Defensmen Payne Sauer gets tied up by a Trojan resulting in a Titan power play. Photo by Brian Evans for the Daily Titan.

By Jonathan Potts
For the Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton men's ice hockey club came up short against the USC Trojans Thursday at the Anaheim Ice Arena .

In a game that would not be decided until the closing minutes, the Titans were victims to missed opportunities and inconsistent intensity.

"We played one period of good hockey,” faculty adviser and assistant coach Steve Jobbitt said.  ”We need to learn how to stay focused and carry that intensity through all three periods.”

Indeed, the Titans were dominant in the second period, outscoring the Trojans 3-1. Freshman defender Payne Sauer scored the Titan's only power play goal to tie the game with 3:40 left in the period. Spirits were high on the orange and blue side of the stands during the second break.

It was a different story in the third, when the Titans, who were a timid 1-for-8 on the power play, got out-skated and out-played by a more experienced USC team.

"This is only our second year as a team,” junior forward Chad Pelliccioni said. “We just need to get better playing as a unit and that will come with time.”

Last season was the Titan hockey club's inaugural exhibition season consisting of only six games. So far, the Titans are struggling to get things on track with an overall record of 1-8 spanning from the beginning of last year. The young team's only win came in the final game of the season last year.

But it was clear during the second period that this Titans squad can be very dangerous when they are firing on all cylinders. They played a very physical game of hockey and were able to capitalize on their opportunities. But ultimately, missed opportunities and mental lapses in the first and third periods cost them the game.

Down 5-4 with seven minutes left, the Titans gained the power play advantage on a Trojan slashing penalty, only to give it up less than a minute later when they got caught with too many men on the ice.

Fittingly, the back breaker would come during yet another Titan power play when the Trojan freshman forward Nick Helmer scored on an unassisted goal giving his team the 6-4 lead with 1:34 left in the contest.

Freshman forward Jacob Daniel has high hopes for the rest of the season despite the loss.

"I'm in my first year and the team as a whole is only in its second year,” Daniel said. “I think the more we play together the more we will improve.”