Ag hockey should be improved in spring
With three games against in-state rivals Utah Valley, Brigham Young and Utah left in the first semester, it is time to take stock of Utah State’s first semester performance and look forward to the second semester.
The Aggies have fought their way to a 9-9-1 record with a depleted roster, but they have a significant chance to better that in the second half of the year.
Jordan Francom and Matt Geer plan on returning to the lineup after sitting out the first semester for personal reasons.
Both are big point scorers (Francom set the USU record for points by a defenseman last year) and should help the Aggies avoid getting in the kind of games which typified the first semester: a 3-4 loss to UVSC, a 3-3 tie with Long Beach, or 3-2 overtime wins over Metro State and BYU.
“Right now we’re lacking a little bit of scoring punch,” team captain Scotty John said. “Geer is so creative, he opens it up for the other players.”
Francom added, “The first semester was one of the weaker parts of the season since I’ve been here. We’re going to get all of our guys back for the second semester and hopefully it’ll be a lot better. We’ll be disappointed with anything less than going to nationals.”
Paul Reinhardt is another difference maker who will be returning to the lineup after missing the better part of the first semester due to a broken wrist. Without Francom and Reinhardt, the defensive lines have been stretched thin, forcing Ben Tikka to move back. John said he is excited about both players’ returns.
“Having Francom and Paul back is going to be huge,” John said. “They are passionate and smart, and Francom provides a lot of offense for us. Him alone would be a huge help for both offense and defense. Not to mention, he is a captain and he is one of the fiery guys on the team who gets guys motivated and gets guys scared.”
Looking ahead at the schedule, the biggest dates for the Aggies are Jan. 19 at Eastern Washington, Jan. 26 vs. Eastern Washington, Feb. 1 vs. University of Colorado, Feb. 2 vs. Colorado State and Feb. 9 vs. UVSC.
“Those will be big, intense games to decide our rankings if we can even get to regionals,” Francom said. “Right now we’re just trying to get to regionals.”
Ultimately, while the .500 record does not measure up well against the historical precedent of winning USU has established, John called the first semester “adequate. We put ourselves in a position to make a run second semester. I’d say we had some ups and downs. We had some real big wins and some disappointing losses.”
-graham.terry@aggiemail.usu.edu