Bulldogs club ice hockey among best in nation

Fresno State finished fifth in the Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association tournament

By KIM ANDERSON

The Fresno State club ice hockey team finished first in league play in the regular season but was unable to hold that position just one week after earning sixth place in the nation.

The Bulldogs hosted the Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association championships over the weekend for the top six teams to compete for the league tournament title.

The first game the Bulldogs played was against fourth-seeded UC-San Diego.

Tied up 2-2 almost the entire second period, the Tritons found the net with about 35 seconds remaining to take a 3-2 lead.

In the third period, the Tritons attacked again and scored a short-handed goal. A couple Triton penalties gave the Bulldogs scoring opportunities, but they were unable to put the puck in the net, leaving the final score 4-2.

“We were a tired hockey team playing seven games with only four days of rest between the sets of games,” assistant coach George Grim said.

In an early Friday morning game, the Bulldogs took on sixth-seeded College of the Canyons. Fresno State took an early 2-1 lead over the Cougars only to have it tied up at the end of the second period. A scoreless third period resulted in a 2-2 tie.

“We played a few decent games but nothing to what we are really capable of,” junior defenseman Kevin Keeler said.

The last game played was against fifth-seeded Santa Rosa Junior College. In the first period, the Polar Bears pulled ahead early with two goals. The Bulldogs got on the board with about five minutes left in the first period.

A strong Santa Rosa offense charged the net with less than 12 minutes remaining in the second period, increasing its lead to 3-1.

About five minutes later, the Polar Bears scored again, putting the Bulldogs down by three.

Going into the third period, a series of penalties left the Bulldogs vulnerable to the Polar Bears’ offense. However, Santa Rosa was unable to take advantage of the power plays.

With less than five minutes remaining and both teams full strength, the Polar Bears struck again and took a 5-1 lead.

Bulldogs forward Justice Friesen responded to the Polar Bears’ goal and put one in for the Bulldogs, making the final score 5-2 and giving Fresno State its second loss, ending its run for the title.

The Bulldogs took 20 shots on goal.

Fresno State goaltender Rodrigo Morales allowed four goals on 28 shots.

“Our overall focus was simple really; we just wanted to play hard, give 110 percent and have fun,” Keeler said.

Fresno State finished fifth in the tournament.

Hitting the road
Prior to the PCHA playoffs, the Bulldogs attended the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National Championships in Harmarville, Penn.

Out of 118 teams, the Bulldogs were ranked 13th and were one of the three west coast teams to attend. The top 16 teams were invited to the Harmarville tournament.

“We really put Fresno State on the map. We showed that the West isn’t to be overlooked,” junior forward Jeff Fisher said.

The Bulldogs took on fourth-seeded St. Vincent College and, with efforts from the dynamic duo of forwards Marcel Bourdase and Wade Friesen, earned a 9-4 win. Bourdase and Friesen earned five goals combined, along with Fisher, who earned two goals.

On the second day of play, the Bulldogs suffered a 7-3 loss to fifth-seeded Pennsylvania State University-Berks.

With one win and one loss, the Bulldogs played the host team, California University of Pennsylvania.

Fresno State pulled ahead early in the first period with two goals scored by Bourdase and one by Friesen. The Vulcans got on the board in the second period, but with five unanswered goals, the Bulldogs won, 7-2.

The last game for the Bulldogs was for fifth place against Wright State. Two Bulldogs goals weren’t enough to come out on top and they fell to the Raiders, 8-2.

Bourdase earned first-team all-tournament honors and Friesen earned second-team all-tournament.

“I think we got a better sense of what teams are like, other than west coast teams,” Keeler said. “We have learned a different style of hockey and it was a very good experience.”