This past weekend, Ducks hockey took the University of Washington in Eugene for games three and four of the I-5 Cup.

The I-5 Cup is held annually between the two rival teams, with two games being played in Washington and two games being held at home. The winner took home both bragging rights and a trophy to call their own until the next year.

The series started in Washington, where both the Huskies and the Ducks came away with a win a piece.

Even on home ice, winning games three and four didn’t come easily. With the Ducks leading 3-2 late into the third, Friday’s Game 3 was cut short when Ducks forward Garrett Roberts checked a Huskies defenseman through the glass in the Washington zone. When the panel was deemed irreparable, the last 5:45 of the game was pushed to be finished the following day immediately preceding Game 4.

The next night, Oregon took their 2-1 lead in series when the remaining 5:45 from the previous night stayed scoreless, and their leading score of 3-2 held.

Game 4 was nothing short of exciting. With neither team being able to gain a sizable lead on the other, the score remained tied or within a single point of the other’s for the majority of the game.

At just over the 11-minute mark in the third period, Washington’s Ryan Minkoff broke the tie-score, gaining a 6-5 lead over Oregon. Hope for the Oregon seemed lost when their bad luck continued and the Ducks took a penalty at the 6:19 mark.

However, with just under 2:30 remaining in regulation play, the tide turned. Oregon’s Tyler Halverson scored, bringing the score back to a tied 6-6.

Game 4 went into a five-minute overtime and, after Washington got a penalty for tripping, Ducks’ Alex Sulitizer scored the cup-clinching goal with 1:19 left on the clock.

The OT goal for Oregon did more than win the game for them; it won them the series. And, with the series won 3-1, Oregon took the I-5 Cup back home for the first time since their ‘08-‘09 season.

[Originally published by Lane Today in December 2012, now disbanded]