First Half Recap

Hey everyone,

It was a rough first semester for USC, no doubt about it. The Trojans faced a number of challenges with injuries, attendance, and occasionally bizarre circumstances and ended up 6-11.

Here are some high notes, low notes, players, and goals to remember from the first semester.

Best Game of the Semester

This was a difficult decision to make. USC had two imperfect, but truly exhilarating back-to-back road victories. One was a 5-4 slump buster against ASU and a come-from-behind 5-4 shootout win against LMU.

Thinking back on the two games, the Sundevils win gets the edge for a few reasons. One, it was a critical Pac-8 win. Two, it snapped a five-game losing streak. Three, ASU is, with all due respect, a significantly better team than LMU. Four,

Worst Game of the Semester

This was an easier decision. Although the back-to-back losses against UCLA were disappointing to watch as a Trojan, and USC never really seemed present in either SJSU game, none of those 4 losses had as big of an effect on the first half as the clear winner..... the dreaded I-5 Game.

Let me be clear, the result of this game wasn't the Trojans' fault in any shape or form. For those of you who forgot, a jacknifed semi truck blocked the interstate, allowing only the broadcasters and 6 players to make it to the game on time. Cal scored 10 goals in the first period, on the road to an unimaginable, unavoidable upset.

USC got their revenge a few weeks later at home with a 6-1 performance, but the loss threw the Trojans for a loop the rest of the way. They lost 7 of the next 8 games that followed and seemed out of rhythm. The game was jarring and frustrating more than anything else.

Best Goal of the Semester

There were a few candidates for this award.

Nick Helmer's off-the-endboards rebound goal against Stanford was great. Any of Adam Zacuto's penalty shot/shootout goals could count. Alex Hite's goal from outside the blue line in a losing effort was ridiculous.

But none of them were as spectacular as the only USC goal that didn't make it onto the broadcast. Against LBSU, Noah Comisar fed Adam Zacuto as he broke in down the right wing inside the faceoff circle. Zacuto was hauled down from behind, but it didn't affect his shot. From his knees, the "Sniper of Troy" picked his favorite corner - top shelf inside the near post (also known as glove-side high in this case). A spectacular goal.

Offensive MVP

"Handy" Nick Helmer. The freshman leads the Trojans in points and goals (14 scores, I'm too lazy to tally the points but just trust me). He's fantastic with the puck on his stick, but his nose for the back of the net is what really sets him apart. USC is simply better when he's on the ice.

He can't do it alone though. I'm hopeful to see how he fits into the offense when all of the top 6 Trojan forwards are back in action.

Honorable mention goes to Adam Zacuto.

Defensive MVP

Phil "Crazy Legs" Adams. The wily senior is not your typical butterfly-style goalie. He does whatever he has to in order to keep the puck out of the net. Arms, legs, helmet, stick, skate. Sometimes it looks like he's flailing a little bit, just throwing himself in front of whatever he can. Although it might look unconventional, the results don't lie. Adams often faced a barrage of shots from the doorstep, and came through big. He kept USC in games that the Trojans should have been blown out of.

The starting goaltender job is still up for grabs, but Adams made a strong case during the first semester.

Honorable mention goes to Dante Caravaggio.

Check the blog soon for a new poll and the second half preview!

Tumbling Into the Break: Trojans End Semester With 4-2 Loss to LBSU

Hey everyone,

The Trojans had a rough semester. In 16 games to that point, the team had gone 6-10. But there were signs of hope following a 4-game win streak towards the end. Could this USC team turn things around? A good measuring stick is always the intra-city rivalry against Long Beach State. After splitting the first two, the 49ers and Trojans duked it out Friday to break the tie. USC missed leading scorer Nick Helmer and energy forward Clark McClanathan. So how did things shake out?

Period 1

Simply put, this was a bad period of hockey. Not for any one particular team (although the Trojans didn't look great) but just as a whole. The two teams combined for a modest 15 shots during the period. The 49ers failed to convert on 3 powerplay opportunities, but did make starting netminder Phil Adams work a little bit. Adams was solid and occasionally spectacular in shutting down the 49ers attack. For its part, USC's offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm.

Period 2

But then things heated up in a flash. Both teams left the locker room and skated hard. The 49ers struck first. Following a shorthanded USC rush that fizzled, LBSU broke back the other way. Defenseman James Robelotto set up his fellow blueliner Tanner Woodbury with a pass to the doorstep outside the far post. Woodbury made no mistake and beat Adams to make it 1-0. The Trojans struck back in relatively ugly fashion. LBSU keeper Alex Miklovic made a tight save off of USC center Mitchell Landsinger . The rebound sat in a scrum in the low slot underneath a bunch of bodies including Trojan Zane Claes. First-year Trojan Max Ernst dug the loose puck out and barely got it across the line to tie the game. It was his first career goal and point. Although USC kept the pressure on and outplayed LBSU, the 49ers would have the last laugh in the period. Robelotto sent a big slapshot from the near point that went cleanly through traffic and into the net. Adams never saw it as 49er forward Joe Nalley was standing completely in front of him. 2-1 LBSU after 2.

Period 3

Early in the third, the 49ers tried to douse USC's hopes of a comeback. Blueliner Nick Kemp blasted a shot past Adams to double their lead. The Trojan offense hearkened back to its performance in the first period and looked stuck in the mud. Adams continued to play remarkably and finished the day with 37 saves. With under 3 minutes to go in the game, though, Adam Zacuto and Cory Adler lifted Trojan aspirations with a well-timed goal. Zacuto worked his way out of the far corner boards and nearly stuffed home a low shot. The rebound settled on Adler's stick in the slot and he roofed it into the net. The newfound momentum soon collapsed though. USC pulled Adams with 1:42 remaining, lost the ensuing faceoff, and gave away the clear that followed. That allowed Joe Nalley to finish off the game with an empty netter into the middle of the goal. Game over, 4-2 49ers.

Here's some news/notes from the game:

- Shots tell the story of this contest. USC was outshot in the first period, held the edge in shots in the second period, and was demolished in the third period. 40-28 was the final count in favor of LBSU.

- Adams had another solid performance in the losing effort. I was surprised to see him starting over Zack Keith as they'd consistently taken turns all season. However, Coach Wilbur cleared up any depth chart concerns during his first intermission interview. Keith sat because his new, legal, pads were not quite broken in yet. Wilbur is pleased with both keepers and I have to agree.

- The consistent problem for USC wasn't necessarily what it did to get into the offensive zone, but what it was trying to do to get out of their own defensive zone. A sloppy breakout muddled things all night for the Trojans. The forwards and defensemen were consistently not on the same page when it came to getting the puck out. LBSU's edge in physical play didn't help either.

- Dante Caravaggio played one of his best games of the season in a losing effort. He was solid positionally, and sparked the team with his hustle. The assistant captain provided at least a quarter of USC's shot total for the game, and used his speed and hard shot to get draws deep in 49er territory, even when he entered the zone 1-on-3. His worst play of the game came following Adler's goal. When asked by the referee who assisted on the tally, Caravaggio forgot Zacuto's number (18) and told him Max Ernst's (16) instead. I guess that shows you how tenuous of a thing stats are in the Pac-8.

- A fond farewell goes out to Matt Lewis. This was the Trojan defenseman's last game in a USC uniform. In addition to being solid defensively, Lewis was also never afraid to show some offensive skill and versatility this season. As a converted forward for one of the games this year, he tallied a pair of assists. He's a classy individual and a champion player. I'm sorry he couldn't go out on a win.

- Scott Mason received a promotion onto the Gold line with Zacuto and Adler. He responded by, well, doing what he always seems to do... taking a penalty. This one came in the first period on a hit from behind in front of the Trojan bench. Coach Wilbur expressed his frustration with Mason's propensity for heading to the box during the first intermission. If he can keep out of the box, he is one of a handful of physical USC forwards that can make an impact on the game.

- 49er captain Joe Nalley is a pesky, pesky player. He's a big-time talker, who loves to stir things up after the play is over. His skill, though, is undeniable. Nalley scored the empty netter and got an assist on the first goal of the game. He practically earned a second for his work in front of the net on Robelotto's goal.

- I appreciate all of the kind words and congratulations from everyone on receiving the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship.

- Andrew Magne made his play-by-play hockey debut during the second period with former Trojan broadcaster Dave Foley looking on. Past, present, future, perhaps? Andrew did well despite some initial butterflies.

That's all for this game recap. Look for a semester summary to be posted at some point during the winter break. USC starts back up again in the middle of January on a road trip back to Utah for the first time since the Mickey Meyer incident.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

NONE

2nd Period

Ernst - 1 (Landsinger, Gawlik)

3rd Period

Adler - 3 (Ernst, Caravaggio) NOTE: Ernst wasn't on the ice, it was Zacuto's assist.