Getting over the proverbial “hump” is a difficult
endeavor in the world of sports.Â
The UCLA hockey team has seen the hump and skated to the hump,
but it just hasn’t been able to overcome the hump.
This past weekend was another in a long series of near-wins for
the team. When all was said and done, however, the Bruins
skated away with two home losses at the hands of the Oregon Ducks,
6-4 on Friday and 3-2 Saturday.
The losses drop the Bruins to 1-7 overall, and 1-6 in the
Pacific-8 Conference.
Though it is really no consolation to anyone, they almost had
it.Â
“We played pretty well,” said coach Vic Venasky,
“but turnovers killed us again.”
Turnovers and penalties. That has been the story of the
Bruins’ season.
Friday night’s game saw the Bruins fall behind early,
as Oregon scored in the first 13 seconds and didn’t look
back. With 7:46 remaining in the period, the Ducks held a 4-0
lead.
They got that lead with the help of the Bruins. Two
penalties led to two power play goals.
“We’ve got to play smarter,” forward Allen
Serban said.
Venasky agreed. “Once we overcome (panicking),
we’re going to be a much better team.”
The Bruins outplayed the Ducks for the remainder of the game,
outscoring them 4-2, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the
team’s sixth defeat.
Saturday night was supposed to be a night of redemption, but it
turned out to be a night of more disappointment. The Bruins
played a better game and held a 2-1 lead going into the third
period, but a win wasn’t in the cards.
Two third-period Oregon goals proved to be the Bruins’
undoing, as the Ducks defense held the UCLA offense scoreless for
the entire period. Making the loss even tougher to swallow,
Oregon’s game-tying goal was short-handed.
“We keep making dumb mistakes,” said Venasky.
Individual performances typically lack luster in defeat, but
some Bruins did have good individual games.
Matt Miller had a very solid night in goals Friday. After
replacing Frank Niu, he held the Ducks to only two
goals. Forward Ryan Samec delivered two assists, while
defenseman Carlos Cazares and forward Rob Morel scored a goal
apiece in the third period.
In Saturday’s game, UCLA got goals from forward Justin
Williams and Serban. Samec extended his streak of games played
without spending time in the penalty box. He is the only
non-goaltender to do so for the Bruins.
Things have been rough this year for the inexperienced team (11
of 20 roster players are in their first season). The games
haven’t been easy, but they’re not giving up.
“They’re all going to be tough this year,”
said Venasky, “but we’re going to do our best to keep
plugging away.”
The Bruins travel to Long Beach State Nov. 15. Then they return
home to face USC Nov. 21, hoping for some revenge after suffering a
9-1 drubbing at the hands of the Trojans last week.