USU finally beats CU

For the first time in five years, the Utah State hockey club beat Colorado, posting a 6-2 win at the Eccles Ice Center Saturday after demolishing UVSC 14-1 the night before.

The Aggies have now won six-straight games and have outscored their opponents 66-14 this semester.

Aggie William Winsa said it feels good to have a big win under the Aggies’ belts.

“I can’t describe it,” he said. “[The five-year drought to CU] was on our minds from the start. We knew we had to beat them.”

This was the last game that counted toward the final ranking. In the previous poll, USU was ranking No. 9, but since then, it has won two games against the No. 7 team (Weber State) and beat the No. 5 team in CU, as well as seeing many other teams in front of it lose games.

“I think we have a chance at fourth,” head coach Jerry Crossley said. “I don’t see how we can’t be fourth or fifth. But it doesn’t really matter which one you get going into regionals.”

Crossley said Saturday’s win was more about seeing his team play well than about beating Colorado for the first time in years.

“I was good to watch the guys make the right kind of plays,” he said. “It’s about trying to improve.”

Winsa said he wishes the team could have played this well all year.

“I’m just sad we couldn’t play like this last semester,” he said.

After playing a much weaker UVSC team Friday, Winsa said he thought it would be hard at first to adjust to a faster pace of play.

“I thought it would be more difficult than it was,” he said. “[Colorado] is a lot better than UVSC.”

The top line for the Aggies consisting of Winsa, Robert Hashimoto and Mikel Roy, nicknamed the “white line,” scored four of the team’s six goals. Winsa was the only USU player with two goals.

“White Line rules,” Winsa said.

Kyler McCarrell also scored his first goal of the season in the win.

Utah State 14,UVSC 1

Scottie Beard started his first game in net since November, but the Aggies didn’t need him.

USU scored 14 goals and only allowed 13 shots on net in its 14-1 pounding of the UVSC Wolverines Friday.

Jordan Francom scored four goals and assisted another and Maciej Michalik and Nels Hansen each had five points as the Aggies beat their in-state rival for the fourth time this season.

In those four games, USU out-scored UVSC 49-3.

Beard said he feels bad for the Wolverines.

“They’re terrible,” he said. “You’ve got to give them props for playing and getting killed every game.”

Aggie Brandon Holthaus said every hockey player has been through what UVSC is going through.

“Everyone’s been there,” he said. “It’s a learning experience.

Everyone’s been on a team that wins big and everyone’s been on a team that loses big. It’s just those guys’ turns.”

Holthaus said even though the score was very lop-sided, USU could have played better.

“We could have picked up the pace,” he said. “It was slow and sloppy. Honestly, our guys were just trying to get their stats up. We should have played as a team.”

Francom said his four goals were the most he’s scored in one game with the Aggies.

“They were tired,” he said. “We’re faster. We could do whatever we wanted.”

Francom’s line of him, Josh Groves and Roberto Leo scored five goals. He said it is very important that USU gets a second line that can score.

“Most teams match up their best line with our top line and cancel each other out,” Francom said. “We got to step up and score some goals.”

The Aggies will play Friday at home against BYU. The game will start at 8 p.m. at the Eccles Ice Center in North Logan.

-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu

Utah State’s Nels Hansen skates past a Colorado defender during Saturday’s game at the Eccles Ice Center. The Aggies won 6-2.