Sleepless in SoCal: Trojans Wake Up Too Late in 3-2 Loss to UCLA

Hey everyone,

USC came into the game on a three game losing streak and trying to shake the memory of a 5-4 late night loss to UCLA from the previous night. The good news? They were coming home and added star forward Adam Zacuto and effort player Clark McClanathan. Here's what happened:

Period 1

Zach Keith started the game for USC, but didn't last long, leaving with illness less than a minute into the game (I didn't notice it for a long time). That meant it was up to Phil Adams to carry the load for the second straight night. And also for the second straight night, Zack Tenney scored a goal for UCLA. A few seconds into their first powerplay of the game, the Bruins were tied up off of the draw. Tenney swooped in, scooped up the puck and fired a high wrister from between the faceoff circles. A disallowed goal later in the period kept the hole from getting any bigger.

Period 2

But the team didn't wake up during the intermission. USC had, at most, 3 shots on goal during the second period. It was painful to watch. The Bruins doubled their lead when Michael Carder followed a very short rebound from a tight shot off of Phil Adams and tapped it home during a bullrush at the net. The Trojans entered the second intermission still sound asleep.

Period 3

At least initially, whatever locker room speech Coach Langille gave did not work. A comeback looked highly unlikely. But then came the alarm clock. Speedy Bruin forward Daniel Vaynter came in along right wing on a 2-on-1. Vaynter threw a hard pass that deflected off of a sprawling Michael Gawlik and past Adams. The realization of a 3-0 hole got things going in a big way. Midway through a 5-on-3, Matt Lewis fed Adam Zacuto down at the bottom inside corner of the far faceoff circle. Zacuto waited patiently before snapping a puck through Al Ricciardelli to narrow the deficit. Then, with 3 minutes left in the game, USC came even closer. Jason Bush joined the attack and took the puck behind the Bruin net. He threw one in front to Zacuto who finished off the play right as the net was being dislodged. The goal stood and the Trojans were within a goal. Penalties, however, finished off USC. Nick Helmer went to the box first with 2:13 left in the period. Then Mitchell Landsinger took a double minor with just over a minute remaining. The Trojans applied pressure until the final horn sounded, but couldn't get a quality chance on net with as few players as they had. UCLA walked off of Anaheim Ice with a 3-2 win and a 2-0 lead in the Crosstown Cup.

Some news and notes:

- The Trojans skated 4 defensemen the whole game. They did a reasonable job protecting Adams, especially considering the sheer number of rebounds given up.

- Phil Adams played a great game. His reaction saves and pad saves were simply ridiculous. On a breakaway late in the third, he made a save with his right pad that he had absolutely no business making. The only consistent problem he had was a lack of rebound control. There were a shocking number of pucks just sitting in front of the crease after the first shot.

- Daniel Vaynter scored the game winner for the Bruins and was as good as advertised. He will give plenty of other teams nightmares as this season goes on.

- This was USC's third straight one-goal loss.

The Trojans hit the road next weekend in what should be some tough games against ASU.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

Period 1

NONE

Period 2

NONE

Period 3

Zacuto - 8 (Lewis) PP

Zacuto - 9 (Bush, Helmer)

Attack of the Bruins: Trojans Lose Second Straight OT Game 5-4

Hey everyone,

Game 1 of the Crosstown Cup was Thursday night/Friday morning out in Panorama City. USC was coming off of being swept out of their own building by the Ducks. The hope was that the team would turn things around against UCLA. Here's what happened:

Period 1

The Bruins let USC know early on that this was not going to be an easy night. On a powerplay, UCLA captain Neal Parsons launched a shot from the point. It deflected off of some traffic in front of USC netminder Phil Adams and got past him into the net. 1-0 UCLA. The Trojans responded fairly quickly. Faceoff winning machine Mitchell Landsinger stole a puck from Parsons on the penalty kill, broke in alone and tucked it past Bruin goaltender Al Ricciardelli to knot the game up. Then on a powerplay chance for the Trojans, defenseman-turned-forward Matt Lewis took a shot from the doorstep. Ricciardelli partially blocked it, but Scott Mason found the loose rebound and slid it home. 2-1 Trojans entering the period break.

Period 2

The momentum of this period seesawed back and forth. On a Bruins man advantage, Alex Horowitz glid from behind Adams to the front of the net. He then flipped a puck past Adams to tie the game again. Mason answered for USC on a beautiful chemistry play. Max Szentveri dropped the puck back to Lewis who then slid a pass from the near point to the far faceoff circle. Mason gathered it in and scored it. The Bruins tied again on another Horowitz goal and seemed to have all of the momentum behind them. They gained more momentum when Alex Hite hit speedy Bruin forward Nick Panzica face-first into the endboards during a foot race for the puck. Panzica was alright, but Hite received a major penalty and a game disqualification (keeping him out for Friday's game). The Trojan penalty kill stood strong though, handily killing all 5 minutes and heading into the locker room with the tie preserved.

Period 3

USC took the lead for the third time in the game early in the third period. It came on the powerplay once again. Lewis broke in along the far boards, found a loose puck and snapped a top shelf shot past Ricciardelli. The Bruins kept fighting back. Panzica shot another puck through traffic that beat Adams. With the game deadlocked at 4 apiece, both teams had their chances to finish the game in regulation. Adams stood on his head almost literally on a few chances, including some on the breakaway. The Trojans failed to scored on a nearly full 5-on-3. With around 2:30 remaining in the game, Szentveri was cleanly stuffed on a penalty shot. USC also had a powerplay chance for the last 90 seconds of regulation, but couldn't do much. And so, for the second game in a row the Trojans headed to overtime.

OT

The OT period did not last long. With only a minute gone by, Jason Bush took out a Bruin away from the puck and headed to the box on an interference call. Early in the penalty kill, Zack Tenney walked into the Trojan zone along right wing, crept into the slot and beat Adams top shelf. The Bruins poured out onto the ice as they celebrated a hard fought win.

Some news and notes:

- This was UCLA's first win over USC since an essentially meaningless Crosstown Cup Game 5 during the 2007-08 season. The Bruins last Game 1 win in the Crosstown Cup came back during 2005-06. They actually won the first two in that series before USC won the last three.

- USC has a major attendance problem and keeps unintentionally creating excuses for itself. Zacuto, Adler, and Frazier were out for various reasons. That's half of the Trojans' top six forwards right there. McClanathan was out to serve a DQ. Coach Wilbur was in Chinese Taipei on business. It's tough to completely gauge the level of this hockey team right now because it's rarely all together in one game.

- Alex Hite is a huge loss on the blue line. It means that the Trojans have to move Lewis back from forward to defense to even have 4 guys. This is a bit of a shame as Lewis was productive at forward, scoring 3 points in Thursday's game.

- One Bruin who didn't get on the scoresheet but should be a huge factor tonight is Daniel Vaynter. He is speedy, draws penalties and has great instincts. Look for him to give the Trojan defense problems on Friday.

- Make no mistake, the Bruins won the game and certainly were the better team on the ice Thursday. They outshot the Trojans in a major way. If Ricciardelli had been better for UCLA or Adams worse for USC, the Bruins could have easily won by two or more goals.


Should be an exciting game tonight!

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Landsinger - 3 SH
Mason - 2 (Lewis) PP

2nd Period

Mason - 3 (Lewis, Szentveri)

3rd Period

Lewis -1 PP

OT

NONE

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: Trojans Close But Not Quite in 4-3 OT Loss to the Ducks

Hey everyone,

The Trojans entered this morning's game worn down from a hard game the night before against Oregon with a short bench. Captain Mike Gawlik is out with a Game DQ from the night before, starting center Cory Adler is out with a concussion, 3 other forwards were out with the flu. USC still hit the ice Saturday morning with a chance to end the Ducks' dominance over the last few seasons. Here's what happened:

Period 1

To say the Trojans came out slow in Friday's first period would be an understatement. USC had a much better start Saturday, but still trailed 2-1 after a period. Ducks defenseman Jonah Rice launched a laser through traffic that got by starting goaltender Zach Keith. The Trojans fought back to tie, with blueliner Dante Caravaggio jumping on a turnover and firing a weird angle shot that was tipped by a Ducks defender into the back of the net. Oregon had the last laugh in the period, forcing a rebound try past Keith. The key play in the period, however, happened when top penalty killing forward Clark McClanathan got too aggressive forechecking and sent Oregon starting defenseman Doug Reese face first into the boards. McClanathan was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for his hit. USC's third major penalty of the series, but more importantly the Trojans lost another key forward for the game.

Period 2

Despite giving the Ducks a boatload of powerplay opportunities, the Trojan penalty kill was strong and Zach Keith was even stronger. Keith had his best period of the season, shutting down Oregon on several chances from right on top of his crease. Meanwhile, USC took advantage on it's own powerplay with two goals. Adam Zacuto found a loose puck thrown in front by Nick Helmer and slipped it past Oregon goaltender Chris Takla. Minutes later, Zacuto struck again with another perfectly placed top shelf goal. That gave the Trojans the 3-2 lead entering the third.

Period 3

USC didn't play cautiously in the third and try to sit on the lead, but fairly early in the period, it was gone anyway. On the powerplay again, the Ducks' Bryson Crawford sent a pass that went from behind the USC net, through the crease, to Kevin Trihey at the point. Trihey sent a laser that went untouched past Keith to tie the game at 3 apiece. Despite late chances for both teams, the game went to overtime for the 2nd time in the last four meetings between Oregon and USC.

Overtime

But it simply wasn't meant to be. With 1:30 left in the extra session, the Ducks sent a breakout pass to winger Tyler McCarty who headed into Trojan territory in a hurry. USC would have had Bush and Hite back to stop the play, but Hite got caught heading to the bench in the middle of a change and it was Bush's job to handle McCarty. Bush did his best, forcing McCarty to take a backhanded shot from the near faceoff dot. But that was enough to beat Keith. It squeezed underneath the Trojan goaltender's arm clean into the back of the cage. That gave the Ducks a hard fought 4-3 win and extended their streak. USC came close and put up a stellar effort considering the lack of personnel, but as the saying goes.... "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades".

Here are some other notes from the game:

- Zach Keith had a great performance in the game. He certainly rose to the occasion. Unfortunately, the one goal that could be pointed to as a "bad one" was the overtime winner. The goaltending situation is arguably the most intriguing aspect of the team right now.

- Clark McClanathan did a great job as a color commentator. One of his most interesting insights is hearing how this Trojan locker room is much more together than last year's. Expect that closeness to pay dividends in chemistry and effort as the season goes on.

- This is arguably the best USC has played so far this season... but not necessarily the best team USC has played to this point. If one thing was clear from this series, it's that Oregon is certainly beatable this season. But until the Trojans get that monkey off of their back, the Ducks will hold onto their bragging rights until someone knocks them off of their throne.

- James Anderson's move to forward appears permanent. The big reason cited is his lack of complete comfort on his skates. An understandable move. It will be interesting to see how Anderson adjusts to his new role (his third on the team in less than two full seasons).

- After talking with Trojan trainer Cindy Bailey it appears that Adler can start playing again one week after symptoms of his concussion subside. That may not mean he'll be on the ice against UCLA next Thursday and Friday, but expect a possible return on the road against ASU.

The Trojans have two big games next week against UCLA. For the record and the rivalry, these are clear must-wins. Until then.... fight on everyone!

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Landsinger - 2 (Caravaggio) NOTE: Landsinger was screening on the play, but says he didn't touch it

2nd Period

Zacuto - 6 (Helmer) PP

Zacuto - 7 (Bush) PP

3rd Period

NONE

Overtime

NONE

Two Games in One: Bipolar Trojans Fall to Ducks 6-3

Hey everyone,

Oregon has had USC’s number for the last 3 seasons. Since the Trojans’ dramatic 4-3 Pac-8 Championship victory in 2007 over the Ducks, Oregon has not lost once to Troy. This season, unlike last, the games are in Anaheim. Did it make a difference? Short answer, no. Oh… you want the long answer? Read on.

Period 1

The Trojans must have gone to bed early, because they looked like they were sleepwalking in a devastating first period of play. The game stayed scoreless until first line forward Ian Law gave the Ducks a 1-0 edge a little before halfway into the period. Then the dam broke open… two powerplay goals and another rebound tally by Derek Wolfson gave Oregon a crushing 4-0 lead. Starting goaltender Phil Adams was under absolute siege in the first, facing 24 shots in the frame. Meanwhile, USC’s illness-ridden offense (more on that later) tallied only 3 shots in the entire period. Against San Jose State just three weeks earlier, the Trojans seemed to pack it in facing a similar deficit. But….

Period 2

The Trojans woke up. Just like in the second period of “The I-5 Game”, USC stopped the bleeding without healing the four-goal wound. USC had several close calls, but were shut down by Ducks netminder Jack Barry. A misconduct penalty to Adam Zacuto and a 5-minute boarding major to Max Szentveri kept the USC offense from getting on the scoreboard. Shots in the period were still 13-4 in favor of the Ducks, but that doesn’t reflect the changed Trojan team out on the ice. Coach Wilbur, despite still facing a 4-0 deficit, was pleased with the team’s turnaround.

Period 3

And then the Trojans broke through. Early in the third period, Nick Helmer took a long pass from Alex Hite, blew by the Ducks defenseman, and deked around Barry for the goal. That goal triggered inspired Trojan Hockey for the rest of the period. The offense buzzed around Barry, giving the Ducks defense all it could handle. But then one moment unraveled comeback hopes that evening and seriously hurt USC’s chances the following night. Oregon forward Carter Achilles was skating with the puck in an arc inside of Trojan territory. What happened next is up to who you ask. If you ask my broadcast partner Max Ernst, team video man Jeff Lewis, or defenseman Michael Gawlik, Achilles was laid out with a clean (albeit slightly high) hit. If you ask some of the other Trojans watching from the bench or, more importantly, the referees, Gawlik’s elbow came up and hit Achilles in the head. Either way, it sent Gawlik and Achilles off to the locker room. Achilles with a head injury and Gawlik with a 5 minute elbowing major and a game disqualification (kicking him out for Saturday’s game). Initially, the Trojans kept the energy up starting off the long penalty kill with a nifty 2-on-1 shorthanded goal from blueliner Dante Caravaggio. That narrowed the deficit to 4-2, but then the Ducks finished. They took advantage of their extended man advantage with 2 more powerplay goals. The Trojans kept fighting, with Zacuto scoring on a beautifully executed penalty shot, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Here’s some news, notes and observations from the game:

- This Ducks team does not miss star goalie Wren Arbuthnott as much as you might expect. Jack Barry proved he is a capable successor with some truly unbelievable goals.

- Phil Adams had a chance to take a solid lead in the goaltender battle, but a sloppy first period kept things fairly even with a chance for Zack Keith to make an impression Saturday morning.

- In addition to losing captain Mike Gawlik for tomorrow’s game, first line forward Cory Adler may be absent. Word from the Trojan locker room is that he may have some type of head injury incurred during the first period (possibly a concussion).

- USC is not immune from the flu bug going around campus. Josh Frazier will miss this weekend’s series with a severe flu, while Max Ernst and Scott Mason are both out for similar illnesses. Ernst may play tomorrow, but it remains to be seen.

- As I mentioned during tryouts, Adam Zacuto may have the best penalty shot move I’ve seen. It doesn’t look like much until he brings it onto his forehand at the last second and picks the absolute top corner of the net. Absolutely unstoppable.

- Oregon may have the perfect strategy for handling the I-5. They all came down on one bus straight from Eugene. That way they either all make it or none of them make it. That is one hell of a drive though.

- It’s tough to tell whether Alex Hite or Dante Caravaggio is the best defenseman so far for USC. Hite is arguably more solid defensively, making great plays on the back check and consistently clearing pucks away from dangerous areas. Caravaggio is a gambler to be sure. He plays fast and loose in his own defensive end and loves to hit. Dante also shows no fear in hopping into the attack as evidenced by tonight’s shorthanded goal. Both have devastating slapshots, absolute cannons. Hite sent in some lasers from the red line while Caravaggio is equally dangerous from the point.

Early morning game in Anaheim tomorrow. I’ve got to get some rest or my own version of the flu is only going to get worse.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

NONE

2nd Period

NONE

3rd Period

Helmer - 8 (Hite)

Caravaggio - 2 (McClanathan) SH

Zacuto - 5 PS

Revenge!: USC Avenges Earlier Defeat With 6-1 Win Over Cal

Hey everyone,

USC entered tonight with a 4-game losing streak, an 0-1 Pac-8 record, and a lot of guys not quite on the same page. While the chemistry isn't completely there just yet, the Trojans took a big step forward in tonight's game. Here's the recap:

Period 1

Direct audio link

USC was looking for a measure of revenge after Cal pasted them 10-1 in the first period under difficult circumstances last time. The result of the first period wasn't as dramatic as the Bears' was, but satisfying nonetheless. Killing off a Matt Lewis interference penalty midway through the first, the Trojans drew a delayed penalty in their own zone and took advantage. Defenseman Jason Bush broke down ice and slipped a puck past Cal netminder Peter Tartaglia for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 USC lead. Later in the period, on a powerplay of their own, Bush struck again. Pinching in from the point, he sent a perfect pass across the crease to Nick Helmer who couldn't help but finish it off. Minutes later, Adam Zacuto found a rebound between the faceoff circles and wristed an absolute beauty that clipped the crossbar on its way into the corner of the net. A sensational goal that sent USC to the locker room with a cozy 3-0 lead.

Period 2

Direct audio link

That 3-0 lead may have been a little too cozy. The Trojans came out of the room and Cal made them pay. Cal's Wesley Borja waltzed to the front of the net and stuck a puck past Zack Keith. All too easy of a goal for the Bears. The rest of the period went back and forth, with the Trojans getting the better of the chances but Tartaglia denying them at every turn. They had to wait until under 2 minutes to go in the period to extend their lead again. Cory Adler forced his way to the near side of the net and sent a low shot on Tartaglia. The goalie made the initial save, but left a shallow rebound. Helmer jammed at it once before it came loose towards the far side post. Helmer backhanded it along the ice underneath a diving Tartaglia to renew a 3 goal lead. Then, right off of the faceoff, Helmer stole a puck off of a Bear forward's stick in the neutral zone, split the two defensemen, and came in on a short breakaway. He slid the puck low once again underneath Tartaglia's pad to give USC a 5-1 lead and Helmer a hat trick.

Period 3

Direct audio link

It's easy to say a 5-1 game in the third period is never in doubt, USC's play made a comeback for Cal impossible. Although the Trojans only goal came from a beautiful Alex Hite top shelf slapshot, they outshot Cal 22 - 5 in the third period and never took their foot off the gas. If Tartaglia had been even remotely off of his game, this would have gotten truly ugly. Either way, USC finished off a satisfying 6-1 win that appears to have gotten things back on track.

Some news/notes from the game:

- Nick Helmer has really been the man at forward for USC so far this season. He held the team lead in goals coming into the night, and increased that lead with his MVP performance. Helmer seems to have a nose for the back of the net. He gets his goals working down low, and he gets down low with his incredible stickhandling ability. Great night for him.

- That whole first line is looking great in general. They scored 4 out of the 6 Trojan goals tonight and are very much in sync with one another. If this line has an off night, then it will be a looooong game for USC...

- The performance of that first line is good to see, but there isn't a solid following act in that second line like in past seasons. The "Gold" line made little impact on the game, and had even less chemistry. Although Josh Frazier had a solid game, and Comisar was certainly robbed on a golden opportunity, Mitchell Landsinger had one of the sloppiest games I've seen from him in quite a while. He did great on faceoffs as always, but simply looked lost offensively. My guess is that this line will get much better with time.

- We finally saw the performance we were looking for from Zack Keith. He certainly wasn't perfect, suffering with his rebound control at times, but he looked more like a starting goaltender than I've seen him look all season. Next it will be Phil Adams' turn to make a similar statement against Oregon.

- Alex Hite has scored only two goals so far this season, but both have come against Cal on slapshots into the top corner of the net. He doesn't have the hardest slapshot on the team (that title belongs to Dante Caravaggio) but he is certainly accurate with it.

- This is the most talented fourth line I've seen on a Trojan team since I've been broadcasting. Scott Mason plays as well as anyone on the third line. Clark McClanathan has developed significant stick handling ability and would be a third liner on previous Trojan teams. James Anderson still needs to develop a little bit as a forward, but plays well with the other two. Coach Wilbur has never had a problem rolling all four lines, and this year should be no exception with this bunch.

- The shots were lopsided in this game. I shortchanged USC on air. They actually had 60 pucks on goal, while the Bears had a paltry 22.

- The next games against Oregon will be big measuring sticks to see where the chemistry and talent level is on this Trojan team at the moment. Tonight's game told us that USC is not bad. A sweep or split against the Ducks next weekend will show us that this team is good.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Bush - 1 (Szentveri) SH

Helmer - 5 (Bush, Caravaggio)

Zacuto - 4 (Adler)

2nd Period

Helmer - 6 (Adler, Zacuto)

Helmer - 7

3rd Period

Hite - 2 PP

BREAKING UPDATE: USC vs. Stanford Cancelled

Hey everyone,

I'd hinted in last game's recap that the games this weekend might be cancelled.

It is official. No games this Friday or Saturday. According to Coach Wilbur, Stanford canceled the games. Not sure what the exact reason was.

But for anyone heading out this weekend to Anaheim Ice, just know that you'll be there to skate, not to see a hockey game!

Alex

Swept Out of Town: SJSU Cuts Down USC 10-2

It has been an undeniably brutal road trip this weekend in Northern California, and tonight was no exception. The Spartans were more than happy to sweep USC out of the door with another statement win, the Trojans' fourth consecutive loss. Here's some news/notes from the game:

- This was the strongest overall performance for the Trojans on this road trip, but that's not really saying much. Despite this, USC trailed 3-0 after 1 and 7-1 after 2.

- After the game, some of the Trojan players asked me what they were specifically doing wrong. They seemed at a loss for answers. My answer (and a lot of their's) was that San Jose State is simply the better team. The Spartans are a deep, fast, high chemistry team. Clark McClanathan speculated that the Trojans need to practice more together to get in sync.

- Granted, SJSU is the stronger team, but that doesn't mean the Trojans didn't make their share of mistakes. All too often USC, and especially USC defensemen, would simply pass the puck away to SJSU. Offensively, the Trojans simply didn't put enough shots on goal, and for the shots they did put on goal there was simply nobody parked in front to slam the puck home. The defense still played somewhat hesitant and not physical enough overall.

- Entering the night, Phil Adams had a shot to lock up the starter's job for good. Did he? Not quite. His performance was slightly more solid than Zack Keith's the previous night, and there were no specific "soft" goals Adams gave up. However, rebound control was a huge issue all night for Adams. On nearly every shot on Adams, he would give up a rebound. Some large, some small, but around 7 of the SJSU goals came off of those rebounds.

- Nick Helmer was the only member of the first line around, and did as much on his own as he could. His goal in the second period after Helmer moved all the way around the net, and back again before dishing it to Alex Hite. Off of Hite's shot, Helmer found the rebound and tucked it home.

- Clark McClanathan promised he would score his first goal of the season sometime this weekend. He made good on that promise in the third period. Breaking into the zone on a 3 on 1, McClanathan bumped into Szentveri and decided to keep the puck himself instead of dishing it. He found the back of the net with a wrist shot that glided along the surface of the ice seemingly underneath Caleb Murray's pads. Hard for Clark to celebrate because it cut the deficit to 7 goals at the time.

- Dante Caravaggio is lucky to escape the game in one piece. In the third period, Caravaggio sprawled out to break up an SJSU 2-on-1 and slid hard into the boards. He got up favoring one leg, but was back on the ice just a handful of minutes later. With just over two minutes left, the Spartans' captain Mickey Rhodes made a completely unnecessary and truly dirty play. Deep in the USC zone, Rhodes wrapped one arm around Caravaggio's shoulders, and took his leg and kicked one of Dante's legs out from underneath him. This penalty is known as slew-footing, the first time I've ever seen slew-footing called at a hockey game.

- Speaking of Rhodes, he set an "auspicious" SJSU record during the game, breaking the career penalty minutes mark with a double minor in the third period. The crowd went wild, giving Rhodes a standing ovation. Rhodes extended that record with the slew-footing major penalty and an additional game misconduct. That's an additional 15 penalty minutes on top of it. On the positive side, Rhodes also added 2 goals and an assist.

- 34 GOALS given up by USC in the Trojans' 3 games this weekend. I'll repeat that... 34 goals. Each of the three goalies gave up double digit goals this weekend.

- There was some discussion after the game about whether the Trojans are actually playing against Stanford next weekend at home or not. From what I could gather from team president Noah Comisar, there was a scheduling issue and the games may have been cancelled. I'll try and get an official word from Coach Wilbur this weekend.

That's all from the Bay Area. I can't wait to get back home to Los Angeles. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

NO SCORING

2nd Period

Helmer - 4 (Hite)

3rd Period

McClanathan - 1 (Lewis)

No Excuses: Spartans Wreck the Trojans 12-2

After last night's no-fault nightmare, the Trojans have no excuses for their performance tonight. USC took the ice Friday night with a full complement of players, missing key first line forwards Cory Adler and Adam Zacuto, but dressing all 6 of their starting defensemen and 3 goaltenders. Unfortunately, San Jose State came with their full team as well.

Here's a breakdown of the game:

- While the Spartans dominated play throughout the night, the game did not look like it was heading for a 10 goal blow out after the first period. The Trojans trailed 2-0 heading into the intermission. USC did not look explosive per se, but the defense was active and broke up centering feed after centering feed and blocked plenty of shots.

- The Trojans had no answer for the Spartans first line all night. Combined, they scored half of San Jose State's goals. Captain Mickey Rhodes assisted on 6. Andy Dickerson and Sam Cimino each had a hat trick and a pair of assists. They played with incredible chemistry all night. The Spartans speed on that line and on their team overall killed USC.

- Meanwhile, USC showed absolutely no offensive chemistry. The first line was a patchwork combination of new and old Trojans with Landsinger, Helmer, and Frazier. That line looked like they were simply not on the same page all night. The second line of Comisar, Mach, and Ernst seemed to disappear into the background of the game. Only the Trojans' checking line of McClanathan, Szentveri, and Mason had any remote success.

-But the real problem for the Trojans came on the other end of the ice. While the Spartans choked off USC's offense in the neutral zone, the Trojan defense played hesitant, giving SJSU free entry into their territory. There was little physicality and the Spartans skated circles around USC. One of Cimino's goals came when he took the puck from behind USC's net and essentially walked into the low slot area.

- Goaltender Zack Keith had his second straight off game. To be fair, the majority of the goals were absolutely not Keith's fault, but several specific ones clearly were. Keith came out of the net to sweep away a puck from an oncoming Sam Cimino,. He badly misplayed the puck, Cimino scooped it up and fired it into the net. Later, a slapshot from the point made its way through Keith into the top corner without a screen in front. I hate say it because he's a fantastic guy, but the bottom line is that in Keith's two games starting, the Trojans are 0-2 and Keith's GAA (goals against average) is 9.

- Because of this, Phil Adams will have a chance to outright win the starter's role with another flashy performance in Saturday's game.

- The Trojans' two goals came from hard nosed plays in front. Scott Mason found a rebound off of a Matt Lewis shot and forced the puck in with SJSU goaltender Allesandro Mullane breathing down his neck. His first career goal as a Trojan. Pinching in from the point, Michael Gawlik found a rebound from a Max Szentveri attempt on goal.

- Joshua Frazier had a rough first game of his season. Just 20 seconds into the game, Frazier took a hooking penalty. During the second period, Frazier took a series of absolutely ridiculous hits. One of any of them would have been enough to shake up a player. He was hit five or more times with vicious check after vicious check. At least three of them happened on one ridiculous shift. To his credit, Frazier got up and continued skating after each hit, but man did he take some abuse.

- The penalty kill struggled for USC all night, allowing 4 powerplay goals.

- USC is now 1-3 overall and on a 3 game losing streak. Getting swept could be either incredibly demoralizing or a true wakeup call, but winning could be particularly difficult tomorrow.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

No Scoring

2nd Period

Mason - 1 (Lewis)

3rd Period

Gawlik - 1 (Szentveri, Mason)

"The I-5 Game" - Cal Crushes USC 12-1 Under Bizarre Circumstances

Hey everyone,

What a long, strange and outright insane night for USC. In lieu of a period by period recap, I'll provide the best account of the details leading up to tonight's unimaginable loss as I can.

- A semi-truck wrecked in the middle of I-5 near Grapevine (at the base of Tejon Pass) sometime around rush hour. It completely blocked traffic for nearly 3 hours before it could be cleared. Nearly every Trojan carpool leaving Los Angeles after 3 pm was helplessly stopped dead in their tracks.

- This compounded the problem of some USC players already leaving relatively late (4 pm) due to midterm exams.

- Remember how I said "nearly". The one saving grace that prevented a forfeit was that 6 players, both broadcasters, and both substitute coaches (read below) made it through to Oakland in time.

- The team was without Coach Wilbur, Coach Langille, or even Trainer Cindy Bailey. All three are attending Langille's wedding this weekend. They were replaced by Trojan alumni Ryan Seals and Ryan Farias.

- Those six players were defensemen Michael Gawlik, James Anderson, and Alex Hite; forwards Mitchell Landsinger and Max Ernst; and goaltender Adam Kwon.

- In order to give USC the most time possible to get as many players as possible to the game, Cal negotiated 20 minutes of delay with the arena to the already incredibly late 11:45 PM start. Technically, the puck was dropped to start play early Friday, not Thursday.

- Kwon got the start in net for USC by default. Sitting third on the depth chart, Kwon brings lots of energy and dedication to the ice, but unfortunately not a shred of game experience and only a 5'6" frame. To my knowledge, Kwon's start tonight was his first ever as a hockey goaltender.

- USC's locker room did their best to pump themselves up for the Herculean task at hand. There would be no forfeit, they would fight on...

- ...But the circumstances were far too much to overcome. The 6 Trojans played without a single sub for more than three-quarters of the first period. Kwon played valiantly, especially for a goaltender who had never played a game before, but the dam broke open quickly. Within the first 4 minutes it was 4-0. The Trojan defense and players looked to conserve as much energy as possible, but that gave an assassin-like Cal team even more opportunities to score from in front.

- As my broadcast partner, Mark Shore, pointed out, taking penalties in this situation has the big upside of allowing one of the players to rest for a little while. But this "strategy" turned out to not pan out. Cal went 4-5 on the man advantage in the game. When Alex Hite took USC's first penalty, he rested for 4 seconds before Cal scored.

- Hite himself scored his first career goal as a Trojan about halfway through the first. He fired a wicked slapshot from the blue line that found the far top corner of the net. Shore said it was the best slapshot he'd seen all season. I'd have to agree.

- But scoring didn't give him or any of the other 6 Trojans any rest. By the time Max Szentveri and Nate Neroni arrived with 4 minutes left in the first, it was 8-1 Cal. He played limited time after that point. Just at the end of the period, James Anderson took a slap shot off of his ankle and limped off of the ice.

- The Bears kept pushing, scoring two more to make it 10-1 after 1. With seconds left in the period, Dante Caravaggio, Clark McClanathan, and Noah Comisar arrived. Midway through the second period, Matt Lewis, Charlie Mach, Jason Bush, and Scott McDonagh showed up. Zack Keith arrived on the ice after the second intermission and replaced Kwon in net.

- The reinforcements stopped the bleeding, but not before Cal scored another powerplay goal seconds into the second period and added their 12th goal a few minutes later.

- USC regrouped on defense but couldn't find an offensive stroke. The Trojans were still missing their top 4 offensive weapons including the entire first line.

- This was a difficult situation for both teams, but both handled it admirably. For USC's part, the Trojans fought as hard as they could given the situation. The 6 Trojan players showed heart and determination by coming out of the locker room and even playing the game.

- For Cal's part, they played a difficult game with incredible class. It's impossible to expect the Bears wouldn't score in that situation. You can't let your team get into bad habits. But Cal coach Cyril Allen personally pushed back the start time as long as he possibly could. And not a single one of Cal's players showed up USC or celebrated after a goal. They played a hard, clean game, but showed incredible sportsmanship in victory.

- The lingering technicality is whether this lopsided score will be recorded as official. USC played two whole periods with no backup goaltender. The rulebook does state that each team must dress a backup goaltender or forfeit the game. If the score is ruled a forfeit, USC would only have been recorded as losing a 1-0 game.

- If the score is official, it is USC's biggest loss in Pac-8 play in team history.

That's all for now. Tune in tonight as the Trojans will try and regroup against San Jose State.

OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING

1st Period

Hite - 1

2nd Period

NO SCORING

3rd Period

NO SCORING