DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff UCLA’s club hockey
team faces Cal twice this weekend. Cal is the only team in the
Pac-8 the Bruins have beaten this season.
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
For the Bruins, the Golden Bears are a sight for sore egos.
UCLA ice hockey is suffering through a 13-game losing skid, one
that hasn’t seen it notch a win since a 4-3 shootout over
California on Oct. 20, 2001.
Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the Bruins (2-16, 1-11
Pac-8), but there is a newfound confidence in the air. And it
probably has something to do with the fact that the Golden Bears
are coming to town.
“Obviously the season has put a lot of weight on
everyone’s shoulders, but even so, the team knows that it can
beat Cal,” UCLA assistant coach Mike Siegel said.
“That’s important because we haven’t had that
confidence over the last several months.”
To help the team mentally prepare for Cal (4-8, 4-3), Siegel
recently gave the Bruins extended time off the ice. The much-needed
break has resulted in the return of a rejuvenated squad with a
“fresh, new attitude.”
Now the players are ready, with a new set of team goals aimed at
both salvaging the season and building momentum for the 2002-03
season.
“The break away from the rink and away from all the losing
was mentally a healing thing,” senior captain Eric Grahling
said.
One of those goals is sweeping Cal today and Saturday ““ a
goal the Bruins feel they can definitely achieve.
About the only thing that Cal’s visit and the extended
break from hockey can’t cure is the injury bug.
Several top players have been lost for the season due to
injuries, including winger Dave Cokely, defenseman Mike Mount and
goalie Matt Miller. Robert Laatsch had to leave the team due to
family reasons.
The good news is that sophomore winger Robert Morel will try and
play through a shoulder injury.
“I was hoping during the break everyone would heal up from
injuries, but we’ve got still quite a few people out,”
Siegel said. “It makes it tough.”
Third line wingers Lenin Pacas and Justin Williams have stepped
up their play to make up for the injuries, and like the rest of the
Bruins, they’re salivating for wins against the Golden Bears
to reward all of their recent efforts.
“Everybody is pretty confident that we should be able get
a couple of wins,” senior center James Costello said.