UCLA boasts quite an arsenal of talented Division I athletic teams. Some sort of national championship is a yearly occurrence. Lost somewhere in the glorification and lauding of these scholarship athletes is the little guy – the epitome of the student-athlete – the individual who is here primarily for the academic opportunities that this institution affords.
Case in point – the UCLA hockey team. A member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and Pacific 8 Conference, the hockey players go relatively unnoticed around campus.
The team tallied its first win of the season last Saturday in the second game of a split series with Stanford, improving its record to 1-3.
The Bruins, led by first-year coach Vic Venasky, a former player for the Los Angeles Kings and All American in 1971 at the University of Denver, had to face an unusually hostile home environment Friday, as they were forced to endure the ridiculous – and often hilarious – antics of the Leland Stanford Jr. Marching Band.
Stanford rallied behind the band as they battled from a 3-1 deficit to secure a 7-4 victory. UCLA got two goals from Ryan Samec, and a goal apiece from Lenin Paca and Allen Serban.
Saturday was a new day for the Bruins and the irksome band’s departure may have been just what the team needed. Regulation ended with a deadlocked score and a shootout determined the winner. In the shootout, Bruin goaltender Matt Miller came up huge – letting only one puck slide by.
Miller’s goal proved to be quite a cushion for UCLA, as the team got shootout goals from Samec, Serban and Rob Morel – who scored twice in regulation. The final score showed 5-4, Bruins.
The team will look to carry this momentum into this Friday’s game as the rival Trojans (1-3) skate into town. USC, Pac-8 Champions the last three years, aren’t the dominant team that they once were. They come hobbling into this week’s game after being swept by Arizona State at home last week.
Coach Venasky saw the Trojans play and he’s optimistic about his team’s chances. “I watched ‘SC play earlier, and I’m really not that impressed. I think we can battle with them,” he said.
Venasky has already seen vast improvement over the last four games. “We’re making steps to becoming a better team,” he said.
The Bruins will try to continue making these steps this weekend as UCLA hosts USC and UCSD on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. UCLA makes its home at the Healthsouth Arena, located at 555 Nash Street in El Segundo. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.