The Oregon club hockey team greets the weekend with a two-game schedule against Idaho at home. Both Friday’s and Saturday’s games are at 7:30 p.m. at the Lane County ice arena.
Idaho’s record is 2-2. As of last weekend, the Ducks are ranked eighth of 30 teams in the ACHA West.
“Last time we met them, we played two really physical games with brawls and stuff,” Oregon goalie Josh Hardin said. “We have to not get into that kind of crap. We have to play our game, not theirs.”
The Ducks’ game is to identify Idaho’s star players and try to contain them.
“They have two or three really good players,” Oregon captain Tyler Shaffar said. “We’ll focus on that and play defensively the way we’re supposed to.”
“Our third line doesn’t really produce, and the fourth line really played well,” Shaffar said. “And Joe [Fagliano] is coming in instead of Josh [Hardin].”
But starting the replacement goalie doesn’t seem to bother anyone on the team.
“If the guys play the way they have been, he’ll be fine,” Hardin said.
Hardin is out for at least another week and a half with a hand injury, but he is banking on being back for the Washington games next weekend.
The Ducks expect to meet a big team with several Canadians, Hardin said.
He explained that there are slight cultural differences in the way Canadians conduct their game, and that they tend to play more physically.
The physical play is also a Northwest thing.
“There is mutual hatred among a lot of the Northwest schools,” Hardin said.