The University club hockey team, fresh off of a 9-3 victory against non-conference foe Portland State, is preparing for the Pacific-8 Conference championship tournament, which is this weekend at the Lane County Ice Arena. This is the first time the University has hosted the tournament since 2006, when the Ducks lost 3-4 in a shootout to USC.
The Trojans and Ducks have met up in the last four championship matches and alternated wins, with Oregon winning last year. Jeff Gibb, senior defenseman and team captain, and Sam Cehula, junior center and alternate captain, have thought about the chance of facing USC for the fifth time.
Gibb said it is “very likely” they’ll meet again in the finals. “We are a better team across the board, and as long as we play to our strengths and control the game, we will be just fine.”
Cehula’s take was no different: “If we play up to our potential, we can beat everyone in the Pac-8.” But he prefaced that by warning, “First we need to make it there. If we can get the first win, it won’t be a problem.”
Gibb and Cehula believe having the Pac-8 Tournament on home ice gives them an advantage. “We have the advantage of sleeping in our own beds, using our own locker room, and playing in front of a home crowd,” said Gibb.
“(Playing at home) will be a huge advantage,” Cehula said. “It’s awesome to have good turnout, and having the tournament at home is a great way to build fan support.”
The tournament begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, when No. 3 seed UCLA takes on No. 6 seed Washington State. The other Friday matchup is between No. 4 seed Washington and No. 5 seed Stanford, at 9 p.m.
Saturday is the only day all six teams will be in action. The first game is at 12:30 p.m., between the highest seed remaining from the Friday games and No. 2 seed USC. Top-seeded Oregon, the defending champion, faces the lowest remaining seed at 6 p.m. Lastly, at 9 p.m., the two teams who lost Friday night will play for fifth place and bragging rights.
Sunday’s action starts off with another bragging rights game, this one between the losers of the early games on Saturday. The third-place game begins at 12:30 p.m. The championship match will start at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the games are $4 for students, $7 for adults, and $20 for an All-Tournament Pass. The annual Pac-8 Awards Banquet is immediately following the game.
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Host Oregon favored in Pacific-8 championships this weekend
Daily Emerald
February 10, 2009
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