Few, if any, UCLA hockey games have caused this much of a
stir.
The controversy of the collision between USC defenseman Matt
Lewis and UCLA goaltender Adam Kubalski at the Pac-8 Championships
has made today’s rematch between the crosstown rivals more
anticipated.
While UCLA (12-11) can clinch the Crosstown Cup, a best-of-five
game series between the rivals, tonight with a win, there is
another motivating factor for UCLA.
The Bruins have voiced in unison their anger with Lewis,
questioning whether or not he had actually intended to injure
Kubalski in the penalty shooting contest, back on Feb. 10.
“Oh yeah, we’re going to bring it to them,”
said Kubalski, who is not expected to play this weekend.
“We’re going to do it on the scoreboard, that’s
the first thing on my mind. I don’t care about retaliation
““ That can be taken care of after.
“The main thing is to beat them and get the Crosstown Cup
where it belongs,” Kubalski added.
The Bruins have already won three games against USC, but because
they were forced to forfeit one of the earlier games due to one
player’s not being enrolled at UCLA, the series is currently
at UCLA 2, USC 1. The shootout loss in the Pac-8 Championships does
not count in the Crosstown Cup standings.
The Bruins will undoubtedly miss Kubalski, the top goalie in the
Pac-8 who recently won all first-team honors, when they face USC,
making the two teams more evenly matched.
USC, which was just knocked out of the Division II regional
tournament, is not taking this next match lightly.
“It’s USC vs. UCLA,” said USC coach Mark
Wilbur. “It’s going to be a good game.”
Many are worried about the potential for violence both on and
off the ice over the course of these next two games.
Arthur Contano, the head referee who is looking into the
controversy between Kubalski and Lewis, recently sent an e-mail to
coaches and officials in the league asking for increased security,
extra referees and a zero-tolerance policy for players involved in
fights.
But many coaches and players have voiced their concerns about
the probability of extra-game violence.
“I’m sure it will get real physical,”
University of Oregon coach Scott McCallum said of the upcoming
game, “and they won’t do anything to challenge players
not to do it.”
UCLA plays the Trojans today at 8 p.m. at the Toyota Sports
Center, their home rink in El Segundo, then at 8 p.m. on Saturday
at USC’s rink at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.
Go to www.uclahockey.org for more details.