The first half of the hockey season is over for most teams as they head into the winter break, and that means it’s time to take a look at how the teams in the conference are doing at the halfway point. Everyone is at least halfway through their PAC-8 schedule so the next month will be an entertaining one as teams look to qualify for the PAC-8 Championships in Anaheim in two months.
So here’s how the report cards will work. Listed below are the teams in alphabetical order. I will give them grades on offense, defense, and an overall grade. Offense will be obviously be based on scoring output both at individual and team levels. Defense will deal mainly with the goaltenders as it will deal with how many goals a team gives up so far this season.
So with that all being said, here are your PAC-8 Mid-Season Report Cards!
California Golden Bears: 8-7-0-1, 1-5-1 in PAC-8 (3 points, currently in 6th place)
Games Remaining: 5
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 4
The Golden Bears have had a lot of successes but some failures as well so far this year. In October, the Bears went 3-2 and things were looking optimistic in terms of reechoing the conference finals. But when November came around Cal ran into some adversity, going 1-6 and starting to fall back in the standings. The bright light for this team has got to be the season sweep over their rival Stanford, winning all four games. The team has only four PAC-8 games left and needs to win them all to have any shot of making the postseason.
Offense: B
The offense is in the middle of the pack in the ACHA West Division, scoring 76 goals in 16 games this year. That averages to 4.75 goals a game. While some of their goal totals have been impressive this year, a majority of those goals came against some weak opponents which gives them a B grade.
Defense: D
While the offense has been stellar in the conference, the defense hasn’t been so great. Both goaltenders have GAA’s above six which is near the bottom of the barrel in the ACHA. The team has given up 77 goals in 16 games, which averages to 4.81 goals a game.
Overall Grade: C
The Bears have had an average season so far. They’ve beaten up on the teams they should beat and have been beaten by teams above them. While it may not be a great season, it’s definitely not a bad season either.
#14 Oregon Ducks: 13-1-1, 8-0 in PAC-8 (16 points, currently in 1st place)
*Has Clinched Spot in PAC-8 Championships*
Games Remaining: 12
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 4
It’s been a great year to be a Duck so far. 1st place in the conference and an I-5 Cup title are just the beginning of a fantastic year for the team from Eugene. Add the top 15 ranking and Oregon has an outside chance of being this year’s Washington, who snuck into Regionals on the last week of the season. The Ducks have fallen just once this year, a 5-3 loss at UW that didn’t even count towards the conference. The Ducks already know they’ll be in LA in February, the only question is at what seed. They could find that out when they take on Utah in their next games.
Offense: A
The Ducks’ offense has performed well this year, averaging just over 5 goals a game. The team has shown they can score and often, as they haven’t scored less than 3 goals in a game this season. In their first four games of the season, the Ducks scored 37 goals, which averages to 9.25 goals a game.
Defense: A
As much as the offense has been great, the defense isn’t too shabby either. Oregon has allowed 41 goals this year, which is the best total in the conference and fourth best in the West Division. The tenders have split time this year and both have GAA’s below 3. If the Ducks go far and make it to the postseason this year, it will be thanks to the D.
Overall Grade: A
The Ducks are ranked high in scoring and defense, and are starting to get some attention on the national level because of it. They haven’t done anything to warrant them a grade less than this and if they can keep it up look out for this team come February.
Stanford Cardinal: 0-9, On provisional status in the PAC-8
Games Remaining: 5
What is there to say about Stanford? It’s hard to gauge the Cardinal as its their first year back and their games don’t really count this year, and for that reason I won’t be giving the team a grade. The season has been rough but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some highlights this year. The team will look to end the season on a high note with their last five games.
UCLA Bruins: 5-8, 4-4 in PAC-8 (8 points, currently in 4th place)
Games Remaining: 10
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 4
The season has been a roller coaster for the Bruins so far, losing their first six games only to come back and win five of their next seven to put them at 4th in the conference at 5-8. The Bruins look poised to make it back to the PAC-8 Championships but there is still a lot of work to be done as they still have UW and rival USC left on the PAC-8 calendar. Speaking of which, the Crosstown Cup is still on the line as UCLA and USC have split the first two games.
Offense: C
It’s hard to go any higher or lower on a grade here, as the Bruins struggled at the start but found their stride later. Despite picking it up the Bruins are still 6th in the conference in goals scored averaging 4 goals a game this year.
Defense: D
Of the seven teams competing for the PAC-8 title, UCLA has given up the most goals with 96 on the year. Now most of them came early in the year (32 goals in two games against Utah) but the number is too high to give them a better grade, especially when you’re still giving up a lot of goals.
Overall Grade: C
Despite the troubles on D, the Bruins are starting to score more which keeps them in the PAC-8 mix. If they can fix the goals allowed issue, they can make a run to the tourney as well.
USC Trojans: 6-13-1, 2-3 in PAC-8 (4 points, currently in 5th place)
Games Remaining: 9
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 6
Last year’s 3rd place finisher has run into a little bit of trouble this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s been all that bad. The Trojans are still in the race for the PAC-8 Championship and have had a lot of close games that went the wrong way this year. A pair of last second losses to #9 Loyola and a draw against #11 Long Beach show this team is still dangerous when they have it all together. USC has the most PAC-8 games left on the schedule, which bodes in their favor, but four of them are against Utah and Washington.
Offense: C
The Trojans have scored 66 goals in 19 games this year which is 6th in the conference in terms of average (3.42 goals per game). Outside of the Chapman game, the Trojans have not scored more than 6 goals in a game. On the positive side, they have scored less than two goals only once this year, and that was one to Oregon.
Defense: C
USC is another even team as they have given up 72 goals this year for an average of 3.63 goals per game. Like I said before, most of the games they have lost have been close. That means the D is keeping them in these games but is not quite all there yet.
Overall Grade: C
Overall, the Trojans are a good team. Not a great team, not a bad team, but a good team. The Trojans still have a good chance to make it to the PAC-8’s and the road will be tough, but they have the talent to get it done.
#6 Utah Utes: 17-5, 6-0 in PAC-8 (12 points, currently in 2nd place)
Games Remaining: 9
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 6
The Utah Utes are the face of the conference once again this year, being the highest ranked PAC-8 team in the West for the 2nd straight year. The Utes have dominated PAC-8 play so far but still trail Oregon with a game in hand. Outside of the conference, the Utes have picked up six wins against top 15 opponents this year and have not lost to a team lower than number five in the rankings. Utah can clinch a PAC-8 spot and the top seed at the tourney if they can get by Oregon when they come back from break.
Offense: A
The Utah offense is good. Scary good. The Utes lead the conference in goals per game at a whopping 7 and are tops in the nation in total goals with 154. If you score 7 goals a game on average, you’re gonna win a lot of games. Utah’s leading scorer is in the top 5 in the nation in points, goals, and assists and 10 different Utes have more than 20 points this year.
Defense: A
When an offense can score seven times a game, you don’t necessarily need a good defense to win games. But the Utes have a good defense too. They lead the conference in goals allowed per game (2.63) and their starting tender is third in the nation in wins. As much as the Utes like to score, their D isn’t too shabby either.
Overall Grade: A
Until the Utes lose, they are the hands down best team in the conference. They score at will on offense but can lock it down on D when they need to as well. They’re a lock for Regionals (they’re hosting by the way) and will look to be the first PAC-8 team since 2003 to make it to Nationals.
Washington Huskies: 10-8, 4-3-1 in PAC-8 (9 points, currently in 3rd place)
Games Remaining: 9
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 4
The past two years in the PAC-8 have been all Huskies. Back to back conference championships and a trip to Regionals are just a few of the accolades they have gathered over the two years. This year though has been interesting for the Huskies. They’ve been swept by the top two teams are fighting with the others for the two remaining spots in the PAC-8’s. Outside the conference the team has split with everyone they’ve played (3-3).
Offense: B
The Huskies are fourth in both total goals (70) and in goals per game (4.375). The main reason of that is the lack of depth in scoring, as their first line is the main culprit for most of their goals. Of the ACHA games they’ve played only one Husky has more than 20 points and only five have more than 10 points this year.
Defense: B
Last year, the Huskies didn’t give up many goals and a lot of that was credit to their goaltending. The same goes for this year’s squad as they are near the top of the conference in goals allowed (3rd) and goals allowed per game (3rd).
Overall Grade: B
This team seems to me to be the 3rd best team in the conference. The losses to Oregon and Utah hurt, but they were competitive in all four games which shows that they are still a dangerous team week in and week out. If they can win out in the conference the Huskies can get some revenge on either Utah or Oregon.
Washington State Cougars: 3-9, 0-8 in PAC-8 (0 points, currently in 7th place)
Games Remaining: 8
PAC-8 Games Remaining: 4
The conference schedule has not been kind to the Cougars this year. The 0-8 start guarantees the fellas from Pullman will not make it to the conference championship for the fourth straight year. On the positive side, the Cougs are 3-1 outside the conference and can still play spoiler to Utah and Cal in the second semester.
Offense: D
The Cougars have scored only 37 goals this year and average just over 3 goals per game, both of which are at the bottom of the seven eligible teams in the conference. No one on the team has more than ten points on the year according to the ACHA, but on the positive most of the team has tallied a point this year.
Defense: D
The big flaw this year has been the defense, as they have averaged 6.5 goals allowed per game this year. The team has done much better in non-conference games but the number is still very high. Neither goaltender has a GAA below 7 either which doesn’t help the cause.
Overall Grade: D
The Cougars are an ok team, but just aren’t quite there when it comes to the rest of the conference. This doesn’t mean that the team isn’t dangerous, as the team has showed signs it can put together a solid game from time to time. If they can play their game for the full 60 minutes, watch out for this team in the future.
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