In front of a collection of UCLA varsity and club athletes, UCLA Hockey and Figure Skating were honored for their joint effort in producing a video for the You Can Play Organization: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go_8LihYHwA; http://youcanplayproject.org/

The video was the first produced by any team on the UCLA campus, club or varsity, and it was the first video produced by a college club sport in the entire United States. The You Can Play Organization was founded by Patrick Burke, Brian Kitts, and Glenn Witman to promote an inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBT athletes. The organization landed partnership with the NHL  and has since grown to be voiced by all kinds of groups and individuals – recently Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Entering the tournament, the Bruins had expected nothing less than winning a conference championship, but failed to reach the championship game after losses to #1 Utah and #6 USC. A significant improvement over the previous two losses to Utah during the Bruins’ PAC-8 home opener, the team challenged the #1 seed for a large portion of the 10am game on February 8^th, ending the 1^st period in a 1-1 tie and keeping the score through most of the 2^nd at 2-2. In the defensive zone, cracks began to show, however, as the Utes surged to a 10-2 win.

Next, the Bruins faced the challenge of playing their second game in the same day, a 7:30pm match with the tournament host USC Trojans, who were entering their first game of the weekend. After a scoreless first, which featured many scoring chances for both teams, the Trojans got past goalie Al Ricciardelli twice in the 2^nd period. That, however, did not discourage one of the better and most resilient Bruin teams of recent, as they responded with a string of three straight goals in the 3^rd period of the game, their 6^th period of the day, from their top line of Nick Panzica, Michael Carder, and Charlie Linehan. The veteran line, which included two players in Panzica and Carder that were playing in their final game for UCLA, gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead, their first lead of the game. That did not stop their LA counterparts, however, who were seeking revenge after losing the 2012-2013 Crosstown Cup earlier in the year to the Bruins, as they tied the game at 3 with a minute left in the game. After an inconclusive overtime period, the game went into shootouts, during which the Trojans prevailed 2-1. Goalies Eric Chiccone and Ricciardelli were equally spectacular, as the 2-1 shootout result was finally settled after the teams sent out their respective 7^th shooters of the tiebreaker.

The following day, two Bruins were honored at the PAC-8 awards banquet, senior forward Michael Carder and senior goalie Al Ricciardelli. Carder finished his UCLA career with 1^st Team honors. After earning 2^nd Team nods the previous two seasons, the senior and four-year player finished the year with team highs in goals (16), assists (18), and points (34). Ricciardelli, one of the few starting Bruin goalies to win two Crosstown Cups in a four-year span, earned PAC-8 honors yet again, with a 3^rd Team award. Ricciardelli was in net for all six PAC-8 conference wins and all three wins that clinched the Crosstown Cup over rival USC.

Ricciardelli will be back for a fifth and final year, while the Bruins will graduate two four-year players in Carder and forward Nick Panzica. The team wishes them the best in future endeavors and thanks them for the four years of hockey, during which they played and represented UCLA with sportsmanship, character, dedication, and passion.

For full details on the tournament that will crown a conference champion this weekend, visit http://www.pac8hockey.com/playoffs/

Also, the Bruins will debut their new alternate jerseys tomorrow, which will be on sale during both games at Anaheim Ice, 300 W Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92805.

The Bruins (6-4-0, Pac-8) and Huskies (6-3-1, Pac-8) rank 4th and 3rd in the Pac-8 standings, respectively, going into the weekend. Evidently the results of these final two regular season conference games will have major playoff implications with regards to who will have to face the #1 seed in the preliminary rounds.

The Huskies are coming off of a 2-1 weekend trip to SoCal, during which they beat the USC twice and lost once to the San Diego State Aztecs. UCLA also saw action in SoCal the past weekend, 8-2 and 7-4 losses to the Cal State Northridge Matadors.

Looking past this final weekend of conference regular season play for the two teams, the Pac-8 Playoffs will be in Anaheim, CA, during the second weekend of February.

Bruins Coach, Mark Francis says “this year’s Bruins simply were not going to be denied. This group has been through so much adversity this year and they simply keep getting up and keep going. I’m so happy and proud of everyone on this team as it was very much a team effort from the goaltender out. I’m especially happy for our Seniors who have suffered through some agonizing efforts against this team over the past 2 years and to cap off their Bruins’ careers with a win in this series is very special to them.”

This victory marks the 6th straight win for these Bruins who now stand at 6-4 in PAC 8 play with a showdown looming with 2-time defending Champion, University of Washington in Seattle on January 25 & 26.

Entering tonight, the series is tied 1-1, both games being decided by a single goal. The first game, a 4-3 USC win rampant with penalties, fighting, and controversy, was followed by a game 2 back and forth thriller that ended in a 7-6 UCLA win in front of the home crowd.

The Bruins (5-8 [4-4 PAC 8]) have had a long Holiday season layoff, their last game being an out of conference loss to Cal State Fullerton on November 30th, but have added a pair of players who will make their season debut tonight.

Game four, Saturday at 7:30 PM at Ducks Ice in Anaheim, will be preceded by a Bruins-Trojans silent auction. Game worn jerseys will be sold, as well as many other surprise and free prizes. The auction will take place directly across the street from the rink, at Gypsy Den Cafe, 211 West Center Street Promenade, Anaheim CA. All fans and alumni are invited.

This will be the second time the Bruins play both teams this season. The first two games in early October ended in an 11-3 loss to LMU and 5-0 loss to CSUF. Following the 0-6 month of October, they have responded with a 5-1 record in November.

Both games will be at the Valley Ice Center in Panorama City at 8:30 PM, the same location of the Bruins’ most recent game, a 7-6 win over USC to tie best of five Crosstown Cup series at one.