Oregon daily emerald., February 16, 2001, Page 9, Image 9

Emerald
The Oregon club hockey team is prepared for the PAC 8 Championships and looks forward to chasing the title on its home ice.
UO hockey ready for war
■The Ducks hope to capture
a PAC 8 championship on
their home ice this weekend
By Inge Scheve
For the Emerald
The PAC 8 Ice Hockey Champi
onships are coming to town, and all
four contenders — Southern Cali
fornia, UCLA, Washington and Ore
gon — have ferocious appetites for
the conference title.
“Each of the four teams has a re
a 1 i s t i c
chance of
winning
the tourna
ment,” said
Oregon
captain
Tyler Shaf
far.
This weekend, the Lane County
Ice Arena hosts the tournament for
the second time since it was first or
ganized in 1996. The last time Eu
gene was home to the PAC 8 Cham
pionships was 1998.
Statistically, the undefeated Tro
jans have the best shot at the title
this year. But the outcome in hock
ey is far from mathematically deter
mined.
Focus, depth, dedication and
home ice advantage factor into the
equation.
“The guys are excited,” Shaffar
said. “USC may have more depth,
but we do have the talent to beat
any of the teams out there.”
In the last three PAC 8 champi
onships, the Trojans have knocked
the Ducks out of contention for the
title twice.
The Trojans enter Eugene with
three of the nation’s top-25 scorers,
including Eric Kahnert, who was
last season’s leading scorer and is
an All-American.
“But the real strength is the
team’s depth, allowing USC to
skate four lines versus three, even
in tough situations,” Trojans head
coach Mark Wilbur said. “These
guys have worked so hard to get to
where they are today. My concerns
right now center around focus;
making sure the team is not looking
forward toward nationals, but is
laser-sharp on the important job at
hand — defending the PAC 8
Championship.”
The tournament kicks off at 5:30
p.m. Friday when UCLA takes on
Washington.
The Ducks face off against the
Trojans at 8 p.m. Friday. Oregon has
a less-than-optimal record that re
flects a season full of less-than-ide
al outcomes, Shaffar said.
However, this season marks the
fifth straight championship appear
ance for the Ducks.
The Huskies, ranked ninth in the
ACHA DII West, are in the midst of
their best season ever with a 12-3
record, including the inaugural 1-5
Cup Athletic Award, which they
earned with four straight wins over
Oregon. Washington played in Eu
gene on Feb. 2 and 3.
“It would be great to have a
Northwest championship game,”
Shaffar said, adding that winning it
would take away some of the pain
from having lost the 1-5 cup to the
Dawgs.
The UCLA Bruins head into the
tournament, their first-ever PAC 8
appearance, with a recent and up
setting win against USC Saturday.
The Bruins hope to play USC in the
championship game on Saturday.
“The UCLA squad is coming off
of two strong weekends of play and
may be climaxing at just the right
time of the year,” UCLA head coach
Patrick Masson said. “[This] squad
has struggled as a young team, with
only five players with more than
two years’ experience on the team.”
Whatever happens, Oregon has
the potential to put on one of the
best PAC 8 tournaments, Shaffar
said. “We probably have the best
fan support in the PAC 8.”
The tournament will feature in
termission entertainment between
games, as well as concessions and
autograph signing.
But the tournament's biggest and
most solemn activity will be the of
ficial retiring of Russ Atteridge's jer
sey in the presence of his parents.
Atteridge died on Feb. 18, 2000,
during a road trip to Los Angeles. In
honor of their deceased teammate,
the Ducks did not participate in the
2000 PAC 8 championships.
The first PAC 8 championships
were held in Redwood City, Calif.,
in 1996. Since then, the tourna
ment’s home has skipped around.
Southern California hosted the
1997 tournament in Anaheim,
Calif., and then the event came to
Eugene in 1998. California hosted
the 1999 games, and last year's PAC
8's were in El Segundo, Calif.
The top four teams in the ACHA
DII west, Weber State (1), Colorado
State (2), University of Utah (3) and
USC (4), are invited to the national
championships at Indiana in
Bloomington, Ind., March 1-4. The
Ducks are ranked 11th out of the 12
teams, ahead of UCLA.
Tickets are available at the door
and cost $4 for a tournament pass
(adults $12). A day pass that pro
vides admittance to two games
runs $3 for students (adults $8),
and a game pass costs $2 for stu
dents (adults $5). Children under
12 are admitted free. For pre-game
purchases or group ticket rates,
call tournament director Patrick
Woods at 683-6656.
More information is also avail
able on the Duck hockey Web site,
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~hoc
key.
942-8730 484-1927
GOLF 9 HOLES $10
Students Only. Must show ID. (Monday - Friday)
A CONSCIOUS PRODUCTION in association w/ RENEGADE PRODUCTIONS
2nd Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash
The Legentof
Wailere
Live and direct from JAMAICA
THIS SUNDAY!
Feb. 18, 2001
@ Wild Duck Music Hall 13*^4
*AII Ages* x
Last years show 1500 people
attended! This time only 500
tickets available, get them
while you can.
Tickets available at:
House Of Records
Lazars Bazar
EMU Tickets
Wild Duck Brewery
Info 485-3825
Portions ot proceeds go to UjO Multicultural Center & AHiance for.Healtjiy’Communities.
Log on to WWW.d3ily6m6r3ld.com to vote in our weekly news polls.
r 1
A Higher Education
Teachers set high standards for us all. , .
Now its time for you to set your own standard
Earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from
Willamette University's School of Education
An intensive 10-month program
of superior preparation
1000+ hours of hands-on train
ing in public school classrooms
A nationally recognized degree
from a tier-one liberal arts college
Tremendous placement oppor
tunities upon graduation
If you have a bachelor's
degree and a desire to
excel, you too can set a
higher standard.
To apply or for additional information.
Call us: 503-370-6303
WlLLAM ETTE
THE FIRST UNIVERSITY IN THE WEST
900 STATE STREET, SALEM, OREGON 97301
503-370-6303 WWW.WILLAMETTE.EDU
J