Writeup of California Cougars 5-4 loss to Capital Thunder on 2/25/12
Fresh off a semifinal loss at the Presidents Day Invitational Hockey Tournament in Phoenix, the depleted California Cougars squad clinched a playoff spot but dropped a contest against the division-leading Capital Thunder by a 4-0 score that saw stellar goaltending by the home team.
Netminder Nick Gary was the story of the game, as he stood on his head, stacked the pads, and got his waffle on nearly ever puck sent his way in making 44 saves on 48 shots. Also noteworthy was the determination and tireless ability to chase the puck by the 5 forwards and 4 defensemen who played nearly 25 minutes each; a high total due to the Cougars short bench.
The Cougars started well defensively but couldn't generate any offense, losing 13 of 16 first-period faceoffs and managing only a single shot on net in the first 15 minutes. The Capital Thunder struck just once in the first period, after 10 minutes of unyielding pressure.
Pace Farbstein further contributed to the short bench when he was given the night off late in the first period. Farbstein saw a Thunder forward with the puck between his skates and, despite dialing back his aggression a bit in the game, launched a crushing hit that dislodged the puck (and nearly a helmet, too) but also sent the player careening head-first into the boards. Though the referee later admitted to this correspondent that it was not a hit from behind, he said the head referee ruled that because the opponent hit the boards head first, it would result in a game misconduct for the Cougars player.
Down to only 5 healthy and active forwards, Coach Rob Tenore adjusted as best he could, mixing his line combinations and relying on his defense to thwart the vaunted Thunder attack. The defense allowed only a single rebound goal on 18 second-period shots, but had some trouble clearing the puck out of the zone. Max Frenkel was especially effective in fighting for the puck, and repeatedly challenged the Thunder players, though he paid the price as he took a game-high 7 hits.
The Cougars offense was unable to get in gear in the middle frame as well, generating only 1 shot on goal. But in the final frame the offense reemerged. Chase Bolling stole the puck and took it up rink several times, and made 6 tough checks in the defensive zone. Nash Berkowitz had the best scoring chances in the third, and took a team-high 4 shots. He and Shura Boz nearly combined on a goal that was only prevented from crossing the red line by a late lunge by the Thunder goalie. Boz and blueliner Ryan Bockholt each dished out team-high 10 hits.
Kyle Tanaka played physical, grinding along the boards to make 8 checks while taking 5 of his own. John Bohac had some nice poke-checks that broke up several rushes, and he used his speed to set up a couple of scoring chances late in the game, but the Cougars were unable to get on the scoreboard. Center Matthew Lydon intercepted some pucks when moving in the passing lanes, but the Thunder scored twice more in the third to make the final score 4-0. Center Adam Rosenduft was the lone success story in the faceoff circle, winning 11 draws and using his long reach to corral loose pucks. Netminder Carson Murison lauded Gary's play and said the netminder made some sprawling last-second saves in his game of the year.
Game notes:
Once again the Cougars were badly outshot, managing to put only 9 pucks on net the entire game.
The Cougars special teams played well, killing off a 2-man advantage and all 3 shorthanded situations,
though the team was unable to score on its only power play. The Cougars struggled on faceoffs,
going 18-33 in puck drops, but Rosenduft managed to win 11 draws. Despite the 4-0 final score,
Bolling finished with a 0 plus/minus rating, and Frenkel and Lydon each finished only -1. The
Cougars winless streak extended to 4 games but the team qualified for the playoffs with the loss by
the Lake Tahoe Grizzlies.
Next Game: Saturday, March 3 at 4:30pm vs. Oakland Bears at Bridgepointe in San Mateo.