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PCHS hockey: Mighty Miners corral Mustangs 12-0, PCHS hockey team improves to 7-1 with big win

Randy HanskatFor The Park Record

Unfortunately, these days the word "cycling" tends to remind people of drug-addled jocks in spandex claiming innocence while behind the scenes injecting more junk into their bodies than one of the regulars on "The Wire."

At least in hockey, "cycling" still has dignity. And Wednesday night, Nov. 28, at the County Ice Arena in Murray, the PCHS hockey team put the technique to good use, virtually owning the puck the entire game against the Herriman Mustangs, leading to a 12-0 victory.

If you didn’t grow up watching Hockey Night in Canada, you may not know what cycling means in hockey. Here’s the Hockey Giant blog’s definition of it: "Cycling is performed by moving the puck along the boards down low as you and your linemates rotate in and out of the corner, slot, and top of the circle while the defenders give chase. The goal is to protect the puck and keep it moving so that the defenders are forced to chase you and your linemates. Eventually, the defenders will tire out or one of your players will open up for a pass in a shooting lane."

There’ll be a quiz later.

Park City’s three forward lines cycled so expertly in this game, it felt like a giant game of keep-away as Herriman couldn’t gain control of the puck. Of course, the object of possession is shots and goals. Mission accomplished — the Miners had 55 shots on goal, most of them through two periods as the team shut it down in the third. Herriman had four shots on goal. Park City’s goalie on the night, Jackson Mercer, could’ve played in tennis shoes and shorts.

Sophomore wing Will Radovan, who had missed the Uintah and Bingham games, looked to be making up for lost time early on. He scored the game’s first goal at 10:11 of the first, assisted by sophomore center Nixon Barber. Three minutes later, the two repeated the feat with a Radovan goal at 7:23.

Barber then wedged through a small slot between the Mustang goalie and a collapsing defender, picked up a loose rebound, spun and scored unassisted at 5:32. Radovan followed suit unassisted at 2:53, finishing off a first-period hat trick.

Senior defenseman Bryant Lo Re added a laser from the blue line for Park City’s fifth goal with just 10 seconds left in the period. The Miners finished the period with 19 shots on goal to Herriman’s three.

In the second period, the Miners’ other two lines decided to get in on the points while the gettin’ was good. Radovan scored his fourth, followed by goals from TJ Mayo, Harry Hanskat, Will Miele, Casey Sederman, Sam Groves, and Noah Pranschke to push the score to 12-0. The Miners had 26 shots in the period, Herriman zero. Ouch.

Park City shut its shooting down in the third and the game ended 12-0.

Despite the obvious mismatch, Park City head coach Aaron Dufford wasn’t thrilled with his team’s energy away from home. "It’s always easier to play in your own barn in front of your own crowd," he said, "As a team, we need to be more focused on our energy when on the road. Our mental preparation needs to improve."

Park City is currently tied for first place in the southern division with a 7-1 record. After three more in-division games in December, the Miners will then face off against the three top-seeded teams in the northern division in January. Those game pairings will be announced later this month. The playoffs follow in February.

The team can feed off another big home crowd this coming Wednesday, Dec. 5, when perennial powerhouse Timpanogos comes to Park City. Game time is 7 p.m. For more team news, photos and other stuff, "like" the Park City Miners High School hockey page on Facebook.

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