The University club hockey team will be looking forward to the winter break as much as anyone. A rash of injuries to key players has seen the Ducks skid to a three-game losing streak, marring an otherwise strong
Pac-8 title defense. Oregon will face its final opponents of the fall schedule this weekend and then use the break to regain health and fluidity on the ice.
The Ducks began their regular season with a rematch of last year’s championship against Washington. Oregon came out swinging as soon as the puck dropped in the traditional rivalry game, dominating the Huskies and coasting to 5-0 and 5-2 victories in the two-game series. However, the Ducks dropped a game to UCLA 4-1, before managing to split the weekend.
“We came out a little flat,” senior defenseman Jordan Guffin said.
Oregon returned to form in a pair of away games against Stanford, crushing the Cardinal by a combined score of 25-4 in the two contests. It appeared that the torrid scoring pace would continue back in Eugene as the home team easily disposed of California 14-1. However, the Bears refused to go quietly, pulling a 3-2 upset the following night, a loss that Oregon players said should have been avoided.
“We need to respect our opponents,” Guffin said.
The Ducks also found themselves without the services of forwards Matt Olson and Brian Carr due to injuries, which severely limited their offensive options and wreaked havoc on
Oregon’s line combinations, making consistency more difficult. The club struggled to a victory in Spokane the following weekend, Nov. 11 and 12, defeating Gonzaga 4-3 and Washington State 6-2. In the game against the Bulldogs, three players received disqualification penalties, reducing an already short bench.
“(Gonzaga) was a chippy team, and we played a chippy game,” Guffin said.
Oregon’s troubles continued as they traveled to California for their final matches before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Ducks lost one game against Long Beach and a weekend series with USC. The lack of firepower was evident as the Ducks tallied only five goals in those three games. The club frequently took up residence in the penalty box. In the first game of the series in Los Angeles, three of the four goals scored by the Trojans occurred during a five-minute power play that resulted from a controversial spearing call.
“We need to get healthy,” Guffin said, “We haven’t been fully healthy in a month.”
The club returns home this weekend for its final weekend before winter break with two games at the Lane County Ice Arena against Washington State. Oregon will then take a much-needed month off before resuming league action and making the push toward the Pac-8 tournament Feb. 10-11 in Eugene and the rest of the postseason.