The Oregon Ducks hockey team (13-1 Pac-8 Conference) went 2-1 on its Arizona road trip this weekend, taking two games from the Arizona State Sun Devils, but losing to the Northern Arizona Ice Jacks.
Arizona State entered the weekend at second place in the Pac-8, just one rung below the Ducks. A 4-2 victory on Friday evening, with a pair of goals from Cam Forni and one each for Ian Law and Justin Lacasse, kicked off the road stretch.
The Ducks were in uncharted territory Friday night, as head coach Scott McCallum had missed a flight and was unable to join his team for the game. Players saw the game through a unique lens.
“It was kind of cool,” keeper Wren Arbuthnot said. “With coach gone, guys stepped up and took leadership roles; Sam (Cehula) and (Derek) Wolfson, especially.”
Oregon was not entirely without a coach. The Ducks enlisted the help of senior Cam Forni’s father to man the bench.
Oregon picked up where they left off in game two against the Sun Devils. The Ducks netted seven goals on Saturday against ASU, the second best team in
the Pac-8.
Although the squad kept the puck in the attacking zone throughout the game, the
defense was solid as well.
“Wren (Arbuthnot) was solid all weekend,” senior captain Sam Cehula said. “It’s tough to play three games in net.”
Arbuthnot, who did not play in two contests against Stanford last week, appeared in top form.
“Our team makes it very easy to be goaltender,” Arbuthnot said.
Arbuthnot said he seldom gets screened off a shot because his teammates clear traffic in front of the net.
Oregon’s two wins didn’t translate into another one against NAU the next day. Cehula opened the scoring in the second period. However, that was all Oregon would manage, and the Lumberjacks finally coaxed a shot into the net with just five minutes left in the third period, sending the game to overtime.
With less than three minutes left in the overtime period, Northern Arizona scored and sent the Ducks home with an imperfect weekend.
“The altitude definitely affected our energy,” Cehula admitted. “That said, Wren was phenomenal, and we played as a group.”
Arbuthnot saw 60 shots come his way and stopped all but two of them. The Denver native said altitude was more familiar to him than to his teammates. The Ducks unloaded 48 shots of their own, but only Cehula’s goal off a quick draw made the scoring column.
Halfway through the most difficult road stretch of the year, the Ducks are 4-0 in conference play after winter break. The most daunting task remains in the Pacific Northwest for the Ducks. They will try to secure the I-5 Cup next weekend in Washington.
“We are in a great spot after this weekend’s games,” Cehula said. “The Huskies are our main goal; we want to win the I-5 Cup.”
Washington upended Oregon earlier in the season, but a pair of wins in Seattle would cement a Ducks’ trophy for yet another year. Games are Friday and Saturday.

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