On Friday, during the first game of Pac-8 play and the first game of the I-5 Cup, the Ducks club hockey team dropped an aggressive, hard-hitting game against Washington by a score of 6-3.
The Huskies struck first and early, scoring five minutes and 16 seconds into the first period. Senior Jaymes White scored the goal off a feed to the front of the net by sophomore Christian Cinderella, beating Ducks goalie Jackson Howery.
Later in the period, White scored again with less than two minutes remaining. Cinderella tallied his second assist of the night by feeding the puck to White around the back of the net. Basically undefended, White walked to the side of the net and scored easily despite the sharp angle, forcing the Ducks to an early two goal deficit.
Oregon started off the second period on the penalty kill after a late period penalty on Cavin McClare. Although they tried to fight it off, with 17 seconds remaining in the penalty, Washington freshman Thomas Krivak made an unassisted goal 1:23 into the second period.
Play began to get chippy after that. With 12:16 to go in the period, the Ducks went shorthanded again after a cross checking penalty on Shott. They defended the Huskie’s power play in much of the same way they had been, with an aggressive forecheck, this time supplied by senior Patrick Taylor, to keep Washington in their own zone as long as possible.
But, right after the Ducks successfully fended off the Huskie’s power play, a high sticking penalty was called on senior Zach Foss. A shorthanded goal from the point by senior defensemen Jesse Leonard raised the Ducks’ hopes. The shot hit the crossbar and ricocheted behind Jarvis, bringing the score to 3-1.
With 31 seconds left in the second period, both the Ducks and the Huskies were called on penalties, forcing the teams to play 4-on-4 to start the third period. Less than 30 seconds into the third period, the Huskies took advantage of it by scoring their fourth goal. Krivak scored his second goal of the night from the point after a pass from senior Troy Gasser.
Cinderella would pick up his first goal of the game to bring the Huskies to a commanding 5-1 lead. However, the Ducks quickly answered with a goal of their own a few seconds later when Sam Rosenburg scored off an assist from freshman Matthew Stone. A couple minutes later, the Ducks scored again, cutting the lead to two points.
With about 10 minutes to go in the game, the Ducks began playing with a newfound urgency and aggression, driving relentlessly at Jarvis. But, the Huskies crushed the Ducks hopes by scoring their sixth goal of the night. Cinderella tallied another assist after sending a touch pass in front of the net to Krivak, who squeezed it past Howery.
The Ducks hope to redeem themselves tomorrow as they will get a rematch against Washington.
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03