Bouncing pucks and cheap shots from the opposing team did not stop the UCSD ice hockey club team from winning, 3-1, in a Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association game against Cal State Northridge on Jan. 29 at the UTC Ice Chalet.
Junior Kevin Davis scored the game-winning goal, while junior goalie Gavin Gruber came up with crucial saves to secure the victory. Sophomore forward Kolin Ozonia also contributed two assists in the winning effort.
“We just wanted to be relaxed, have some fun and play solid,” UCSD senior and team captain Chris Tran said.
The less-than-ideal conditions of the UTC Ice Chalet proved to be an advantage for the Tritons, as the Matadors had to adjust to the soft ice, which made skating and puck handling more difficult.
“We practice here all the time so we’re used to it,” Tran said. “But other teams, they’re used to playing on real ice that’s not like water, so it’s a home-ice advantage for us.”
UCSD dominated the first period, with most of the action on the Matadors’ defensive end. The Tritons also controlled most of the faceoffs, generating scoring opportunities. With only one minute, 31 seconds left in the first period, junior Charlie Blake found the Cal State Northridge goalie out of position and slipped the puck past him to give UCSD a 1-0 lead. Ozonia was credited with the assist on Blake’s goal.
The Matadors answered with a power-play goal early in the second period to knot the game. Triton senior Ben Turris was called for holding and Cal State Northridge capitalized on the man advantage. The game-tying goal shifted the momentum to the Matadors, who put some pressure on the Triton defense, but teams remained deadlocked after two periods.
UCSD owned the third period, playing solid defensively while scoring two more goals. Davis quickly pounced on his own rebounded shot and put the puck over the Cal State Northridge goalie’s shoulder for a 2-1 lead at 1:30.
Junior forward Kenton Fibel of the Tritons put the biscuit in the basket for an insurance goal, assisted by Ozonia with less than five minutes left in the game. The Matadors became increasingly frustrated as the clock wound down and play became chippy between the two teams. The undisciplined play cost the Matadors a chance to pull their goalie to try to even the score when Gevork Pasmayan’s drew a high-sticking penalty with 2:28 left. In addition, Cal State Northridge’s Jon Dobson received a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking and game misconduct, with less than a minute left in play. The Tritons hung on for a 3-1 win, but the heated exchange continued after the game until both teams finally exited the ice.
“[Cheap shots] happen when teams get frustrated,” Tran said. “We’ve been guilty of that too.”
As UCSD wraps up its regular season, it is looking ahead to the playoffs despite being hampered by injuries, especially to senior defenseman Jeff Humphrey.
“We have a short bench, so we’ve had to move people around,” Tran said. “Other guys have stepped it up, so it’s working out so far. We’ll see how it goes in the playoffs.”
The Tritons finish their regular season against Santa Rosa College on Feb. 12 at the UTC Ice Chalet. Faceoff is at 10:15 p.m.
