USC entered the night on their second four-game losing streak of the season. Trojan fans had reason to be optimistic entering the night though. With the exception of Max Ernst, the full roster of skaters was ready to go with no DQ's. They were still missing Coach Wilbur (celebrating his birthday back in Southern California), but could they take advantage of a full roster on opposing ice?
Period 1
The answer is absolutely not. Four minutes into the game, ASU notched two goals 24 seconds apart to take an early lead. Alex Moggel and Joe Moore notched the goals for the Sun Devils. The first one came off of a bad Dante Caravaggio turnover (he made up for it later). The second one came on a top shelf shot from the faceoff circle. Moore then added a second one with a nifty move in front to make it 3-0. Charlie Mach chipped away at lead on a nice feed in front by Noah Comisar (assist credited to Jason Bush as well as Comisar). But before the period was done, Heinze scored on an ASU odd man rush after a nice pass from Moggel found him alone. The Sun Devils only had 11 shots in period, but slipped 4 by Zach Keith during a major off-night for the Trojan goaltender. USC had only 2 shots themselves. An awful period of Trojan hockey.
Period 2
No goals in this period, just a couple of controversial no-goal calls that went both ways. The first one went against USC. Joshua Frazier and Noah Comisar came in on a two-on-one rush. Frazier blasted a slapshot that was saved. The rebound landed on Comisar's stick who fired at a relatively empty net. The puck was fired toward the near side of the net, but popped out near the far post. The referee signaled goal two seconds later, but then quickly changed his mind to no goal. Looking at Jeff Lewis' tape, it was certainly unclear what the puck exactly hit. On the other end, Moggel was set up by a beautiful pass down low. He came alone in front of Keith, and sent a low shot in. The puck was slowed by Keith and seemed to squeak backwards. Keith fell backwards on top of it, but it was right by the line. After discussion, the play was ruled no goal. It was certainly a better period for USC, but the deficit was still three goals.
Period 3
The line shows that ASU scored three to USC's one goal.... but one goal tells the story. Breaking out of his own zone, Mike Sasse dumped a puck in from the red line. Some combination of the bouncing puck and generally sloppy play allowed the puck to squeak past Keith. That goal essentially killed off USC's chances as it put them behind 4 goals. The one Trojan goal, by the way, came off of a great effort by Nick Helmer. He fought through three Sun Devils and a high stick, got a puck on goal. The rebound kicked out to Adam Zacuto who finished it off.
Some news and notes:
- Without seeing UW play yet, it's clear to me that ASU is the team to beat in the Pac-8. They have a lot of chemistry, solid defensive play, and a deeper team than Oregon. That showed in their performance against USC tonight.
- The first two lines reuniting was considered a major event. In a poll on this blog, you, the readers of this site, voted that the lack of a complete first line was the biggest factor in the UCLA sweep. The result on the ice at least tonight? Not impressive for most of the game. The first line looked very out of sync until the third period. The second line played better, generating opportunity after opportunity, but struggled to finish off chances.
- I've been saying this all season, but Phil Adams may win the starting slot for good with a big game on Saturday. Keith had a major off night. Yes, all of the goals weren't his fault (blame bad turnovers and odd-man rushes), but the ones that were clearly were. We'll see what Phil can do tomorrow
- Matt Lewis took a heavy hit in front of his own blue line, with his head snapping back against the ice. He was fine, but he had one very concerned fan up with me in the press box. Michelle Lewis was wearing the extra headset, and had her hands over her mouth even long after Matt had skated away. Ahhh, the agony of a hockey parent.
- Clark McClanathan had a nice blocked shot in the third. It didn't hit in an easy spot though, catching him just above the knee. He limped over to the bench, and looks like he'll just have the bruise.
- Max Ernst was out with back spasms.
- This team needs the energy of Coach Wilbur in the locker room. They have yet to win a single game this year without him behind the bench.
- Trojans on a major skid. They're 2-9 on the season now and on a 5 game losing stretch. A road win tomorrow would boost spirits... and believe me they need it.
That's all for me... Tune in tomorrow night at 5:00 Pacific.
OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING
Period 1
Mach - 1 (Bush, Comisar)
Period 2
NO SCORING
Period 3
Zacuto - 10 (Helmer)
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