At 14-2, the Ducks are a lock to win the Pac-8 title, taking a No. 1 seed down to Anaheim, Calif., for the conference tournament. However, Oregon’s status is bittersweet this year, after it lost the I-5 Cup in a shootout with the Washington Huskies last weekend.
In the first of a pair of games against the Huskies up north, the Ducks opened with a 4-2 loss on Olympic-sized ice.
“We outskated them,” McCallum said. “They capitalized on a few penalties which I think we didn’t necessarily deserve.”
Oregon took the early lead in the first period, but goaltender Wren Arbuthnot came out midway through the second period because of injury. He returned for the third period but surrendered the deciding goal against Washington.
“Wren could have been knocked out in the second period but got cleared to play the third,” McCallum said. “The Huskies also play on Olympic-sized ice, and goalies like to use landmarks as cues, so that was an issue.”
Olympic ice is wider and longer than standard NHL ice like the Ducks use at Lane County Ice Center, however, the Ducks believed the expanded playing space gave them an advantage.
“We skated better than they did and our guys are in great shape, so it wasn’t a bad thing,” McCallum said.
Senior Cam Forni netted Oregon’s only two goals of the contest.
In Saturday’s game, Oregon allowed Washington to even up the score at 5-5 in the third period but would get the last word in a shootout. The Ducks surrendered a penalty shot in overtime with 1.9 seconds remaining but were able to sneak away with a 6-5 win in the shootout.
Tom Stocklin led the Ducks with a hat trick in the contest.
“I was cold for four games,” Stocklin said. “But it’s also my teammates getting hot; someone on our line is scoring when I’m not.”
With Oregon’s win, the I-5 Cup season series was knotted at 2-2, and a second consecutive five-player shootout ensued to determine the victor. The shootout continued on well past five players for each team.
“It went to like 10 shots for each team,” Stocklin said. “But when they’re shooting second, they have the edge.”
On top of their advantageous position, the Huskies capitalized on the unique nature of Olympic ice to finally beat Arbuthnot deep in the second shootout of the evening.
“The comments throughout the handshake line were all about how amazing Wren (Arbuthnot) was,” Coach McCallum said.
The Ducks dropped the I-5 Cup for the first time in six years.
Although serious projections for postseason Pac-8 tournament seeding can be made at this point, the Ducks have even greater aspirations that could come to fruition in the next week.
Oregon will play a pair with Eastern Washington this weekend on the road. The Eagles (13-5-1) are No. 3 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II standings. If Oregon can leave Washington with one or two wins, it could potentially make a run at the regional tournament, which follows conclusion of the Pac-8 schedule.
The Ducks have locked up a bye in the first round of the Pac-8 tournament, and the team has no more conference games remaining. But even with their focus fully on the Eagles, the Ducks recognize the level of difficulty is much greater in their coming contest.
“We need to win one game next weekend to have a shot at regionals,” Stocklin said. “It would take everyone playing all out if it happened.”
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Ducks win Pac-8, but lose I-5 Cup in shootout
Daily Emerald
January 24, 2010
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