There might not be a player on the University of Oregon club hockey team more excited for the annual trips to Central Oregon for the Bend Winter Classic than goalkeeper Hank Bradford.

Bradford, an Arlington, Texas, native, took a trip to Bend before he had entered high school. He fell in love with the area. It was a big reason he decided to go to college at the University of Oregon.

More good news followed once he learned that the Ducks’ hockey team would make a trip this season, which has happened the previous two winters, to play a game in Bend.

“When we found out we were going to play in Bend, it was the coolest thing,” Bradford said, who has made three trips to Bend with the Ducks. “The whole reason I came to Oregon is because I visited Bend when I was younger.”

Needless to say, Bradford has enjoyed making trips to Bend the past three years.

“There is a different kind of passion out here that we appreciate, and we enjoy playing out there,” Bradford said.

The Ducks shook off a slow start in the first period, where they were playing down a man or two due to penalties, to beat the Washington Huskies 5-1 Friday evening at The Pavilion.

Five different Duck players scored goals to secure the win in the first of two matchups against their rivals from Seattle.

In total, the Ducks tallied 20 penalty minutes and were still able to keep the Huskies from finding the net, despite playing down a man for such a long stretch. A big reason for that was the man between the pipes.

“I thought (Bradford) bailed us out in the first period,” said Oregon coach Jack Hyman. “All in all, he did a great job blocking shots and clearing out second-chance opportunities.”

On a chilly Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at The Pavilion the Ducks offensive attack caught fire, scoring all five goals in the second period.

The Ducks got goals from Liam Baird, Charlie Maher, Tobin Fix, Connor Hacker and Barak Braslavski. The goals came when the Ducks stuck to their philosophy of not playing east, west or south, and continuing to push forward.

“As soon as we go north with the puck or with bodies, good things happen,” Hyman said.

“All five of our goals came from shooting in the crease, or when we had traffic in front of the net.”

The below-freezing temperatures did not keep Bend hockey fans from making the trip to the Pavilion to watch the Ducks.

Bradford might be an old vet when it comes to playing in the Bend, but for Hyman, who was coaching in his first Bend Winter Classic, the experience lived up to the hype.

“Bend fans show us support and it feels like we aren’t far from home when we play here,” Hyman said. “The crowd was great; the fans were great. It is always fun to play outdoors. For a first experience, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

The Ducks played their final game against the Huskies at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game concluded after The Bulletin’s print deadline.