I know there's at least a handful of people here who live near LA, so I'll throw this out there.
For those of you who want to see college hockey in Southern California, the UCLA and USC club teams wrap up their seasons this weekend in games 4 and 5 of their annual Crosstown Cup series. UCLA currently leads the series 2-1. If the last few games between the teams are any indication, it will be a very hard-fought, physical, and entertaining game. The teams have played nine times in the last two seasons, and eight of those games were decided by 1 or 2 goals. In the last meeting, in the conference semifinals, the game went to a shootout, where USC's first shooter ran UCLA's goalie and knocked him out of the game. USC went on to win on their last shooter, and the game was followed by fights both in the handshake line and in the players' hotel. As you might imagine, both teams are fired up for this weekend's games.
Here's the info:
USC at UCLA
Friday, March 3, 8:00
Toyota Sports Center
555 N. Nash St., El Segundo
UCLA at USC
Saturday, March 4, 7:30
Anaheim Ice
300 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim
If you go, I recommend getting there early (especially for the Friday game), because it is likely to sell out. Also, U.S. Olympic goalie Chanda Gunn will be on hand for the ceremonial puck drop.
And most importantly, if for no other reason than a Cornell grad plays on the team, root for UCLA!
Do you know how good cal techs team is? There is a good chance i'll be going there next year and I wanna play hockey in some manner, but I'm figuring having only been playing for a year I won't be able to make the club team. Have you seen them play?
[quote cornelldavy]If you go, I recommend getting there early (especially for the Friday game), because it is likely to sell out. Also, U.S. Olympic goalie Chanda Gunn will be on hand for the ceremonial puck drop.[/quote]I may be in the minority here, but I think Chanda Gunn is kinda cute.
On a more serious note, the fact that she fought through epilepsy to become a world-class goalie is one of the more impressive sports stories I've heard in the past few years.
[quote jmh30]I may be in the minority here, but I think Chanda Gunn is kinda cute.[/quote]
Eh. Give me Chantal Toth any day.
[quote jmh30]On a more serious note, the fact that she fought through epilepsy to become a world-class goalie is one of the more impressive sports stories I've heard in the past few years.[/quote]
Heard yet about the autistic high school basketball team manager whom the coach put in for the last game of the season, and who proceeded to score 20 points in under four minutes? There's video all over the net. It's pretty incredible.
Beeeej
[quote Beeeej]
[quote jmh30]On a more serious note, the fact that she fought through epilepsy to become a world-class goalie is one of the more impressive sports stories I've heard in the past few years.[/quote]
Heard yet about the autistic high school basketball team manager whom the coach put in for the last game of the season, and scored 20 points in under four minutes? There's video all over the net. It's pretty incredible.[/quote]
Yeah, I saw that on tv somewhere. Can't remember where. Pretty incredible. I didn't know he was the team manager though. I thought he was a player who just had ridden the bench (I *did* know he was autistic).
The most impressive thing about it is the crowd's reaction. Gives you hope that there's still some pure good floating around this society.
[quote Jacob '06]Do you know how good cal techs team is? There is a good chance i'll be going there next year and I wanna play hockey in some manner, but I'm figuring having only been playing for a year I won't be able to make the club team. Have you seen them play?[/quote]
I don't know that they have a team; I've never heard of it if they do. I would check out www.achahockey.com , that's the national organization that runs collegiate club hockey. Most teams are registered there, so if they have a team, they probably are there too. Knowing what I know about CalTech's varsity athletic program, I can't imagine their club hockey team is particularly good, so even though you've only played for a year, if they have a team, I would guess you could hang with them.
[quote jmh30]I may be in the minority here, but I think Chanda Gunn is kinda cute.
On a more serious note, the fact that she fought through epilepsy to become a world-class goalie is one of the more impressive sports stories I've heard in the past few years.[/quote]
I'll pass that along...her brother plays for UCLA.
By the way, she kept a diary of her Olympic experience for www.usahockey.com , and she closed out her last entry with an announcement about the UCLA-USC game.
http://www.usahockey.com/06oly/main_site/main/home/06oly_diary_gunn/
[quote Jacob '06]Do you know how good cal techs team is? There is a good chance i'll be going there next year and I wanna play hockey in some manner, but I'm figuring having only been playing for a year I won't be able to make the club team. Have you seen them play?[/quote]
I saw them play eleven years ago...
http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?A2=ind9503&L=HOCKEY-L&P=R68793&I=-3&X=09D56B0AA4613A31B1
[quote jtwcornell91][quote Jacob '06]Do you know how good cal techs team is? There is a good chance i'll be going there next year and I wanna play hockey in some manner, but I'm figuring having only been playing for a year I won't be able to make the club team. Have you seen them play?[/quote]
I saw them play eleven years ago...
http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?A2=ind9503&L=HOCKEY-L&P=R68793&I=-3&X=09D56B0AA4613A31B1[/quote] Thanks for that trip down Memory Lane. That's when RPI's Kobie Boykins, who never got into a game while at RPI, was co-oping in California (at JPL?) and played for Caltech.
[quote jtwcornell91][quote Jacob '06]Do you know how good cal techs team is? There is a good chance i'll be going there next year and I wanna play hockey in some manner, but I'm figuring having only been playing for a year I won't be able to make the club team. Have you seen them play?[/quote]
I saw them play eleven years ago...
http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?A2=ind9503&L=HOCKEY-L&P=R68793&I=-3&X=09D56B0AA4613A31B1[/quote]
I've skated in that rink several times; it's in what looks like a converted gym. There are very large windows along at least one wall..probably two now that I think about it. The rink dimensions are very odd. I got the feeling that I was skating on a surface that was close to being square. It probably isn't, but the length is most definitely smaller than regulation. My point is that I'm not surprised that Boykins scored from beyond the red line in that facility.
Checking their website, the rink dimensions are 150' x 90' (North American standard is 200' x 85'). Now there's a surface that might really play to Cornell's advantage. Pasadena regional!
http://www.skatepasadena.com
GO CARD!
[quote cornelldavy][quote jmh30]I may be in the minority here, but I think Chanda Gunn is kinda cute.
On a more serious note, the fact that she fought through epilepsy to become a world-class goalie is one of the more impressive sports stories I've heard in the past few years.[/quote]
I'll pass that along...her brother plays for UCLA.[/quote]lol, thanks
Edit: I noticed in Gunn's Olympic diary that one of the coaches of the women's team was none other than Mike Gilligan. I'm sure there's a wisecrack to be made but for some reason I'm not coming up with it.
Looks like I went to the wrong hockey game on Saturday. Kings vs the Blue Jackets wasn't nearly this exciting :-) Too bad we lost to USC though.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=36222
[quote jmh30]I may be in the minority here, but I think Chanda Gunn is kinda cute.
[/quote]
I think that creeps me out, because she looks about 13: http://www.usa-womens-icehockey.com/ChandaGunn.htm
[quote cornelldavy]And most importantly, if for no other reason than a Cornell grad plays on the team, root for UCLA![/quote]
UCLA had a D-1 program in the 30's and early 40's: http://www.tbrw.info/reports/rptTeamsAlltimeBySeason/rptTeamsAlltimeBySeasonPage45.html
They are currently tied with Union in number of advances in ECAC playoff series.
[quote Trotsky]
They are currently tied with Union in number of advances in ECAC playoff series.[/quote]
And Minnesota, for that matter. :-D
I definitely laughed out loud when I read that...