Looking to rebound from the loss to Washington the previous night, USC came out faster and stronger but came up short, losing the close match 3-1.
After a quiet and scoreless 1st period, the action livened up early into the 2nd as the Huskies' Stefan Sobiek (unassisted) poked the puck away on defense and scored on the ensuing breakaway.
Another UW goal, this time on a 5-on-3 power play, was tipped in by Daniel Carson (Sobiek, Jordan Chenersky) to make it 2-0 going into the 2nd intermission.
USC regrouped during the 3rd period, scoring halfway through the frame on a USC power play as Dante Caravaggio (Thomas Waschenfelder) ripped a shot through a screen and past UW goalie Danny Dougan, bring the Trojans to within one goal.
However, the Trojan comeback was repelled with less than two minutes left to go in the game, as UW's Phil Harezlak fed Andrew Johnson at the top of the circle, who fired it past traffic and into the top corner, finishing off their roadtrip with the 3-1 victory.
The Trojans finish off the regular season against non-conference foes Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount next weekend before heading up to Seattle for the PAC 8 Conference Championships on February 11-12, joining California, Oregon, and host Washington as the qualifying teams.
Third-seeded USC will again faceoff against 2nd-seeded UW, this time at the Huskies' home rink, while top-seeded Oregon squares off against 4th-seeded Cal.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
USC Trojans vs. UW Huskies: Pac-8 Championship Rematch Game 2-Postgame
USC came out with a whole different attitude and a new lineup in the 3rd period, and it paid off to start. Physical play was the theme of the period as both team traded hit after hit, and penalty after penalty. USC finally struck first in the period, but UW was able to put it away late in the 3rd, sinking the Trojans 3-1.
USC came out much stronger than they had been in the previous 5 periods this weekend, trying to swing the momentum in their favor. Coach Langille switched up the lineup, putting Freshman Thomas Washenfelder with Freshman James Huebner and Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar, and it paid off on the power play. Washenfelder fed Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio at the point, who ripped a shot through a Huebner screen and past Husky goalie Danny Dougan. USC continued to battle for momentum all the way through the period, but with less than 2 minutes to play, UW struck back, as a Tristan Wickliff slap-shot from the top of the near circle rifled into the top corner through a thoroughly screened Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio. The goal sent the Trojans home with the 3-1 loss.
My first star of the game goes to Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar. Though he did not show up on the scoresheet tonight, his physical play throughout the first 2 periods was the ultimate "lead by example" type of play. His work clearly caught the sight of Coach Langille, who put him as the grinder up on the first line, and his physical play combined with Waschenfelder and Huebner gave the Trojans the best chance they had to win. Look for Comisar to continue that physicality going into next weekend's games against LMU and LBSU.
Overall, the Trojans played a very up and down game against the Huskies. They showed, though, that they can skate with them, and if they played the same way they played in the 3rd period for all three, USC would've come out of this game with a win. Alex Caravaggio continues to prove why he is the premier goalie in the Pac-8, and his play is an example the rest of the Trojan lineup can follow.
I'll be back next Friday for the Trojans game against LMU.
James
USC came out much stronger than they had been in the previous 5 periods this weekend, trying to swing the momentum in their favor. Coach Langille switched up the lineup, putting Freshman Thomas Washenfelder with Freshman James Huebner and Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar, and it paid off on the power play. Washenfelder fed Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio at the point, who ripped a shot through a Huebner screen and past Husky goalie Danny Dougan. USC continued to battle for momentum all the way through the period, but with less than 2 minutes to play, UW struck back, as a Tristan Wickliff slap-shot from the top of the near circle rifled into the top corner through a thoroughly screened Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio. The goal sent the Trojans home with the 3-1 loss.
My first star of the game goes to Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar. Though he did not show up on the scoresheet tonight, his physical play throughout the first 2 periods was the ultimate "lead by example" type of play. His work clearly caught the sight of Coach Langille, who put him as the grinder up on the first line, and his physical play combined with Waschenfelder and Huebner gave the Trojans the best chance they had to win. Look for Comisar to continue that physicality going into next weekend's games against LMU and LBSU.
Overall, the Trojans played a very up and down game against the Huskies. They showed, though, that they can skate with them, and if they played the same way they played in the 3rd period for all three, USC would've come out of this game with a win. Alex Caravaggio continues to prove why he is the premier goalie in the Pac-8, and his play is an example the rest of the Trojan lineup can follow.
I'll be back next Friday for the Trojans game against LMU.
James
USC Trojans vs. UW Huskies: Pac-8 Championship Rematch Game 2-2nd Period Analysis
Two very unfortunate goals doomed the Trojans in the 2nd period here at Anaheim Ice, as the UW Huskies have taken a 2-0 lead here with 20 minutes to go in Game 2 of our Pac-8 Championship rematch. Stefan Sobiek and Daniel Carson scored to put the Huskies ahead.
Both teams again came out very physical, and USC was finally awarded their first power play 3 minutes into the period, but the Huskies turned it towards their favor, when Sobiek poked it away from a Trojan defender and went untouched on a breakaway on Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio. Caravaggio gave it all he had, but to no avail as Sobiek put it past him to power UW to a 1-0 lead. Both teams played back and forth through the middle of the period, but penalty trouble slowed down the Trojan attack yet again, and the Huskies took advantage of yet ANOTHER 5-3, when Carson tipped a Sobiek shot past Caravaggio to send USC to the locker room down 2-0.
As my color man, Alex Hite, said, "A two goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey". USC needs to come out in the 3rd period madder and faster than they have so far this weekend. They need to take control of the game and swing the momentum in their favor, starting with a quick goal to start the period. Defensively, they have done better controlling the breakout and not giving the puck right to the Husky defensemen. However, they still need to control the front of the net and stop UW from getting any second chances on Caravaggio rebounds.
I'll be back after the game with a full postgame recap and analysis.
James
Both teams again came out very physical, and USC was finally awarded their first power play 3 minutes into the period, but the Huskies turned it towards their favor, when Sobiek poked it away from a Trojan defender and went untouched on a breakaway on Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio. Caravaggio gave it all he had, but to no avail as Sobiek put it past him to power UW to a 1-0 lead. Both teams played back and forth through the middle of the period, but penalty trouble slowed down the Trojan attack yet again, and the Huskies took advantage of yet ANOTHER 5-3, when Carson tipped a Sobiek shot past Caravaggio to send USC to the locker room down 2-0.
As my color man, Alex Hite, said, "A two goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey". USC needs to come out in the 3rd period madder and faster than they have so far this weekend. They need to take control of the game and swing the momentum in their favor, starting with a quick goal to start the period. Defensively, they have done better controlling the breakout and not giving the puck right to the Husky defensemen. However, they still need to control the front of the net and stop UW from getting any second chances on Caravaggio rebounds.
I'll be back after the game with a full postgame recap and analysis.
James
USC Trojans vs. UW Huskies: Pac-8 Championship Rematch Game 2-1st Period Analysis
After one here at Anaheim Ice, your USC Trojans have come out a lot stronger than they did last night, keeping the game scoreless 0-0 against a high powered UW Husky offense. Great job by the USC defense to limit the number of shots for UW, clearing out the front of the net and giving Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio much greater visibility to the points.
Both teams played a very physical and back and forth game, keeping the game close at both ends of the ice. The new first line of Freshman Thomas Waschenfelder, Senior Mitchell Landsinger, and Sophomore Dave Morris did a great job shutting down the Husky first line, one of the most important matchup issues of the game. However, none of the forward lines have been able to capitalize on opportunities presented to them, not taking a lot of shots that they needed to in order to put pressure on Husky goalie Danny Dougan. Look for them to take more shots and crash the net harder going into the next two periods.
The biggest change USC has to make is in the defensive zone. The Trojans need to control the puck more on the breakout, and not allow Husky defenders to collect these errant passes and take shots on Caravaggio. Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio and Senior Assistant Captain Jason Bush are doing a great job taking the puck out themselves rather than throwing it aimlessly around. Let's hope the rest of the Trojan team can follow their lead and run a much more controlled breakout.
I'll be back after the 2nd period with continued in-game analysis.
James
Both teams played a very physical and back and forth game, keeping the game close at both ends of the ice. The new first line of Freshman Thomas Waschenfelder, Senior Mitchell Landsinger, and Sophomore Dave Morris did a great job shutting down the Husky first line, one of the most important matchup issues of the game. However, none of the forward lines have been able to capitalize on opportunities presented to them, not taking a lot of shots that they needed to in order to put pressure on Husky goalie Danny Dougan. Look for them to take more shots and crash the net harder going into the next two periods.
The biggest change USC has to make is in the defensive zone. The Trojans need to control the puck more on the breakout, and not allow Husky defenders to collect these errant passes and take shots on Caravaggio. Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio and Senior Assistant Captain Jason Bush are doing a great job taking the puck out themselves rather than throwing it aimlessly around. Let's hope the rest of the Trojan team can follow their lead and run a much more controlled breakout.
I'll be back after the 2nd period with continued in-game analysis.
James
USC Trojans vs. UW Huskies: Pac-8 Championship Rematch Game 2-Pregame
Welcome back, Ladies and Gentlemen, to Anaheim Ice, where your USC Trojans will try to bounce back from an unfortunate loss last night against the UW Huskies in their first game since last years Pac-8 Championship. The Trojans are hoping to shut down the high powered offense of the Huskies, who are lead by Forwards Jordan Chernesky and Stefan Sobiek. Trojan Freshman goaltender Alex Caravaggio is hoping to bounce back from a great, yet disappointing game last night, and help the Trojans try to find an offensive rhythm.
My key matchup for tonight's game is between the Trojans second line of Freshman Thomas Waschenfelder, Sophomore Dave Morris, and Senior Mitchell Landsinger, against the Husky first line of Sobiek, Chernesky, and Forward Ben Waters. Coach Langille told me before the game that since he has the last change as the home team, he will try to match up his second line with their offensive juggernaut. They seemed to do the best job shutting down that line without getting too many penalties in the process. He will try to match the Trojan third line of Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar, Senior Max Szentveri, and Freshman Derek Peters against the Husky second line of Corey James, Phil Hareslak, and Alex Wytaske, giving the Trojan first line of Senior Charlie Mach, Sophomore Beau Selisker, and Freshman James Huebner a chance to develop a rhythm against the UW third and fourth lines.
Defensively, the Trojan blue-liners must continue to stand tall against the UW attack, but also need to a better job clearing out the front of the net. This will allow Caravaggio to see a lot better, helping him rebound from last night's loss. Look for Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio step up tonight and provide a spark for both the USC defense as well as the offense. His rushes up the ice could be the key for a USC victory tonight.
I'll be back after the first with in-game analysis.
James
My key matchup for tonight's game is between the Trojans second line of Freshman Thomas Waschenfelder, Sophomore Dave Morris, and Senior Mitchell Landsinger, against the Husky first line of Sobiek, Chernesky, and Forward Ben Waters. Coach Langille told me before the game that since he has the last change as the home team, he will try to match up his second line with their offensive juggernaut. They seemed to do the best job shutting down that line without getting too many penalties in the process. He will try to match the Trojan third line of Junior Assistant Captain Noah Comisar, Senior Max Szentveri, and Freshman Derek Peters against the Husky second line of Corey James, Phil Hareslak, and Alex Wytaske, giving the Trojan first line of Senior Charlie Mach, Sophomore Beau Selisker, and Freshman James Huebner a chance to develop a rhythm against the UW third and fourth lines.
Defensively, the Trojan blue-liners must continue to stand tall against the UW attack, but also need to a better job clearing out the front of the net. This will allow Caravaggio to see a lot better, helping him rebound from last night's loss. Look for Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio step up tonight and provide a spark for both the USC defense as well as the offense. His rushes up the ice could be the key for a USC victory tonight.
I'll be back after the first with in-game analysis.
James
USC downed by UW in rematch
The Washington Huskies came into Anaheim Ice looking for redemption against USC, and took a first major step towards it, as the Huskies defeated the Trojans 4-1 on Friday night.
Meeting for the first time since last season's dramatic PAC 8 Championship Game where an underdog USC squad defeated UW, both teams looked to solidify their conference records in the final week of conference play, as well as size each other up, ahead of this season's playoffs.
USC is the defending PAC 8 champion and coming off two victories against archrival UCLA. Washington likewise notched two victories against their rivals, top-ranked Oregon, as well as a win against Cal State Fullerton the previous night.
The Huskies host this year's PAC 8 tournament. Currently, UW sits in second place in the PAC 8, with USC right behind in third place.
A relatively quite first period was highlighted by a pair of goals near intermission. USC struck first with a streaking Dave Morris receiving from a Thomas Waschenfelder pass up the middle and putting the puck past Husky netminder Danny Dougan to put the Trojans up 1-0.
However, UW answered ten seconds later, as USC goalie A. Caravaggio left the puck on his exposed flank and UW's Byron Ma (Dan Herda) took advantage, scoring on the open net to tie it up 1-1.
USC entered the 2nd period on a 5-on-4 advantage for the first 3:59, as UW's Jordan Chenersky was assessed a double minor (roughing, 2:00; crosschecking, 2:00) going into the 1st intermission. The Trojans failed to capitalize though, with USC picking up a hooking penalty within the first minute of the period to make it an even 4-on-4 situation.
Midway through the 2nd with both teams at full strength, UW's Daniel Carson (Corey James, Jason Bartlett) punched a shot through heavy traffic and past A. Caravaggio for the Huskies' second goal.
While the Trojans killed off two separate 5-on-3 UW power plays, screens continued to be the main factor as another UW shot by Jeff McClateck (Phil Hamzlek, James) squeezed through traffic with :35 left in the 2nd, and sending the Trojans into the locker room down 3-1.
The 3rd period was riddled with penalties for both teams, but UW put the game away on another screened shot, this time by Ben Walters (Chenersky, Carson) on a power play.
Final score of the game was 4-1 in favor of the Huskies. The teams have their second meeting this weekend on Saturday. The puck drops at Anaheim Ice at 7:30pm.
Other Notes:
- UW's Andrew Johnson sat out for this game, serving a disqualification stemming from the previous night vs. CSUF.
- UW outshot USC 28-20.
- Twenty-six separate penalties were assessed between the two teams; USC's Beau Selisker led the field with 4 minors.
Meeting for the first time since last season's dramatic PAC 8 Championship Game where an underdog USC squad defeated UW, both teams looked to solidify their conference records in the final week of conference play, as well as size each other up, ahead of this season's playoffs.
USC is the defending PAC 8 champion and coming off two victories against archrival UCLA. Washington likewise notched two victories against their rivals, top-ranked Oregon, as well as a win against Cal State Fullerton the previous night.
The Huskies host this year's PAC 8 tournament. Currently, UW sits in second place in the PAC 8, with USC right behind in third place.
A relatively quite first period was highlighted by a pair of goals near intermission. USC struck first with a streaking Dave Morris receiving from a Thomas Waschenfelder pass up the middle and putting the puck past Husky netminder Danny Dougan to put the Trojans up 1-0.
However, UW answered ten seconds later, as USC goalie A. Caravaggio left the puck on his exposed flank and UW's Byron Ma (Dan Herda) took advantage, scoring on the open net to tie it up 1-1.
USC entered the 2nd period on a 5-on-4 advantage for the first 3:59, as UW's Jordan Chenersky was assessed a double minor (roughing, 2:00; crosschecking, 2:00) going into the 1st intermission. The Trojans failed to capitalize though, with USC picking up a hooking penalty within the first minute of the period to make it an even 4-on-4 situation.
Midway through the 2nd with both teams at full strength, UW's Daniel Carson (Corey James, Jason Bartlett) punched a shot through heavy traffic and past A. Caravaggio for the Huskies' second goal.
While the Trojans killed off two separate 5-on-3 UW power plays, screens continued to be the main factor as another UW shot by Jeff McClateck (Phil Hamzlek, James) squeezed through traffic with :35 left in the 2nd, and sending the Trojans into the locker room down 3-1.
The 3rd period was riddled with penalties for both teams, but UW put the game away on another screened shot, this time by Ben Walters (Chenersky, Carson) on a power play.
Final score of the game was 4-1 in favor of the Huskies. The teams have their second meeting this weekend on Saturday. The puck drops at Anaheim Ice at 7:30pm.
Other Notes:
- UW's Andrew Johnson sat out for this game, serving a disqualification stemming from the previous night vs. CSUF.
- UW outshot USC 28-20.
- Twenty-six separate penalties were assessed between the two teams; USC's Beau Selisker led the field with 4 minors.
Friday, January 28, 2011
USC Trojans vs. UW Huskies: Pac-8 Championship Rematch-Postgame
Well, USC doomed themselves again with penalties, allowing UW to take advantage of bad penalties and a lack of rhythm for the Trojans, beating them in game 1 here at Anaheim Ice, 4-1. The Huskies added an insurance goal early in the 3rd to doom the inconsistent Trojans at home.
Washington took advantage of too many bad penalties from the Trojans, scoring their insurance goal on the power play, as Husky defenseman Daniel Carson took a hard shot from the point through a couple of screens past Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio, putting the Huskies ahead for good. USC, time and time again, shot themselves in the foot taking bad penalty after bad penalty, never giving themselves a chance to get into a rhythm.
My first star of the game goes to Freshman forward Thomas Waschenfelder, who in his first game as a Trojan played with more heart and determination than any other player on the ice. His excellent play gave USC the first lead in the game, and he continued afterwards to put the puck on net and put constant pressure on the Husky defense.
Overall, USC's penalty trouble continues to plague a team that needs to find a rhythm in order to compete in the upcoming Pac-8 tournament. Offensively, the Trojans continue to struggle to put the puck on net, regardless of the number of chances they have. USC continues to try and make the "perfect" play in order to score a goal, instead of wearing down Husky goalie Danny Dougan, who was not challenged very much at all tonight. Defensively, the Trojan defensive corps consisting of Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio, Senior Assistant Captain Jason Bush, Senior Captain Mike Gawlik, Freshman Tom Duffy, Freshman Ryan Manning, and Junior Mike Mowrey, do a great job containing a high powered UW offense, but their problems with the forwards on the break out continues to allow teams more chances on Caravaggio than necessary.
We'll be back tomorrow night with game 2 of this Pac-8 Championship rematch here at Anaheim Ice, 7:30 start.
James
Washington took advantage of too many bad penalties from the Trojans, scoring their insurance goal on the power play, as Husky defenseman Daniel Carson took a hard shot from the point through a couple of screens past Freshman goalie Alex Caravaggio, putting the Huskies ahead for good. USC, time and time again, shot themselves in the foot taking bad penalty after bad penalty, never giving themselves a chance to get into a rhythm.
My first star of the game goes to Freshman forward Thomas Waschenfelder, who in his first game as a Trojan played with more heart and determination than any other player on the ice. His excellent play gave USC the first lead in the game, and he continued afterwards to put the puck on net and put constant pressure on the Husky defense.
Overall, USC's penalty trouble continues to plague a team that needs to find a rhythm in order to compete in the upcoming Pac-8 tournament. Offensively, the Trojans continue to struggle to put the puck on net, regardless of the number of chances they have. USC continues to try and make the "perfect" play in order to score a goal, instead of wearing down Husky goalie Danny Dougan, who was not challenged very much at all tonight. Defensively, the Trojan defensive corps consisting of Junior Assistant Captain Dante Caravaggio, Senior Assistant Captain Jason Bush, Senior Captain Mike Gawlik, Freshman Tom Duffy, Freshman Ryan Manning, and Junior Mike Mowrey, do a great job containing a high powered UW offense, but their problems with the forwards on the break out continues to allow teams more chances on Caravaggio than necessary.
We'll be back tomorrow night with game 2 of this Pac-8 Championship rematch here at Anaheim Ice, 7:30 start.
James
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