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)
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