Tonight, USC showed what they are truly made of. In the Pac-8 semifinal, USC went wire to wire with the best team in the Pac-8, the UW Huskies, falling just short in a shootout. 2-1. A team that has faced so much adversary this season brought it all tonight here in Seattle, showing the rest of the Pac-8 that this new USC team is here to stay. After the game, Husky Coach Dave Kell said, "This is a young USC team that is here to stay. They are going to be very competitive in this league for a long time".
This game was the most exciting and even game I have ever had the privilege of being involved in. The first period started off slow, with both teams trading big hits without seizing any momentum. The second period is when things really began to heat up. Both teams traded penalty after penalty until finally, UW was given a 5-3, and Husky Jeff McCormick capitalized on it, sniping a laser into the top part of the net through a thoroughly screened Freshman Goaltender Alex Caravaggio. USC struck back very quickly during their own 5-3, when Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar took a rebound off the back wall and buried it home. USC dominated the 3rd period, but couldn't find a way to get the puck past UW Goalie Danny Dougan. Overtime was a very defensive game on both sides of the ice, with neither team getting any real opportunities to take the game. That lead to a shootout, where Husky Forwards Corey James, Jordan Chernesky, and Stefan Sobiek beat Caravaggio on the same move, sending UW to their second straight Pac-8 championship game.
My first star of the game has to go to Freshman Standout Goalie Alex Caravaggio. Time and time again this season Alex has proved that he is the best goalie in the Pac-8, if not the entire western region of the ACHA. Yet it wasn't just how he played that earned him tonight's first star. It was how he lost. I can honestly say that I have never been more proud of any player in my life. It is one thing to win graciously. It is another thing entirely to lose like a man. Alex lost tonight, but he took it like a man. He didn't throw a tantrum and break a stick. He shook every Husky's hand and held his head high all the way into the locker room. Tonight, the people of Seattle saw a teenager become a man, and that is why he has earned my first star.
I'll see you all tomorrow for the 3rd place game against Cal.
J
