USF ICE HOCKEY TEAM 10:Â Sporting News February 26, 1971
Dave Kuzirian hopes to put his 210 pounds to good use in leading the new USF ice hockey team to victory. The University of San Francisco is slowly widening its athletic endeavors to take in a broader base of competition. Right now an ice hockey team is taking shape in a club form. As is the problem with most club teams though, the new ice hockey team is in dire need of funds. The man most responsible for the formation of the team is Dave Kuzirian, noted as a star defensive lineman on the USF football squad. Kuzirian has been described as being the rough and tumble type and he has said that the body contact and excitement generated by ice hockey is very much to his liking. Presently there are forty men out for the team, some with experience and others with none. Kuzirian says that anyone who would like to participate, but who has no previous experience, should come out anyway. "We'll even teach him how to skate if we have to," said the big 210-pounder. The team practices every Monday night between 10:00 p.m. and midnight at Legg's Ice Arena between Market and Mission on Eleventh Street. After the first three practices, Coaches Tom Mehlhoff and Terry Whinnery are pleased with the overall team performance. Especially fine efforts have come from Left Wings Dave Roberts and Gary Moulton, Right Wings Ray Lamb and Eric Dempster, and Center John Callahan. Two potential goalies are fighting for the starting job, and Kuzirian said that both men— Mike Weber and Mike Flynn —show signs of experience. To aid in financing the ice hockey team, which receives no special basketball university support, there be a special basketball game in Memorial Gym on March 31st. The competing teams will be the San Francisco Forty-Niners football team and a contingent of USF alumni including Russ Gumina and Dennis Black.
The scrimmage with its ten penalties sent Coach Mehloff into speculation about the future. "If we had been playing a real game, the opposing team would have had their power play team out there ninety per cent of the time." It might be helpful to mention that a penalty necessitates the guilty squad playing with one less man for two minutes thus giving their opponent an extra man advantage. "There were penalties that could be avoided too," Mehloff added, "whenever you stick your stick between another guy's legs you're going to trip him and get caught doing it. We have to skate out there and take the puck away from the front instead of from the behind." Two penalties that Whinnery and Mehloff were most upset about were the two handed out to Phil Miller and Dave Kuzirian for fighting. "Kuzirian took a cheap shot at one of the wings coming down his side, and would have got a penalty for that, but Miller didn't like Kuzirian's actions so he jumped on Dave's back starting the brawl and Phil got a penalty of his own."
The defense again was able to hold off the determined Riverside offense. With the ball on their own 28 yard line, there was a mix up in the UCR backfield, and a jarring tackle by Bud Foster and Dave Kuzirian, a junior transfer from City College, forced a fumble, which soph sensation Bulldog Haag, recovered (TheFoghorn).
