PAC-8 Championship Preview

The season has shifted from January to February and there are only two weeks left before we know who will be in Salt Lake at the end of the month for the ACHA West Regionals. But before we can get to that, there is another piece of hardware up for grabs this weekend. The PAC-8 Championship.

This is the 2nd straight time the Utes have qualified for the conference tournament, but this time Utah goes in as the number one seed (last year they were number 2). Last year, the Utes rode a semifinal OT winner to the PAC-8 title game but fell to Washington 2-0. But this time its a new year and a new format for the tournament.

New this year, the number of teams that participate has increased from four to six. With the addition of more teams, the format has changed as well. This year, the tourney will be split into two pools of three teams. Seeds 1, 4, and 6 will play in one pool, and seeds 2, 3, and 5 will be in the other. Each team will play the teams in their pool with the winner in each pool advancing to the championship game on Sunday. The added games now makes it a three day tourney instead of two, which has caused some travel issues for some of the teams, including Utah.

But despite the issues, all six qualifying teams will be there this weekend to decide the title. And with that let’s show you the pools and give you a preview of this year’s PAC-8 Championships.

POOL A (Seeds #1, #4, and #6)

Pool A seems like the more lopsided pool of the two, with regular season champ Utah taking on UCLA and USC. While the Utes handled UCLA easily early in the season, USC comes in as the only team to beat the Utes, despite being outshot by 50 shots in that win. The favorite is definitely the Utes, but with the conference host in the mix along with a streaky UCLA team, this pool could be more exciting than you think.

#1 Seed: #7 Utah Utes
Season Record: 23-6-1-1
PAC-8 Record: 10-1-1 (1st)
PAC-8 Titles: none

After finishing 2nd in both the regular season and in the playoffs last year, the Utes go into this year’s PAC-8’s as the regular season champs and the number one seed in the tournament. With a 10-1-1 record in the conference, the Utes handled almost every challenge thrown at them this season, outscoring their conference opponents by a whopping 79 to 20. Utah has been the face of the conference as the 7th ranked team in the ACHA West Division. In games against their pool opponents this year, the Utes went 3-1 and are the favorites to win the pool and the tournament.

#4 Seed: UCLA Bruins
Season Record: 7-14
PAC-8 Record: 6-6 (4th)
PAC-8 Titles: 1 (1999)

The Bruins have had the classic up and down season this year. UCLA started the season 0-6 but went on to win 7 of their next 9 games. The’ve hit a skid as of recently though, losing their last 6 games. The Bruins won the Crosstown Cup against USC this year, winning the LA rivalry series 3 games to 1 over the Trojans. Against the teams they’ll see in pool play, the Bruins are 3-3. The tournament is right in their backyard which will play in their advantage. But they’ll have to get by Utah to advance, who beat UCLA 20-2 and 12-0 in LA this year.

#6 Seed: USC Trojans
Season Record: 7-17-1
PAC-8 Record: 3-7-1 (6th)
PAC-8 Titles: 8 (2010)

The Trojans are last seed in the tournament, but don’t count them out of the mix. They’re the tournament host and are the only team to beat Utah this year in the conference. The season hasn’t been kind to the men of Troy, going into the second semester with a 6-12-1 record. USC started January with five straight losses but have won two straight heading into this weekend. The tourney is at USC’s home rink and with their stellar play in goal as of late, USC could make a run for a title.

POOL B (Seeds #2, #3, #4)

Pool B is definitely the group to watch in their year’s tourney. You have Oregon, who’s coming off one of their best seasons in a while. Then you have Washington, who is going for the three-peat after winning the last two conference titles. And then you have the dark horse in Cal, who has the only win at Oregon this year. Oregon and UW are the favorites in this pool, and Saturday’s game between the two will decide who moves on to the championship.

#2 Seed: #14 Oregon Ducks
Season Record: 20-8
PAC-8 Record: 10-2 (2nd)
PAC-8 Titles: 3 (2009)

The Ducks are the I-5 Cup champs and the top seed in Pool B, with a 20-8 record on the year. The Ducks have been the marathon men as of late, playing 13 games in the past 23 days. They’ll have to play two or three more this weekend against some good teams. Against the teams they’ll see in pool play, Oregon is 4-2, but have lost to both teams once this year. The Ducks are still the favorite to win the pool and move to Sunday’s championship.

#3 Seed: #15 Washington Huskies
Season Record: 15-10-1
PAC-8 Record: 8-3-1 (3rd)
PAC-8 Titles: 2 (2012)

The champs are back once again to defend their past two conference titles, this time as the #3 seed in the tournament. This season hasn’t been as dominant as the past two years, but their record not only gives them the three seed, but they’re also #15 in the West in the fourth ranking. Against teams in their pool, the Huskies are 3-3 but went 1-3 against Oregon this year. UW has been dominant at home but with the road environment, it’ll be interesting to see how the Huskies do.

#5 Seed: Cal Golden Bears
Season Record: 12-10
PAC-8 Record: 4-6-1
PAC-8 Titles: 1 (2004)

The Bears come into the tourney as the bottom team in Pool B, but they very well could be the dark horse to win this pool. Despite being the #5 seed, Cal has a win at Oregon and was competitive in losses to Washington this year. Cal has one of their best teams ever as well this year, and taking on both of these teams at a neutral site could help the Bears a lot. It will be tough though as they have to face both teams back to back on Friday.

Predictions:

Pool A: Utah is the heavy favorite and should handle UCLA in their first game on Friday easily. The pool can be a mess if the Bruins win Friday’s late game against USC. That would put a lot of pressure on the Trojans to beat Utah, who I don’t think will lose again to USC. Pool A Winner: Utah

Pool B: This one is gonna be a lot of fun. Cal has the first game against Oregon on Friday which i think will ultimately decide the pool. If Cal gets a win, it upsets the whole pool. If Oregon wins it will set up another I-5 Cup matchup to decide who wins the pool on Saturday. Oregon’s got the better team and are more road tested than the other two teams. Pool B Winner: Oregon

Championship Game: If my predictions hold, we are set for one hell of a championship. Utah has the higher caliber team but Oregon has showed that they can compete with the regular season champs. Only fitting that #1 plays #2 in the final. Expect a great game with Utah winning their first PAC-8 title. Utah 4, Oregon 2

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