Hey everyone,
Since USC's 2007 Pac-8 Championship, Oregon has set the league on fire and broken Trojan hearts year after year. Following that game, the Ducks won 7 straight in the series and two Pac-8 titles of their own. The streak would have to fall someday, but was this 5-8 David good enough to topple 14-2 Goliath? Well 60 minutes on a Friday night would tell the tale. Winner goes to the title game, loser bows their heads and endures a consolation match. Here's what happened:
Period 1
Just like the morning game, the Trojans started off on the wrong foot. 3 minutes in, Cam Forni used a great attacking effort to burn by both defenseman and crash hard into netminder Phil Adams with the puck. Adams, the puck, and the net went flying backwards. The linesman was right along the goal line and told the official to signal a good goal. He did amidst Trojan protests and it was 1-0 Dcks. Then USC got a big break. The offense was stalled and Adam Zacuto was able to get a rink-wide pass for Ryder Fyrwald. From the far edge of the far faceoff circle, Fyrwald swung in a low prayer along the ice. It slipped under goaltender Wren Arbuthnott's pads somehow and slid across the line to tie the game. Forni answered back for the Ducks. He used a long low shot that squeaked by Adams to make it 2-1. Things proceeded to get chippy. Out of a scrum in front of the Trojan net, Dante Caravaggio was dragged out and given a 2 minute minor for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct for words to the referee after the call. Arbuthnott cleared a dump on net to the near boards, and Fyrwald very simply ran him and sent the netminder tumbling to the ice. A clear penalty unnoticed. But the referees missed an even bigger one in Oregon's favor. As the last seconds of the period were ticking away, Zacuto came free and alone, initially 2 on 0. Duck forward Ian Law backchecked and in desperation, hooked Zacuto to deny the chance. Arguably a penalty shot, but a minor penalty at the least. Referees denied both. Zacuto told me that the referees claimed that Law lifted the stick instead of hooking the body. Not by a long shot. 2-1 Oregon after 1.
Period 2
USC used that anger from the questionable calls to their advantage, just like they used Zack Keith getting plowed into to motivate them that morning against UCLA. They came out of the locker room on an absolute tear. Arbuthnott held his ground until USC got its second power play. Mitchell Landsinger fed Cory Adler just behind the net. Adler wrapped the puck around the far post and Arbuthnott's right pad and jammed it through daylight between the five-hole. Tie hockey game. 4 minutes after that another powerplay effort came through. This time Fyrwald picked his way onto the doorstop around Bruin penalty killers and stuffed a low puck between Arbuthnott's pads for the big lead. The Trojans nearly doubled that lead, but a Zacuto goal was disallowed because Lofthus was in the crease. On the other end, Adams was brilliant. His two biggest saves of the night came from an Ian Law breakaway and a Derek Wolfson buzzer-beating shot towards goal. Law had Adams beaten dead to rights, using a fake to catch Adams at the near post before dragging back and taking aim at the open side of the net. Adams somehow, someway slid over in time and got just enough on the puck to keep it out. Wolfson nearly finished off a Ducks flurry from the paint at the far post. He chopped a quick snap shot at a completely empty net. Adams reached backward and to his left with his glove hand and caught the puck at the line right as the clock ran out. Ridiculous save and one that saved USC's lead, at least for the moment.
Period 3
Adams weathered the storm, with some help from costly Ducks penalties in the final frame. But a 5-on-3 that could've sealed the game turned into new life for Oregon. After a brief 5-on-3 became a 5-on-4, Forni used great neutral zone presence to intercept a pass and break Derek Wolfson into the attacking zone 1-on-1. Wolfson went wide and skated to just below the faceoff dot before winding and firing a slap shot over Adams' shoulder and perfectly into the top corner. The shorthanded goal with 8:50 left seemed to turn the tide briefly in Oregon's favor, but USC maintained their composure. Clark McClanathan nearly got the go-ahead goal with a late breakaway that he or his linemates couldn't finish off for the life of them on several rebound tries. The Trojans kept coming and with 1:18 showing on the clock it paid off. The puck was thrown into a scrum in front of Arbuthnott. Zacuto had it on his backhand with defensemen all over him and jammed the puck low and just fast enough to trickle by Arbuthnott and across the line. (CORRECTION: The initial try from Zacuto did not go in, but apparently Fyrwald was the last to touch it for an unofficial hat trick) The pro-USC crowd went nuts as did Zacuto. Tense moments followed. Both teams called timeouts, and the Ducks got one close chance with under 30 seconds remaining. But clutch faceoff wins by Fyrwald in the Trojan defensive end were enough for USC to bleed out the clock and storm the ice. They had done it. Championship ticket... punched.
Some news/notes from the game:
- This was a history-making game for USC. There has never been a team in league history that's made it to the league finals with a losing record.
- What makes this win even more incredible is that USC was playing their second game of the day against a fresh Oregon squad. The Trojans showed no ill effects from the morning win and looked just as dynamic as they did against UCLA.
- A huge what if for Trojan fans has to be, "What if Ryder Fyrwald played in Crosstown Cup Game #5?" He has been fantastic in the 5 games he's played for the team this season. In the two games today, Fyrwald had 4 goals (officially 3), and 2 assists. A playmaker without a doubt.
- Adam Zacuto cemented his place as the Trojans' leading goal scorer and point scorer, at least officially. He was credited with two goals he didn't score (Fyrwald's), and not credited with the goal he did score (the game winner). He could've had two more, if he'd been given the penalty shot and if his other tally wasn't disallowed.
- Dante Caravaggio performed well in spite of the twelve penalty minutes. On Friday, he had 4 assists total. Caravaggio also seemed to make it his personal mission to shut down the explosive Cam Forni. On multiple occasions, Caravaggio stepped up at the blue line to knock away an outlet pass intended to spring Forni into Trojan territory.
- Clark McClanathan was almost not eligible to play in this game, but some last second maneuvering by James Anderson and Coach Wilbur got him in and USC is glad he did. McClanathan was a disruptive force along with Scott Mason and Mitchell Landsinger. They were big parts of an aggressive forecheck. McClanathan was a little bummed about not getting the game winner on his breakaway chance.
- After his performance, I think there is little question that Phil Adams is starting the title game against the Washington Huskies. Shots on goal on the night were 46-20 in favor of Oregon.
- Top-seeded Oregon doesn't just have to deal with this loss and the lost chance at a three-peat. They have a consolation game to play against a disheartened Arizona State squad. Following that, they enjoy a 16-hour bus ride back to Eugene. That could be the longest bus ride these players will ever take.
- I mentioned #3 ASU's hard loss. They played in an instant classic against the #2 Huskies. The Sun Devils took a two-goal second period lead with two banks from behind the goal line off of Danny Dougan's legs and in. The Huskies rallied for three unanswered, including the go-ahead goal with just over 5 minutes to go. 18 seconds later, ASU's Joe Moore tied the game at 3. It stayed that way through regulation before going to a shootout. In that shootout, the Huskies were put in a score-or-it's-over situation three times and scored all three. In the 7th round, UW's Dan Herda finally secured his team's spot in the title game with a game-ender.
- Incredible finish and you know that Washington will come ready to play against USC when the puck drops 7:30 PM Saturday. Especially considering that they've never won a Pac-8 title.
- On the other hand, USC has won a few titles. 7 in fact. They'll go for banner #8 on their home ice. Couldn't be more excited about the final matchup.
That's all for me. I've got to catch my breath before what's shaping up to be a simply epic final match.
OFFICIAL TROJAN SCORING
1st Period
Zacuto - 25 (Caravaggio) NOTE: Goal was clearly scored by Fyrwald
2nd Period
Adler - 6 (Landsinger, Comisar) PP
Zacuto - 26 (Hite) PP NOTE: Goal was clearly scored by Fyrwald
3rd Period
Fyrwald - 6 (Helmer, Schaffhausen)
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