Hockey knocks off No. 1 ranked Rams at Colorado tournament
Utah State Hockey went 3-1 over the weekend on the road in Colorado, defeating the No. 1 regionally-ranked Rams of Colorado State on the road for the second time this year.
The Aggies played Northern Arizona University on Thursday, losing 6-3. USU then bounced back and beat CSU on their home ice 6-4, following up the monumental win with victories against Texas A&M University 5-2 on Saturday and Northern Colorado 6-3, on Sunday night.
USU is currently campaigning for the No. 1 ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s D-2 Western region. If the Aggies end in the spring with the No. 1 rank, they will earn an automatic bid to the national tournament without having to play in the regional tournament. It is probable that after this weekend USU will overtake CSU and hold the No. 1 ranking heading into Christmas break, as USU defeated the No. 1 Rams on the road and CSU lost twice at home.
Thursday: USU 3, NAU 6
Utah State started its road trip poorly in the Aggies’ first meeting against the Lumberjacks of NAU this season. Aggie head coach Jon Eccles said the Lumberjacks’ energy put USU on the defensive early, and the momentum never really swung back the Aggies’ way.
“I can’t put a finger on it,” he said. “They had nothing to lose for the game so they basically laid it all on the line, and we basically didn’t show up.”
USU was awful defensively. Six different Lumberjacks struck gold on USU goaltender Cody Palmer.
Eccles said the blame for USU’s lack of defensive prowess cannot be placed on any line, group, individual or player. He said the team was responsible for this one. Despite the loss, Eccles said the campaign for No. 1 was not over.
“At times losses are good for us,” Eccles said. “It all depends on how we rebound from this loss and what we learn from it and how we come to play tomorrow.”
Friday: USU 6, CSU 4
If motivation was what USU was seeking in a loss, they certainly found it Friday night in the game against CSU.
“What can I say?” Eccles said. “We beat CSU twice this year on their home ice. The team as a whole stepped up. They played with a sense of urgency. They played like a championship team. They just brought it. Everyone brought it.”
Eccles said his team responded very well after the previous night’s setback.
“It happened to us when we lost to San Jose,” he said. “We came back and blew out Eastern. You never want to lose, but if you can learn from it, then it’s good.”
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this win was the fact that USU had to play without three of their top players. Defenders Jeremy Martin and Jeff Sanders were bedridden with the flu, and winger Brendan MacDonald of Canada was cutting through governmental red tape at the U.S.-Canada border. Additionally, Kent Arsenault and Billy Gouthro were suffering from the flu, but still played.
Eccles said USU was able to pull this win out on the road in a hostile environment because of an excellent Aggie team effort, particularly on the part of the goaltender Dan Cornelius and USU’s most recent scoring sensation, Jay McFadden.
“Dan (Cornelius) stood on his head,” Eccles said. “This is his second win against CSU in enemy territory. He played awesome. Also, Jay McFadden has been scoring out-of-control. People haven’t been able to stop him.”
With this win in the rear-view mirror, the Aggies all but took control of the western region of ACHA D2 hockey.
“This win should give us the opportunity to move into first,” Eccles said. “If we take care of business the rest of this year, then we should be ranked No. 1.”
Saturday: USU 5, Texas A&M 2
Take care of business is exactly what Utah State proceeded to do against the maroon Aggies of Texas A&M. McFadden had another brilliant night, scoring two more goals and one more assist to bring his weekend total to six.
“Awesome,” Eccles said of McFadden’s play. “Jay brings it every night. He actually gets upset when he doesn’t get much ice time. He wants to get in there and create havoc. I was proud of him because he stepped up and carried us through tough times.”
USU defeated the Texan Aggies without Matt Hamilton, who suffered a shoulder injury in the CSU game, and Martin and Sanders, who were both still out with the flu. McFadden stepped in brilliantly and filled their shots.
Eccles said USU controlled the game pretty much throughout, but were hindered because of poor ice conditions. He said the Aggies compensated for the ice with hard work and skilled passing.
With the win, USU only needed to down the Bears of Northern Colorado to finish the weekend and return home 3-1.
Sunday: USU 6, UNC 3
Down the Bears is exactly what the Aggies did on Sunday night, once again in poor ice conditions.
“For a speed team like us, the poor ice hurt us a little,” Eccles said of his team in the win. “But we pretty much controlled the game all three periods.”
Eccles said the Aggies played slightly less disciplined on Sunday night, as USU was forced to kill a five-minute power play and compensate for the poor ice with harder work and faster passing. But the inferior competition was no match for USU’s skill and determination.
This weekend was not only a showcase for Jay McFadden, but was also a breakout weekend for freshman forward Chase Allington of Wasilla, Alaska. In the win against Northern Colorado, Allington scored two goals against UNC, bringing his week total to four goals and one assist. Eccles said Allington has filled a role left open by injuries quite nicely.
USU’s Cody Palmer also redeemed himself from a lackluster performance against NAU. Palmer had one assist in the UNC victory, and Eccles said he played much more alertly and attentively while communicating better in this win.
Next Up: Utah
The Aggies are now 25-4 after their road trip and will return to Logan to play their final home game of the fall semester this Friday against the University of Utah. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
– la.hem@aggiemail.usu.edu