The second round of the playoffs is upon us, as half the pool has been eliminated. The first round saw four convincing wins, with all the favored teams coming out on top.
Round two kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. with the No. 4 seeded University of Southern California taking on the University of California-Berkeley, the top team in the Pac-8. Following that, Western Washington University will hash it out with the defending champions in the University of Washington at 7 p.m. Four teams all fighting to punch their ticket to the championship.
Cal v USC
USC is coming into this game as the major underdog. After fending off Washington State in a 5-2 victory, they now have a much taller task ahead of them. USC showed a surge in the second period, tucking four goals in a span of 10 minutes. However, they remained even with the Cougars for the other 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Golden Bears took care of business yesterday, mauling the Eastern Eagles 14-1. With 13 of those goals coming in just two of the periods, the Bears showed why they are atop of the division. The offensive clinic they can put on, matched with the shutdown goaltender they have in Sophomore Aiden Comeau, should be no match for the Trojans. Although the Trojans are a much more formidable opponent than the Eagles, the Golden Bears should move onto Sunday in convincing fashion.
Prediction: Cal wins 6-2
UW v WWU
After grabbing their first playoff win in school history, Western now has the objective to take down the defending champions. Despite a slow start, the Vikings sent themselves to the semifinal with a 7-3 win over San Jose State University. This game portrayed the depth Western has, with Aaron James breaking out for a game of dominance, joined by a hat-trick from Tyler Chapman and a goal from the Pac-8 point leader Andrew Fan.
Nolan Morena held strong enough, but didn’t look at his best yesterday, which is worrisome against a dangerous offense like Washington. In their most recent meeting against UW, they were able to take them down in a shootout. However, three other contests this season show the Huskies outscoring the Vikings 21-3
On the other end of the rink, the Huskies are seeking their third championship in four seasons. Although they got the win over the University of California-San Diego, it was a sloppy performance from the Dawgs. They had trouble cashing in on dangerous scoring opportunities, as well as being able to connect passes to one another. Despite the victory, it was an uncharacteristic game for UW.
Benjamin Lampman is closing out his tenure with the purple and gold, registering over 60 points and a goal against the Tritons. With his partner in crime in Dominic Wolfe, they are a troubling group to deal with. Backed by two goalies with over a .900 save percentage and Captain defenseman Darren Morris, they are a tough team to beat through 60 minutes.
One team is looking for a new beginning and another seeks a dynasty. Although this game should be close, I think the championship pedigree and veteran coaching of Matt Cleeton is going to be enough to get the Dawgs back to the championship. Unless Morena can be the hero for this Viking team, I think Washington will just be too difficult to handle.
Prediction: UW wins 4-2
