The University of Oregon men’s club hockey team will be looking to make its third straight trip to the American Collegiate Hockey Association West Regional tournament this season, but will have to battle a tough schedule in order to do so.
“We have a hard schedule against some highly-ranked teams,” senior captain Jeff Gibb said.
Last year, the Ducks completed their fourth consecutive 20-win season, earning them a trip to the regional tournament for the second year in a row, and only the second time in team history. Oregon entered the tournament as the 10th and lowest seed, and after a tough opening-round loss to Colorado State the Ducks were able to bounce back with a 4-1 victory over Long Beach State.
“We consistently improved every game last year,” Gibb said. “Being able to get our first win in team history at the regional tournament was big.”
Last year’s team also earned another big success in taking home the 2008 Pac-8 Conference title with a 13-4 record overall. Arizona State and the University of Southern California finished second and third, respectively.
This year, the Ducks return several of those same experienced athletes on both ends of the ice.
The front line looks to be one of the most potent scoring threats in the Pac-8, led by assistant captain and 2008 Pac-8 Tournament MVP junior Sam Cehula, who led the team with 31 assists last season. Senior Cameron Forni, who scored a team-high 55 points last year, returns as a First Team Pac-8 selection and will be tough to handle on the offensive end. Seniors Joel Dunham, Tom Stocklin and Kevin Keeland, and junior Tyler McCarty will round out the returning forwards.
“Our strength is definitely our offense,” Gibb reiterated. “We’re solid up front.”
The defense isn’t showing many signs of weakness either.
On the ice, Gibb will be leading the defensive attack as a returning Pac-8 First Team selection, while also serving as the team’s captain. Sophomore Justin Lacasse looks to make a solid impact on the Duck defense as well.
Senior Wren Arbuthnot (First Team Pac-8 selection) will be leading a trio of talented goaltenders. Junior Jack Barry and newcomer Chris Takla will also look to make an impact between the pipes.
This season will feature several exciting newcomers like junior transfer Erik Brody, who will be looking to play solid minutes at the forward position, as well as speedy freshman Matthew Stolzberg, while freshman Jackson Dorsey looks to be a solid addition with his poise on the defensive end.
2008 Pac-8 Coach of the Year Scott McCallum returns to the Duck bench with a 65-16-2 overall record in his three years as head coach.
“This team is really bound together by a tight relationship,” McCallum said. “They came together instantly.”
The Ducks opened the 2008-09 season with two games against the University of Washington last weekend. On Friday, it took the Ducks just 51 seconds for Tom Stocklin to score the team’s first goal of the season before Oregon jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead at the completion of the second period. But several penalties and some sloppy play by the men in green and yellow saw the Huskies come roaring back to tie the game at 3-3 to take it into overtime. The Ducks were able to hold off UW in overtime as senior Cale Meyer and Forni battled in front of the net to knock in the game winner to seal the 4-3 Oregon victory.
“That first game was a little shaky for us; we had a lot of penalties and some tough calls that didn’t go our way,” Gibb stated. “But we had to get our feet wet sometime and it really showed on Saturday.”
“UW has been getting better and better. Being able to go into their barn and take two away from them is huge,” McCallum said.
He also mentioned that Oregon has traditionally struggled in close games, losing several in overtime, so getting the win on Friday was truly a “milestone.”
During Saturday’s matchup Oregon came out as a force to be reckoned with, handily beating the Huskies 8-3.
The Ducks will host USC this weekend in what should be an intriguing matchup – Oregon and USC have battled one another for the Pac-8 championship for the past several years – and a preview of things to come for the remainder of the season.
“This will be the one that sets the tone for the rest of the season,” concluded McCallum.
The first game will be Friday at 7 p.m. at the Lane Events Ice Rink. Admission is $5 for adults, and $3 for students with a school ID card.
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