Washington State edged out the University of California-San Diego Saturday night in a 4-3 shootout win.
The Cougars came into this contest looking to get back on the right track after a crushing loss on night one. Washington State made quite a few adjustments heading into game two, knowing they needed to bounce back against the worst team in the Pac-8 conference. WSU head coach John Lupinacci made changes on the scratch list and in the lineup ahead of the second battle.
The puck dropped at the Aliso Viejo Ice Palace, and it was a very similar start to the previous game. Both teams had a few chances but were unable to turn them into high-danger opportunities. The first half of the initial frame remained scoreless until the freshman phenom David Bushkin put a tally on the board, giving WSU a 1-0 lead.
“We definitely want to work on scoring some more goals. It’s been a strong point recently in practice,” WSU goaltender Cole Eastman said.
Bushkin registered his 16th goal on the season and was the lone player on the board for the first, sending his team with the lead into intermission for the first time of the weekend.
Just five minutes passed in the second period before the Cougars were deemed guilty of an interference penalty, which put USCD on the powerplay. Less than a minute into the man-advantage Jackson Marlais slapped home a scrambling puck to even the game for California-San Diego.
After the Tritons second consecutive powerplay goal of the weekend, Marlais stashed home another rebound. UCSD gained the lead, leaving the Cougs shocked once again headed into period three.
The puck dropped and the Cougars showed a sense of urgency. On the brink of being swept by the last place team in the Pac-8, WSU did not give up, showing surges of offense right away until breaking through again.
Samuli Sihvonen rifled home a shot from the left circle around five minutes into the frame, tying the game for WSU. The Washington State offense began the period hot, firing away on UCSD goaltender Matthew Mahlow and were able to capitalize more than once.
Although the powerplay had been historically ineffective this season, Max Lazzaro was able to make the Tritons pay for taking a penalty. He put the Cougars up 3-2 from the same spot as Sihvonen just before the halfway point of the final regulation period.
“The boys came back from a little adversity there in the second. They played great. Everyone really dialed it in,” Eastman said.
However, with time winding down, the Tritons were not going to let the Cougars escape so swiftly. With under six minutes left, Saku Sekiguchi ripped one by Eastman to knot the game for the third time.
The clock hit triple zeros, forcing just the second overtime game of the season for the Cougars. WSU recorded a win in their lone overtime game back in September 2025.
The overtime period began and it mirrored the first game the Cougars had played. Sihvonen ostensibly tucked one home just 15 seconds into overtime with chaos all around the UCSD cage. However, the dust settled and the referees made the call that the puck never crossed the line, wiping the Cougar win away momentarily.
Both teams fired chance after chance but were unsuccessful at breaking the tie as the overtime clock ran out. The Cougars and Tritons headed to a shootout for the first time this season.
Washington State began their shootout lineup with Lazzaro, who zipped one by to open the shootout with a round one goal for WSU. However, Eastman stopped Sekiguchi to keep the score at 1-0 at the end of round one.
WSU sent Bushkin out to follow and he delivered with another goal to put pressure on the Tritons. UCSD lined up Chris Feider to keep UCSD alive, but Eastman slammed the door yet again, sealing the shootout victory for the Cougars.
“That was a tough battle. A great way to end the regular season and build momentum,” Lupinacci said.
Eastman won his first start in between the pipes in over a year as his official return to the crease was enough to get the Cougars the extra point.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment getting back onto the ice. It’s been a lot of hard work,” Eastman said.
WSU ended their regular season with a thrilling win but was not enough to regain the No. 4 seed in the Pac-8. Although two teams are still battling for seeding, the Cougars are locked in the first round against USC.
“Just going into [playoffs] with some confidence. Like knowing we can beat [USC], playing simple hockey and just not trying to do too much,” Cole Carlson said.
The battle for the Pac-8 championship begins Feb. 6 at the URC Ice Arena in Cheney, Wash.
