USC Hockey's CHOC Night & Teddy Bear Toss a Success

Loss to Oregon doesn't dampen spirits

ANAHEIM, CA - On Saturday, January 28, the USC men's ice hockey team hosted its 2nd Annual CHOC Night, a charity hockey game that benefited the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

This was also the first year of the Teddy Bear Toss for the Trojans, and it was easily the highlight of the evening.

Fans were encouraged to bring new, unwrapped teddy bears or other stuffed animals, which were to be thrown onto the ice on the Trojans' first goal.

While a charity game, this was still a regular season matchup between USC and the visiting Oregon Ducks, and the Ducks showed no charity towards the Trojans, scoring the first two goals of the game including their first just 25 seconds into the 1st period.

However, this did not stop the roar of the crowd when USC scored their first goal at the 12:21 mark of the 1st period. Almost instantly, stuffed animals of all kinds, shapes and sizes came raining down from the stands (video).

The honor of scoring the "Teddy Bear Goal" went to Trojan forward Ryan Kucinski, his 9th goal of the season.

"It doesn't matter how long you have played," Kucinski said, "every time you score a goal, it's a thrill.

"The best part about the teddy bear goal was seeing so many teddy bears being tossed onto the ice, and knowing we have so many great fans who support us and support CHOC."

Teammate Adam Zacuto agreed, "It was an awesome sight to see those teddy bears raining down on the ice after our first goal. We are all glad to be all able to give back to a good cause."

Even the Oregon team was touched by the scene.

"It was a bummer given it meant that we'd been scored on," stated Ducks forward Matt Hanlon, "but it was impressive to see such support from the community for a such good cause. And who doesn't love watching teddy bears being thrown around?"

As the toss was happening, the USC Ice Girls were tasked with collecting the bears.

"It looked like a tidal wave of teddy bears falling onto the ice!" exclaimed Ice Girls co-captain Alexandria after the bears were gathered up.

"It was like every kid's dream," said Rachel, another member of the squad. "It was literally raining toys. I was so excited I got to be a part of an event that will make so many children happy."

Co-captain Daniele added to the sentiments.

"We were stunned to see so many bears land on the ice. When we went out to collect them we were overcome with joy, as all the teddies were going to children who really need them. Being a part of this event made me realize that we can’t forget about those who are struggling and all it takes is something small like a teddy bear to make a difference."

All told, the Trojans collected almost 200 stuffed animals on behalf of CHOC.

Along with the teddy bear toss, the night also included a silent auction, raffle, and hardest shot contest. The NHL's Anaheim Ducks contributed many of the items for auction, and The Rinks - Anaheim ICE provided the ice time at cost for the event.

As well, the police and fire departments from the City of Anaheim were on hand before the game to create a family-oriented, fun atmosphere.

Many other local businesses contributed to the event with raffle prizes and discount offerings.

While the Trojans ultimately fell to the visiting team 6-4, the night's event will surely remain a fond memory for all who were there.

Special thanks to all who contributed to a fantastic night!

• Anaheim Ducks
• Anaheim Fire Department
• Anaheim Police Department
• Employers Group
• Hooters of Anaheim
• Jacks n Joe
• Oggi's of Mission Viejo & Orange
• Oregon Ducks Hockey
• Redondo Beach Cafe
• Refresh Truck
• The Rinks - Anaheim ICE
• Simply Sporty
• Styles for Less
• UltraLuxe Cinemas at Anaheim GardenWalk
• USC Alumni Association

And to all of the fans and supporters of CHOC and USC Ice Hockey!

Editorial: NBC LA drops the ball; interrupts Winter Classic

EDITORIAL

Boy, did NBC Los Angeles (Channel 4) show its true feelings and ignorance of hockey on this one (I had other more colorful phrases I wanted to use, but decided to show a modicum of self-restraint).

Now, I know that Southern California isn't known as a traditional bastion for the sport of hockey, but it's certainly up and coming enough to be home to TWO National Hockey League teams (the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, who actually won the Stanley Cup championship in 2007) and a smattering of a few minor league teams. The local ice rinks are filled to capacity with men's and kids' leagues, and high schools are now getting into the act. In fact, if it wasn't for our 16+ year relationship with The Rinks - Anaheim ICE, it would be nearly impossible to find ice time to host USC hockey games (many ice slots at all rinks are booked a year out, unless you wanted 4am or 12am times).

For those not familiar with the NHL's Winter Classic, here's the long and short of it: They build a hockey rink at an outdoor venue, and two of the more well known teams go at it at the beginning of the new year. This season, the Winter Classic is at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (home to baseball's Phillies), and features the New York Rangers versus the hometown Flyers.

Just how big is this event? With social media now the gauge of all things, "Winter Classic" was trending on Twitter not only in Los Angeles, but worldwide.

Such an auspicious spectacle calls for NBC to even dust off and wheel out Bob Costas.

Another point of context for those not familiar with hockey: The annual Winter Classic is just about as high profile an event for the NHL as the Super Bowl is for the National Football League, possibly second only to the Stanley Cup Finals.

So what happened at approximately 12:02pm PST on Monday, January 2, 2012 caused what I'm sure I can describe as a collective scream of anguish and despair from LA-area hockey fans. Just after the NBC mothership started their coverage of the Winter Classic at noon, Channel 4 News butted in with "Breaking News."

My hockey-oriented mind raced through the possible scenarios that could have warranted a preemption of such a televised event. Had Japan suffered another massive earthquake? Did Stephen Hawking just confirm the Mayan calendar's prediction that the world will end in 2012? Did a nuclear World War III just break out?

I certainly had plenty of time to come up with such major catastrophes, since the "Breaking News" graphic alone lasted a full THIRTEEN SECONDS.

It was a bit of local news. The area of north of Downtown LA has been hit by a recent rash of arson fires, and they had just captured the suspected arsonist at 3am this morning. Let's be clear, this by no means is a small incident... the arsonist caused over $2 million in damages and terrorized the area for several days.

But does one interrupt the Winter Classic for a news conference about the capture, which happened 9 hours prior? Would you interrupt the Super Bowl? Here are some interesting tidbits for your consideration:

- ABC 7 did not interrupt coverage of the Outback Bowl to break to the press conference;

- CBS 2 did not interrupt their broadcast of The Young and the Restless;

- Most of us probably already heard about the arrest through reliable online sources, such as TMZ.com;

The information given at the press conference could have been summed up with the following statement: "We caught someone -more details later today."

Even Ana Garcia, the NBC newswoman who unwittingly and inadvertently became face of all who hate hockey, stated, "[T]he police aren't saying an awful lot."

While the "Breaking News" segment carried on for what seemed to be forever, as I hung on every word not because I was hoping for more details but rather wondering when the talking heads would stop talking, they got us back just in time for the national anthem.

But the damage was done. When I should have been taking in the moment, the pageantry of the Winter Classic, I was instead driven to contact NBC 4 to express my opinion and was motivated to take to this editorial. And I can't be the only hockey fan with similar feelings.

I certainly hope the NBC mothership catches wind of this, since one of their spawn decided it had found a more newsworthy event than the Winter Classic, which had been promoted for months. And the NHL can't be too happy, with Southern California being such a unstable market for them to warrant this level of disruption to their marquee game.

I hope, for NBC LA's program director's sake, that the coverage of non-news was worth creating a legion of hockey fans who hate Channel 4. Good on you, mate.

To send feedback to NBC 4, go to http://www.nbclosangeles.com/contact-us/

Johnny Nguyen is Assistant General Manager of USC Ice Hockey, and a USC alumnus. This editorial reflects his views alone, and does not necessarily represent statements or opinions by USC Ice Hockey or the University of Southern California.

Trojans Win The Century Cup

USC made winning the Century Cup look easy this past weekend as the Trojans swept Loyola Marymount with back-to-back wins Thursday and Friday nights.

The Century Cup is the trophy annually awarded to the winner of the best-of-three series between USC and LMU. The Lions will present the Cup to the Trojans at their next game on January 12 since it is in their possession after winning the 2010-2011 series.

Both games saw an abundance of scoring action with final scores of 5-2 and 6-5 respectively.Both USC goalies from this weekend, rookie junior Eric Chiccone on Friday and sophomore Alex Caravaggio on Saturday, did a phenomenal job at keeping LMU at bay.

Senior Adam Zacuto was named the HockeyGiant First Star of both match-ups. Zacuto had yet another stellar weekend as he posted a total of six goals and two assists. Thursday night’s Second and Third Stars were Chiccone and rookie junior Chris Roman; Friday’s Second and Third Stars were sophomore James Huebner and senior captain Noah Comisar.

In addition to Zacuto’s six goals, four other Trojans scored and eight others contributed assists.

“It was definitely a team win,” Zacuto stated after Saturday’s game.

Both games oozed emotion. Thursday saw USC’s Alex Hite and LMU’s Stephen Vollkommer receive game misconducts in addition to their minor roughing penalties with just 34 seconds left in the third period. The teams knew that they were to face one another again the next night causing tempers to flare with the scoreboard in USC’s favor. The following evening, with just 43 seconds left in the third period, Zacuto scored the Trojan’s sixth goal of the evening. With the Century Cup lost, LMU players retaliated and Zacuto ended up in the penalty box along with LMU’s Robert Yannotta and Michael Indigaro, each with a minor roughing penalty. LMU’s Bobby Arnold joined his teammates in the box with a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Trojans fought for the puck and finished their checks – two huge improvements from the beginning of the season. The team also has found their chemistry with one another, which make the games not only successful, but that much more entertaining to watch.

The Trojans travel to Northern California this weekend to take on Cal. Their next two games will be played at Oakland Ice Center in Oakland, California. Fight On!

Volunteers Wanted!

VOLUNTEER for the hockey team! We want to hear from Trojans & Friends of USC who love hockey and would like to help us put on a spectacular game every game!

Putting on the perfect hockey game takes a lot of manpower and teamwork, so we treat our volunteer workers like gold. YOU MAKE OUR GAMES GO 'ROUND! We are looking for individuals who can help us with general game functions such as:

• Scoreboard operation;
• In-game announcing;
• Score and statistics keeping;
• Camera operators (nothing fancy, just record the the action!);
• Photography;
• Sales & merchandising'
• and more!

The benefits of volunteering for USC Ice Hockey:

• Receive USC Ice Hockey swag;
• Discounts off merchandise purchases;
• Use of team discounts, such as to Hockey Giant;
• Opportunities to take advantage of offers from our partners, such as the Anaheim Ducks;
• Networking opportunities - we work closely with the local USC Alumni clubs, and you never know who you'll run into!
• The satisfaction of turning the energy of your school spirit into something tangible!

Those who are interested should contact info@uscicehockey.com with the following information:

• Your Name and contact info;
• Year in school or USC affiliation;
• Your level of knowledge of the game of hockey (Not required! We'll teach you!)
• Any relevance experience, training, or other information.

Thank you, and FIGHT ON!

USC comeback falls short with uneven officiating; 49ers win 4-3.

LAKEWOOD, CA - In a contentious and hard-fought game that was marred by questionable officiating calls against both teams, USC (0-1, 0-0 PAC 8) falls 4-3 to host Long Beach State (1-0) in the regular season debut for both squads in front of a standing room only crowd.

Fresh off an exhibition game against UCLA at the Honda Center, the Trojans looked to avenge last season's two losses to the 49ers, with many fresh faces appearing the lineup.

The teams immediately made their presence known, playing aggressively and together racking up 9 penalties in the 1st period, while holding each other scoreless. Shots on goal were nearly even, 12-11 in favor of USC.

Long Beach State drew first blood early in the 2nd period, with Brad Roberts (Robbie Zdjelar, Ian Hoang) scoring off a rebound 2:11 into the frame.

The lead didn't last long, as USC answered immediately with rookie forward David Knight (Corey Newman) scoring just 46 seconds later to notch it up 1-1.

Later in the 2nd, the 49ers score again as Tyler Robertson (Zac Zamoya, Hoang) wrapped around the net and scored from USC goalie Alex Caravaggio's right side, giving The Beach a 2-1 lead.

But again, the lead was short lived as the Trojans scored a mere 19 seconds later. Sophomore forward James Huebner (Ryan Kucinski, Adam Zacuto) collected a rebound off Long Beach goalie Ricky St. Louis and punched the puck in to tie it up 2-2.

Both teams collected 9 more penalties; 2nd period SOGs were 14-6 in favor of USC.

In the 3rd period, the 49ers again scored quickly and took the lead 3-2 , with Zamoya (Matt Rushton) punching it through A. Caravaggio just 1:33 into the period.

Controversy struck as an apparent game-tying USC goal by a driving Zacuto is waived off. The referees conferred and agreed that the puck caromed into the net by a high stick, even though Zacuto was the only Trojan within 15 feet of the net.

Halfway through the 3rd, the Trojans tied the game as USC rookie forward Corey Newman scored unassisted off the faceoff after a Long Beach icing call.

Late in the game with the score 3-3, the 49ers put the game away on a 3-2 breakaway with 3;09 left in the game. Zdjelar streaked up the weak side and slid the puck behind A. Caravaggio off a pass from Roberts (Chris Chan).

USC desperately tried to even the score, pulling A. Caravaggio several times to bring on an extra attacker. On two consecutive series, the linesman whistled USC's drives dead for sending the attacker too early, before the goalie reached the bench. In the second incident, defenseman Ryan Manning came on to replace fellow defenseman Tom Duffy, but was mistaken as the extra attacker by the linesman, who consequently blew his whistle.

"One of the worst calls I've ever seen," said USC Head Coach Jeff Langille after the game. "How he could confuse my defenseman as the extra attacker is beyond me."

USC faces two more West Coast Hockey Conference teams next week, as they drive down the coast to face San Diego State (0-1) on Friday (9:00pm, Kroc Center), then play in their own home rink as the visitors against Cal State Fullerton (0-0) on Saturday (7:30pm, The Rinks - Anaheim ICE).

Both games will be broadcast online on Ustream. Visit http://www.ustream.tv/channels/uscicehockey for more details.

Game Notes:

- USC remains winless against teams from WCHC, which was formed in the 2010-2011 season.

- Manning & Zacuto received misconduct penalties at the end of regulation.

- Next matchup between USC and Long Beach State is Thursday, 10/6 - 8:30pm at Anaheim ICE.