Hockey finally swats the BYU fly
Terry Camp scored his first goal of the season and USU dominated Brigham Young University, 6-2, to win the season series.
Going into Thursday night’s game in the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, BYU had actually outscored the Aggies, 11-10, through three games, which Kent Arsenault said was on his mind during the game.
“We were thinking about it, a couple of us anyway. I knew about it, and going into the third period we were ahead by one, and getting those three unanswered goals was huge,” Arsenault said.
Arsenault opened the scoring in the first period,but the Ice Cats quickly answered back. The Aggies went up 2-1 early in the second, and BYU tied it up again later in that period, but that was the last goal the Cats would score in the game.
Arsenault and Will Winsa combined to demonstrate for the BYU fans the textbook way to run a two-man break early in the third period. Winsa swept down the ice and left the puck for Arsenault, then charged the net. Arsenault snapped a shot of which BYU goaltender Ben Shapiro was able to block, but not possess, and the rebound trickled out into the crease in front of Winsa. A moment later, the puck was tumbling around in the net, and the Aggies were celebrating their two-goal margin.
Later in the third, USU’s Rudy player, Camp, added an insurance goal on a breakaway.
“I flipped the puck badly out of the zone to Hashi and then he got it over in the middle to Swede, and he just gave me a little tap and I was free,” Camp said. “I had a one-on-one and I don’t even know who I beat, but he should feel embarrassed because he just got beat by a kid that’s 5’8 140. And the goalie should be embarrassed too because I stuck it right between his legs.”
After USU scored again and was up 6-2, BYU began a mad scramble to try and pad their score for dignity’s sake, but although the Ice Cats were able to keep the puck in the offensive zone for most of the remainder of the game, Aggie goaltender Scottie Beard was a wall in nets and denied everything that came at him.
“It was great that we finished them off because they’re kind of a third-period team,” Camp said. “They did the same thing against Colorado in regionals, came back – they’re notorious for that. So it was great that we totally outplayed them in the third period. We’ve struggled with that all year, even against other teams.”
A subplot to the game itself was the continuing race to set new records at USU by Arsenault and Robert Hashimoto. Arsenault had a goal and three assists to stay one assist behind Hashi, who had two assists, in the running for the single-season assist record.
“I don’t really see it as a battle. I’m just having a good time out here and playing some hockey,” Hashi said. “Kent is a damn good hockey player.”
Arsenault’s four points also put him in good shape to win the national ACHA Division 2 scoring title heading into Friday’s game against Utah.
Alex Lund, Jay McFadden and Matt Geer all chipped in a goal apiece for USU, while Geer and Scottie John both had some huge hits on Ice Cats in the neutral zone.
“We haven’t lost a series against these guys the last five years, and it would have been a shame if we lost the series to them this year,” Hashi said.
Utah State 14, Utah 2
Having demolished Utah’s first-year hockey program by scores of 18-3, 20-0 and 10-2 earlier this year, the outcome was never in doubt for USU as the team ended the season on the road, and the focus was more on setting several records which were within reach.
The Utes came right out and scored on their first shift on the ice and at one point held a 2-1 lead over the Aggies. But after that point, it was all USU. Robert Hashimoto set the all-time assist record with 167 and broke his own single-season assist record with 53 this year.
Kent Arsenault finished just behind Hashi in the chase for the single-season assist record but set a bevy of records himself in this, his rookie, year. He is currently atop the national scoring list with 104 points, a lead he will most likely hold.
“It’s great, I couldn’t ask for much more. I have to give a lot of credit to my linemates. It’s going to be hard to follow what I’ve done here, but I expect to take those records to a higher standard,” Arsenault said.
With under a minute to go, Hashi and Kent were tied for assists and Arsenault, with two goals to that point, was one goal away from setting a new hat trick record at USU. Hashi found Roberto Leo in front of the net for what appeared to be an easy goal, but Leo swung the puck to Arsenault for the goal. When Arsenault buried the puck, the single play had set two new records.
Of the play which allowed him to finish with the single-season assist record and Arsenault to finish with the single-season hat trick record, Hashi said, “It was awesome. Berto could have easily shot it in and scored, but he waited for Kent and Kent put it in.”
Justin Lupton also scored his first goal of the year against Utah, which meant that every player on the team who started the year and played in all 39 games scored at least once.
Greg Finatti played the first two periods in goal for the Aggies before yielding to Kennedy Spiers in the third period. Spiers had not played in a game yet this season but shut the Utes out.
“Finatti said before the game, when it comes time he’ll be ready. Everyone was pretty nervous when he went in, but right away he had some great saves on slap shots,” Arsenault said.
Leo, Josh Groves, Will Winsa, Walter Voisard and Jay McFadden all had one goal against the Utes, and Matt Geer scored two.
Hashi said after setting two records on the last goal of the game, he joined fellow seniors Leo and Groves to celebrate on the ice, a moment he will always remember.
“It was kind of cool being in the celebration with Groves and Berto, all of us celebrating for the last time together. When we were celebrating, Kent and I were like, ‘Wow, it can’t get any better than this,'” he said.
Time will tell if Arsenault’s national scoring lead holds up, but even if it doesn’t, the Canadian has had a first year at USU more successful than the wildest optimist would have hoped for.
“It was definitely a great year. To come in first year in this program, it is a lot more than I expected. The fans and the school support was better than I could ever expect,” Arsenault said.