Three seed Oregon took on six seed UCLA for the first game of the Pac-8 playoffs held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Ducks emerged victorious with a 5-2 win over the Bruins.
The win over the Bruins means that the Ducks will be facing the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils, the top seed in Pool B, tomorrow night for a spot in the Pac-8 Championship, where the Ducks had fallen to Utah the year prior.
Even though it was their last two games before playoffs, the Oregon club hockey team had their focus elsewhere. For seven seniors, it would be their last home games as Oregon Ducks and, for some, their last competitive ice hockey games period. For these two nights against the College of the Canyons Cougars, the number on the board didn’t matter as much as playing with friends and playing for fans and family.
It once again came down to the final few minutes in the Ducks’ hard-fought 4-3 victory over USC on Saturday night.
The Oregon hockey team’s momentum seemed to have finally started to turn. Hot off of a much-needed win the previous night, the Ducks looked to rob another two points from the University of Southern California. USC, on the other hand, had only lost by one the night before and looked to get the win they had been in reach of.
The first period looked hopeful.
Coming off of a rough weekend at the San Jose State showcase where the Ducks left 0-3, Ducks hockey was back on the road for their third game in the University of Utah series. Oregon wasn’t alone with their losses, however. The Utes were coming off of a three-game losing streak from both Utah State and Weber State.
Both teams came out strong, but the Utah offense proved to be a challenge. Only twenty seconds into the first period, Oregon goalie Danny Cockriel had to make the first save of the game. 17 seconds later, he had to make the second. 37 seconds after that came the third save by Cockriel.
The boys were chippy Saturday night.
Oregon was looking to win the fourth and final game of the Portland State series during their second home game in a row against the Vikings. Win they did. With a 5-1 score at the end, Oregon swept PSU for the second year in a row.
The win didn’t come too easily for the Ducks, however. With tensions still high from the night before and Portland having something to prove, the play was rough and tough.
Even after a week-long break, Oregon club hockey continues to dominate the ice.
Oregon played the Portland State Vikings on Friday night for their third game of a four-game series in which the Ducks took home a 7-1 win.
The first period had an explosive start. Both teams came out strong with fast and physical play. Within the first three minutes, Oregon goalie Danny Cockriel had already drawn a whistle and stopped play by covering the puck with his glove after a shot by PSU.