UCLA Hockey Drops Crosstown Cup Game 5

Thanks to the efforts of Bruins fans, UCLA hockey was back on the ice on Saturday to face off against U$C for the Crosstown Cup.

There isn't much sugarcoating to be done here, though, as the Bruins fell behind 3-0 in the first period and never recovered from that slow start, ultimately losing 8-3, giving U$C the Crosstown Cup for the second straight season.

After an onslaught of emails in support of the hockey team - rumor in the stands had the number of emails at about 170 - the team accepted reduced sanctions, and publicly apologized for their violation of the travel approval rules. The apology was previously posted in the comments, but it is available on UCLA hockey's website as well.

Unfortunately, the fight that the team and its fans showed off the ice didn't translate to the action once the game began. A few early Bruin penalties led to a Trojan goal, and they tacked on two more before the first intermission. The play remained almost entirely at the Bruin end during the first period.

Mark Yost then gave the Bruins a shot in the arm, scoring to break the shutout in the first minute of the second period, but that momentum was quickly snuffed as the Trojans scored three more in the second. Frank Witt managed to slip a goal in for the Bruins with 00:00 showing on the clock, which the referee declared good, sending the Bruins into the second intermission down 2-6.

The third period was more of the same - two Trojan goals, followed by one final UCLA goal from Yohann Rousselet to bring the final tally to 8-3.

Nick Panzica and Doo Soo Kim each contributed a pair of assists for the Bruins in the game, while goaltender Al Ricciardelli played admirably in the face of a near-constant U$C attack. The final boxscore is available here.

The team will wrap up their season at the Pac-8 tournament in Seattle next weekend as the fourth seed, facing off against No. 1 Washington. The winner of that semifinal will then face the winner of No. 2 Utah vs. No. 3 USC in the final.