USU hockey heads to regionals

After a roller coaster regular season, the Utah State hockey club will finally have an opportunity to show how good it is this weekend.

The American Collegiate Hockey Association Division-II West Regional Playoff begins Friday in San Jose, Calif. where the Aggies will face in-state rival Weber State in their first round game.

Head coach Jerry Crossley said the team is lucky that this is the first year the regional tournament has taken place.

“The beauty of a tournament like this is it gives us a chance,” he said. “Teams like us are still in it. It keeps the games fun.”

The tournament selects which teams will go to the national tournament in Rochester, N.Y., March 8-11. The top two teams in each region automatically qualify while teams No. 3-10 battle it out for the remaining two spots in each region.

After the first round, the winning teams are re-seeded, placing the highest remaining seed against the lowest. If USU beats WSU, it would likely face either No. 3 Denver or No. 4 Colorado.

There is no third round. The two second round winners will receive a bid to nationals.

USU is ranked No. 6 in the region while the Wildcats are No. 7. In the past, the top four teams in each region would automatically qualify for nationals with no tournament.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” Aggie Aaron Shimmel said. “We’ve worked all year for this. Without the regional format, we would not have an opportunity to play for nationals.”

Aggie Scotty John said he is a little nervous about playing WSU in the first round.

“I’m glad because we’ve tested ourselves against them,” he said. “But on the other hand, they’re going to want it more than other games. They just hate us.”

Crossley said the team will be ready to play.

“We’re not looking past them,” he said. “We’ve spent all season getting ready for this. We have to take it one game at a time. If we lose the first, the second one won’t matter.”

John said the Wildcats will try to get in the heads of the Aggies by playing physical against them.

“The trick against Weber is to stay positive on the bench,” he said. “Whether the game’s on our ice or theirs, they always have more penalties. We shouldn’t have any problem.”

Crossley said the team is traveling to San Jose a day early.

“We want to try to stay sharp and rested,” he said. “We usually get there the same day as the game. But now we’ll have the whole day to get ready to go.”

Crossley said when USU is playing at its best, no one in the region can beat them.

“Not when the guys are playing as a team,” he said. “Nobody can beat them. They can play with any team in the league.”

John said, “When we’re firing on all pistons, we got a chance to beat any team. And that’s a true statement.”

Three teams from Utah will be at the tournament. USU will play WSU and No. 8 BYU will face No. 5 Eastern Washington in the first round. The only way the Aggies would face the Icecats in the second game is if the No. 9 or 10 seed pulls an upset.

-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu