On Saturday night, the UCSD Tritons faced off again against the Cal State Fullerton Titans in the second game of their double-header opening weekend. Luckily for the Tritons, the game went much more favorably from the very beginning.

In the opening minutes, one of the rookie UCSD players, Jonathan Adrian (#21), scored his first goal as a Triton. The Triton bench erupted with cheers, supporting a new addition and a great start to the game. Little did Jonathan know, at the time, but he set the tone for the rest of the match. This opening drive was quickly followed by a goal by Jonathan's linemate, Alternate Captain Luca Tartaglia (#27), contributing a "beaut" of his own. Not long after Saku Sekiguchi (#78), another rookie, scored his first Triton goal after multiple great scoring attempts missed by inches. Yet again, his newfound team members celebrated this achievement!

Like the last, this game proved a physical one for the Tritons. Expecting the heavy-hitting Titans team to continue pressing forward, the Tritons brought the heat, maintaining their physical presence throughout. A couple of scrums in the second period saw defensemen Jason Wang (#6) and Adrian Chavez (#4) defending themselves and their teammates from some questionable Titan hits. Unfortunately, a slower second period resulted in two Titan goals, leaving UCSD with a smaller 4-2 lead going into the third period, often referred to as "the worst lead in hockey."

Thankfully, before the end of the game, Jonathan and Saku each scored another goal to solidify their contribution to the Triton win over the Titans. Although the Titans tried to climb back, with a late goal three minutes before the final buzzer, Nick Goutzioulis (#19), in his fifth season with the team, put away their dreams of a win with an empty net goal in the final minute of the game.

Needless to say, post-game spirits were high after a first-season win and great efforts from every individual player on the roster. Goalie Matthew Mahlow (#86) played a tremendous game, facing over 60 shots on goal and securing the victory. Rookies Jonathan and Saku were both rewarded with a game puck each, representing their first goals, as well as the prospect of their future contributions to the great UCSD Ice Hockey Team. Finally, coaching staff and players alike recognized defenseman Logan DeFreitas (#11) for his sensational performance, a masterclass in poise with the puck.

The Tritons look forward to what these individual players will contribute moving forward and to what everybody has in store for the coming season. Onto next weekend against UC Davis and Fresno State!