The UCLA hockey team ended this year’s Pac-8 season with
two losses to USC, the second of which featured a fight between
members of both teams and ended with eight players being ejected
from the game.
These losses gave the Crosstown Cup, a series of five games
between USC and UCLA, back to the Trojans, who have now won the cup
11 out of its 13 years in existence.
The first game lacked the tension anticipated from the bitter
rivals. The teams had become even stronger foes after USC skater
Matt Lewis collided with UCLA junior goalie Adam Kubalski during a
questionable play at the Pac-8 Championships last month, leaving
Kubalski injured.
However, Saturday’s game was a different story ““
both teams battled it out during the last game of the series.
The fight started at the end of the second period after USC
scored a goal on Kubalski, who was able to start the game despite
his injuries.
Coaches from UCLA and USC have different views of what took
place next.
“One of our players got caught in the celebration of the
USC players and somebody punched somebody,” UCLA coach Mike
Kelly said. “(Kubalski) jumped in there and tried to get them
off … (and) it became a four-on-four skirmish. I think it was a
combination of everything boiling up (but) there was no intention
on either side of that fight.”
USC coach Mark Wilbur had a different view of what happened.
Wilbur said that while his players were celebrating the goal,
two UCLA players ran behind the celebration and started the
fight.
Wilbur also suspected the fight might have been
premeditated.
“I have no idea if they did it on purpose, trying to get
my top players off the ice,” Wilbur said. “Obviously,
if I’m on the power play, I have my very best players on the
ice,”
Wilbur went on to suggest that UCLA may have kept one of its
best players off of the ice to avoid having him ejected.
The crowd, which numbered around 1,600, went into a fury during
the fight. USC and UCLA fans yelled and threw beer and food on one
another.
One fan became so excited that he fell out of the stands and
into the penalty box below.
Four players from each team were dismissed from the game. From
UCLA, Kubalski, Carlos Cazares, Jeff Sanka and Niki Kollar were all
ejected. USC’s Lewis, Shon Smith, Jonny Baron and Ryan Farias
were also kicked out of the game.
The fifth USC player on the ice, Remy Bickoff, received a
two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
USC went on to beat UCLA, 6-1.
With reports from Lawrence Chan-Wing, Bruin
contributor.