AGGIES MESS WITH TEXAS
Texas A&M
After losing three out of their last four games coming into Friday night’s showdown with the Aggies of Texas A&M, USU was able to fix their goal-scoring machine with some personnel changes and get an important win, 5-1.
Will Winsa, who scored twice for USU, said it was time to change the lineup to “try and see if we could find something else and get some magic between some other guys.”
It was a cleanly played victory with only 10 penalty minutes for USU. Scotty Beard started in goal for the Ags and nearly got the shutout, allowing a power-play goal by David Tedone in the third period. Beard faced just 21 shots on goal as USU worked hard on defense and challenged Texas A&M’s every move. Texas A&M’s goalie David Hudson was blitzed with 49 shots on goal.
USU got on the board in the first period with a power play goal by Kent Arsenault and were able to keep the pressure on the other Aggies all the way to the final horn.
Josh Groves scored twice and showed no ill effects from the wrist injury that had held him out of the game against Weber State. Groves said he was pleased with the win but not satisfied. “We missed a few opportunities. We could have come out and skated harder in the first period,” Groves said.
In the second period, USU extended their lead to 3-0 thanks to Groves and Winsa. The lead would be sufficient to win the game, although after Tedone made it 3-1 early in the third period, a few fans were saying “here we go again.”
This time there would be no collapse a la the San Jose State or Colorado State games. Groves gave USU some insurance with a goal at the 8:13 mark, then Winsa removed all doubt with a power play goal in the waning minutes.
Winsa said USU had to get back to basics after some of the recent losses. “I think we just went in there to play hockey. We didn’t care about anything, just go in and have fun and play hockey,” he said.
The Swedish striker also said he enjoyed playing on a line with Robert Hashimoto and Roberto Leo again. “We played together my freshman year when I came here in 2004, so it was good to come back to those guys,” he said.
USU’s puck movement was a strength as they got two assists on each goal. Hashimoto, Groves, Paul Reinhardt, Jordan Francom, Alex Lund and Brett Fryslie all had one assist and Matt Geer had two. Geer also continued to build his resume of huge hits, dishing out punishment out of proportion to his 5-foot-7, 185-pound frame.
Groves said it was important to win against the other Aggies because they don’t see each other too often. “I was glad we could get a win tonight against a team we don’t play a lot,” Groves said.
Walter Voisard was disqualified for this game due to being called for spearing in the final seconds of the Weber State loss.
Texas
After beating Texas A&M in a quick, easy game the previous night and playing two uneventful periods against the University of Texas, perhaps USU’s skaters were lulled into a false sense of security. It was quickly shattered as the third period against UT was a three-ring circus with the goals coming fast and furious. The Aggies eventually won the game 8-5.
USU goalie Greg Finatti shut the Longhorns out for two periods but then got left hanging out to dry by his defense a few times in the third period and UT tied the game up, 4-4, with a burst of goals from 17:58 to 7:57. Finatti said, “I have no clue. They just got all the bounces going their way and scored goals. It seems like it happens all the time,” when he was asked how UT was able to climb back into the game.
Again the familiar lines fans at the Ec have gotten used to seeing were broken up by the coaching staff and the strategy was effective. Robert Hashimoto got back to his usual high-scoring ways for USU skating with Roberto Leo and Josh Groves.
“It was pretty interesting,” Hashi said of the different lines. “We had to do something. We were having a bad losing streak, so I think it was good that we changed the lines up a little bit.”
Leo was credited with two assists early in the game linking up with Hashi to give USU a 2-0 lead. Hashi said it was great to play with his old roller-hockey chum again. “It was nice playing with Berto. He’s a fun player to watch. Every time I’m out there he’s just dangling people and it’s just fun,” he said.
Kent Arsenault scored the only goal of the second period. The most exciting portions of the first two periods were a pair of huge five-on-three power play opportunities for Texas, one of which was 1:50 in duration. USU’s PK unit dominated the first such situation, and the Longhorns bailed USU out on the second, getting called for a penalty of their own to make it a less threatening four-on-three.
Paul Reinhardt scored his first goal of the season early in the third and it appeared USU would cruise to victory as they had the previous night. The Longhorns had other ideas. Keyed by a Gavin Bundy goal, Texas found previously nonexistent seams in USU’s defense and scored four unanswered goals in the third period to tie it up. Justin Teheng scored twice and Mike Casey scored the fourth Texas goal.
After UT tied the game, the Aggie bench came alive and USU started to chase the puck and challenge the Longhorns on defense again. Arsenault, who scored the tiebreaker goal with 6:30 to go, said, “I saw the first couple of goals they scored and I just had a funny feeling something weird was going to happen. When I saw it hit four-four I said to myself and my linemates, ‘Let’s turn it up a notch. Lets show them what we’re all about here,’ and we came together and actually scored the goal.”
The Ec had actually exploded in celebration moments earlier when USU apparently scored a go-ahead goal that was disallowed by the officials. Arsenault, who overcame a breathing problem to score two goals and pick up two assists, made sure the home crowd could celebrate in earnest just seconds later.
Hashi gave Texas credit for almost pulling off the improbable comeback. “Those guys weren’t that bad. They have one solid line that’s really fast. I really don’t know what to say, I guess we just got tired in the third,” he said.
After Arsenault’s goal, Brett Fryslie would slap one in and Matt Geer scored to make it 7-4. The Longhorns got a goal from Sam Marney with a minute to go, but after the visitors pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in a desperate last bid to score two more third-period goals, Michael Filander got an empty-net goal to put the nail in the coffin.
Geer joined Arsenault, Hashi, Will Winsa and Leo with two assists. Scotty John, Matt Ferris, Jay McFadden, Josh Groves, Jordan Francom and Alex Lund all had one assist.
Finatti had 46 saves, some coming on acrobatic moves that brought the crowd to its feet.
“It was back and forth, on and off, on and off, but that’s hockey. It can go any way any day,” Arsenault said of the topsy-turvy third period.