The Trojans made their way out to Utah and Nevada without a good chunk of skill guys. 9 forwards, 4 defensemen, 2 goaltenders, but a lot of heart. Considering the brutal three games in three cities schedule, the brutal road 12-hour drive, and the brutal competition (two teams ranked in the ACHA West Top 8), it was tough to know exactly what to expect. USC kicked things off in Provo against BYU. It didn't take long to silence the doubts and possible excuses....
1st Period
51 seconds. That's the amount of time it took for the Trojans to prove themselves. Cory Adler fed Dante Caravaggio at the point. Caravaggio wound as far back as he could, and fired a laser clean through everything except the back of the net. 1-0 USC. What a great way to start the semester. The dominant play continued. The defense clamped down on the Cougars' opportunities, and it didn't take long for Adam Zacuto to make his presence known. On a 2-on-1 rush, Zacuto sent a perfect saucer pass over the defender's stick and onto Noah Comisar's. A beautifully placed one-timer later, Comisar had doubled the lead. Just a few minutes later, the Trojans struck again. Frazier moved in one-on-one. A wrist shot was saved by Cougar netminder Brent Taylor. A short rebound popped out and Adler stuffed the puck into the net milliseconds before plowing into it. Then BYU gave USC a man advantage. Big mistake. Caravaggio pinched in by the far faceoff circle and received a feed from Comisar. He pulled the trigger from a wide angle and the puck slipped in for his second of the night. 4-0 Trojans in a statement.
2nd Period
BYU clawed back after the intermission when USC got complacent. But one part that didn't suffer was the amazing defensive play from the four blueliners and goalie Zack Keith. The Trojans killed 3 penalties and another one that carried over from the first period. Keith played great positional hockey and frustrated the Cougar forwards. Then BYU gave USC another man advantage. Same big mistake. Same player making them pay. Caravaggio finished the hat trick with another blast from the point. It deflected off of a BYU defenseman into the net. That was the only goal that period, and it was enough for a gaping 5-0 USC lead.
3rd Period
I mentioned Zacuto made his mark early. He did more than that late. Zacuto was incredibly close to scoring all game. He finally pulled through with a wraparound inside the near post. Heard enough of Dante Caravaggio's name? Too bad. He notched number four with another cannon from the blue line that deflected in traffic. Keith held onto the shutout until 7 minutes left in the game. The Cougars' leading scorer Nick Bartholomew ended it on a scramble in front. A low shot somehow snuck under Keith's pads. The crowd erupted, even though it only trimmed the Trojan lead to 6 goals. USC extended that again when Zacuto finished off a bobbled puck in front for his second of the night. BYU trimmed the lead again on a Mio Aura shot that came through a screen and surprised Keith, but the result was unchanged. An 8-2 final score and a great start to the semester.
Some news/notes from the game:
- Dante Caravaggio had one productive game on both ends of the ice. His effort was apparent in every shift he was on the ice. He shut down the Cougars at every turn and led the team with his hustle. One thing he needs to work on (and maybe the only thing) is his post-goal celebrations. After his third and fourth, he simply shrugged. C'mon Dante, where's the creativity?
- Some players stand out in certain games whether or not they end up on the scoresheet. Despite 8 Trojan goals, Max Szentveri did not end up getting a point. But that's not a reflection on his play. Szentveri received a promotion to the Cardinal line and played with purpose. He nearly scored on several occasions and worked well with Zacuto and Comisar. There just seem to be some games where the switch flips and something clicks for Szentveri. This was one of them.
- There's a new goals leader in town and his name is Adam Zacuto. His two-goal performance leapfrogged him over Nick Helmer 15-14. With Helmer out for the weekend, Zacuto can take a commanding lead in the intra-team rivalry.
- USC's penalty kill was near-perfect, allowing BYU to go 1/8.
- Adler's 3-point performance was impressive given his condition. His injured shoulder kept him from being as physical as he usually is, but Adler fought through it for a solid night.
- Luckily for Cory, his other fight in garbage time at the end of the third period didn't result in a major penalty. Tangled up on the end boards with the Cougars' Mitch Facer, Adler got frustrated and started brawling, getting in a few shots without dropping the gloves. Facer retaliated after Adler landed a good 3 or 4 punches. Both were escorted off the ice. Coach Wilbur breathed a sigh of relief when Adler only received a double minor.
- Elliot Dawson tallied his first career point as a USC Trojan with an assist on Caravaggio's fourth goal. It's great to see someone a player who shows up to so many games to just ride the bench or serve penalties get rewarded for his dedication. Congratulations Elliot!
- The Trojans were aided in this game by the absence of the Cougars' top netminder, who was injured the previous night in a 3-1 against Cal State Fullerton.
- Guess who took another minor penalty for yet another consecutive game? Scott Mason. This one was a roughing call for dumping a Cougar player into his own goalie. I desperately need to find out how many games in a row he has taken a minor in.... Besides that one blip, Mason's play was remarkably solid, generating scoring chances with his power and balance. One BYU player broke a stick on Mason's arm. Ouch!
- The 12-hour bus ride from Los Angeles to Provo consisted of lots of napping and in-ride DVD's like "Team America: World Police", "Don Cherry's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Hockey", and "How I Met Your Mother".
- Many of the players remarked after the game at how nice everyone in Provo was. Zacuto mentioned that the opposing players and referees were among the nicest he'd ever seen. The penalty box attendants were wishing USC luck in their game tomorrow against Weber State. One parent was kind enough to bring me some water during the second period. Great people.
- Their fans are also incredibly dedicated. Even though the Cougars were down 7-0, the building erupted when Bartholomew broke up Keith's shutout and were just as loud for the second meaningless goal scored by their team. They all sang the school's fight song too. Dedication...
The hard part starts tomorrow, but for now USC can bask in a big win.
OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING
1st Period
Caravaggio - 3 (Adler, Frazier)
Comisar - 3 (Zacuto)
Adler - 4 (Frazier)
Caravaggio - 4 (Comisar, Bush) PP
2nd Period
Caravaggio - 5 (Adler, Zacuto) PP
3rd Period
Zacuto - 14
Caravaggio - 6 (Anderson, Dawson)
Zacuto - 15 PP
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