be a much more physical team with Gawlik at the helm, something that was sorely missing a season ago.
- The biggest question remains the goaltending. Netminders Phil Adams and Zach Keith are battling for the starting slot, but both looked fairly rusty. We'll see who gets the ultimate call to replace Buttweiller and how they'll handle it.
- Some injury news. Josh Cerrasuolo fractured his arm on Monday and will be out 8-12 weeks. Jay Roth did not practice due to a foot injury. Nate Neroni may have also tweaked his wrist during the night's tryouts.

Video from tryouts was posted to ATVN (the student news network here) and can be seen at this link.

Below is the full-length audio interview with Coach Wilbur from after Tryouts.


Listen below for a full interview with Dante Caravaggio and Clark McClanathan.

The Trojans head to San Diego this weekend for Training Camp (which I unfortunately can't attend). The season kicks off at home against Cal State Fullerton next week. Get excited!