The Oregon club hockey team continued its winning ways this weekend in California’s Bay Area, notching a 2-0-1 record.
The Ducks beat host Stanford on back-to-back nights in Redwood City, Calif., to begin the three-game weekend. On Friday, the Ducks won their eighth straight game, beating Stanford 6-2. The two teams were tied after both the first and second periods, but the Ducks broke away with four third-period goals.
On Saturday, the Ducks cruised to a 8-0 lead after two periods before settling for the 9-1 victory. Eric Steinmann had four goals for the Ducks on the night.
“It’s a nice set of games when you can take it like a practice against people you don’t know,” head coach Scott McCallum said. “They kept it close in that first game but I didn’t ever think we were going to lose.”
The Ducks, ranked 11th in the season’s first American Collegiate Hockey Association’s rankings, played the No. 9 San Jose State Spartans to a 3-3 tie on Sunday. The last time the two teams met, the Spartans beat Oregon in the regional tournament in March.
Oregon’s third line of Cal Brackin, Tyler McCarty and Jeff Kraus combined to score the first goal of the contest, but Oregon found itself down two goals early in the third period. Oregon’s Cam Forni scored two clutch goals within the last two minutes of regulation; however, with the final goal coming with 25 seconds left. Neither team scored in overtime. Goalie Ryan Pinckard had 26 saves in the game.
“I felt like all the way through we were a stronger team,” said McCallum, who was thrown out of the game.
Oregon’s next four games are at home, beginning with two matchups against Arizona State on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 at the Lane County Ice Arena. The Sun Devils are the only team to have beaten Oregon so far. The Ducks will then host Washington on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
[email protected]