The Oregon Ducks were in Las Vegas Nevada this past weekend to take on the defending ACHA Division 1 Champs, the UNLV Skatin Rebels. UNLV returns a strong team again this year as coming into the weekend they had a record of 13-5, and were the Number 4 team in ACHA division 1. Based on the current poll this would be the most difficult team on Oregon’s schedule for the entire year and it would be a massive measuring stick for the Ducks.
Game 1
As massive underdogs the start to game 1 of the weekend double
header could not have gone any better for Oregon. The Ducks cleared their own zone and Jackson Ebott was able to chase down the puck as it slid down the ice to create a shot and a chance for Oregon. Noah Easterson had driven the net and was able to bat the puck out of mid-air into the back of the net to give the Ducks an improbable early 1-0 lead.
If UNLV was over looking Oregon they definitely were playing close attention now as the next 10 minutes of the first period were more or less an onslaught of chances for the Rebels pressing to tie the game. Thomas Cafarelli was in goal for the Ducks and he was completely dialed in turning aside multiple high quality scoring chances for UNLV to allow the Ducks to keep the lead for over 11 minutes of the game.
With around 8 minutes left in the period a pass into the slot gave a UNLV player a good quality look in a dangerous area. The Rebel did whiff on the shot but the resulting flub made it difficult for Cafarelli to pick it up and the game was tied. For the remainder of the period Oregon did do well to defend without the puck and limit UNLV’s chances which allowed them to go into the 1st intermission tied.
Sadly the Ducks could not keep the dam from bursting in the 2nd as the Rebels continued to pour it on with 2 quick goals to start the period. Then when the Ducks did have the puck in the O-Zone they had to re-group with the puck back tracking to their own end, a UNLV forward was in hot pursuit and created a turnover that lead to a breakaway that would be buried to make it 4-1 UNLV. This sequence was likely the mental back breaker for the Ducks as the momentum they had secured from having an early lead and keeping the game tied for over 20 minutes had now slipped away quite quickly in the 2nd. Shortly after on a delayed penalty the Rebels would move into the slot and score their 5th goal of the game to make it 5-1.
The final score Saturday would finish 9-1 UNLV. After a promising start the 2nd period got away from the Ducks and the result looked similar to last years games, but at the very least the Ducks kept it competitive for over 1/2 the game.
Game 2
Sunday was the opposite story as it was UNLV who got off to the fast start, scoring just over 1 minute into the game, again 3 and half minutes later, and then again 5 minutes after that. Before the Duck players were able to get 2 shifts in, the game was already 3-0. The 2nd half of the period the Ducks started to defend better and at least keep UNLV to the outside.
A quick shot from the slot early into the 2nd period though made the game 4-0 23 minutes into the game, UNLV would cruise to the finish and the final score would be 10-1 Rebels.
Cumulative Stats
After a team has a lead in Hockey teams start to play differently. The difference in play grows more and more drastic the bigger the lead and with less time remaining. The effect in the advanced stat community is simply called Score Effects. As a result going forward I will be capping my charting when games get out of hand to adjust for garbage time just as Tristan and Hythloday do for football. In a competitive environment teams can suffer from Score Effects with as little as a 1 goal lead late enough into the game. Now I can’t go saying games are in garbage time as soon as a team has a 1 goal lead otherwise I would have nothing to share with you reader.
But given that possibly the most funny comeback in NHL history was a certain 3 goal comeback almost 13 years ago, I will deem games are in garbage time whenever a team has a 4+ goal margin. Should the trailing team cut into the lead with ample time left I will resume charting.
Using this rule for the Ducks games this past weekend I have approximately 54 minutes of meaningful play, almost 1 complete game. Here are the charting stats from meaningful play this past weekend.
Corsi%: Oregon 12%
High Danger Chances Total: Oregon 8%
High Danger Chances 5 on 5: Oregon 5%
Power-play: 0/2
Penalty Kill: 2/2
As you can see sadly the Ducks were still were not competitive with UNLV this year. UNLV is the mountain in ACHA Division 1 that the Ducks are aspiring to build up to one day but there is still a lot of work left to do. Perhaps when this young team has matured more 1-2 years from now we will see some progress but for now they still have some climbing.
Up Next
That is all for the Ducks this calendar year. The Ducks will return to the ice in 2026 when they take on San Diego State at home in Eugene January 9th and 10th followed by the annual outdoor games in Bend the following weekend against Alabama. Both series represent an opportunity for the Ducks to get back into the Win Column and start building positive momentum for 2026.
