Monday, January 28, 2008
The KU club hockey team extended its winning streak to four games after two dominating performances this weekend against Nebraska.
The team was pumped up and ready to defend its home ice on Friday. Within the first 90 seconds of the game, the Jayhawks recorded their first goal and never looked back, coasting to a 9-1 victory.
Adam Crohn, senior forward, works his way past Nebraska during a game Friday night at Pepsi Ice Midwest.
The team dominated Nebraska in every aspect of the game. The Jayhawks out shot, scored and even fouled its opponent. A total of 17 penalties were called in the game, with just more than half going against the KU team.
Despite the generally negative nature of penalties, the Jayhawks played their best hockey when they were down one player. Throughout the game, Kansas effectively shut down every power play Nebraska had. Kansas was so solid defensively during the game that it translated into offense. The Jayhawks scored four of their nine goals when the Huskers had a one-man advantage.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the Jayhawks’ scoring spree was their willingness to shoot the puck. Kansas took 41 shots during the game, putting Nebraska’s goalie and defense to the test. Nebraska was able to manage only 19 shots during the entire night, thanks to Jayhawks’ stifling defense.
Coach Tom Prendergast was pleased with the team’s effort.
“The game plan was to get a lot of shots on goal, and we did that,” Prendergast said. “And then also to limit the amount of opportunities their team got, so I thought in that regard it was very good.”
Nebraska looked lethargic for all but a few minutes in the final period of play. In those few minutes, the Huskers unleashed a barrage of shots on the KU goal. None of those shots reached the destination, as Brent Pitts, Olathe junior, was in position every time. Pitts admitted it was difficult to stay focused in the blowout victory.
“It’s hard in a game like that,” Pitts said. “When you get flurries like that, where you will be down there for 10 minutes without a shot, and then they come down and get 5 to 10 shots, it kind of catches you off guard.”
Pitts adjusted well to the streaky pace of the game, saving 18 of the 19 shots he faced. During the weekend, both active goalies for KU performed at a high level. Adam Paulitsch, St. Louis senior, denied 21 of Nebraska’s 22 attempts on goal to help Kansas to a 4-1 victory on Saturday, completing the season sweep against Nebraska.
With the remaining schedule dwindling, the team looks ahead to next weekend’s challenge: the Big 12 Classic Tournament. Kansas, which boasts a No. 3 seed in the event, knows it has its work cut out.
“There are a couple teams that we have to knock off first before we get to face Mizzou, which we are anticipating will be our toughest opponent,” Prendergast said. “So we are going to try not to look past teams, while at the same time trying to focus on playing a solid defensive game.”
The tournament begins Feb. 1 at Pepsi Ice Midwest, 12140 West 135th St., Overland Park, with Kansas playing Iowa State. Should the Jayhawks win that game, they would then face the winner of a matchup between Texas Tech and Nebraska. The team would not meet Missouri, the No. 1 seed, until the championship game on Feb. 3. The Jayhawks have not defeated the Tigers this season, falling in both their home and away contests.
— Edited by Katherine Loeck
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