Aggies get revenge on UVSC, lose to DU at Regionals
The Aggies spoiled Utah Valley’s big plans for a trip to Nationals with a 6-5 win in the first round of Western Regionals play in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, with Kent Arsenault leading the way with a hat trick.
“You could tell that they were devastated,” Arsenault said. “With the money they put into their program this year, to lose to us after they flew into the game two days early, it was priceless.”
Arsenault’s Blue Line was dominant against the Wolverines. His linemates, Matt Geer and Brendan MacDonald, both scored a goal apiece. Defenseman Jordan Francom chipped in the remaining goal – it was his third-straight game with a goal. Arsenault was plus six for the game, as Francom’s goal came while he was on the ice with Blue Line.
Arsenault’s point-scoring abilities and Greg Finatti’s butterfly style are known quantities to UVSC, but the Aggies also had a secret weapon to confound their rivals: the 1-4 trap. Arsenault said the new forechecking scheme worked “pretty good.
“We used it but we didn’t use it all the time. It was really efficient.”
Late in the third period with UVSC down by one, Arsenault said the Aggies used the 1-4 to trap the Wolverines in their own zone, preventing them from pulling their goalie for an extra attacker.
This was a close game all the way, with neither team at any time attaining more than a one-goal lead until USU went up 6-4 in the third period. Arsenault said UVSC had “probably 30 or 40 fans” present to witness their team flop. They were likely many of the same superfans who threw a party in the Eccles Ice Arena two weeks ago when UVSC seemingly provided a final answer to the “best team in Utah” question with a 7-4 victory.
The end of the road
The Pioneers of Denver University ended Utah State’s hopes of skating all the way to Nationals in Florida with a 7-3 win on Saturday night. It was close up until the Aggies fell apart in the third period – Denver led 3-2 at the end of the first period and 4-3 at the end of the second. USU actually led 2-1 at one point early on.
Utah State leaned heavily on Blue Line again, with Arsenault providing two goals and MacDonald the third. Geer assisted on all three USU goals.
“We all wanted to go to Nationals,” MacDonald said. “Yesterday really hurt a lot of us. They just played a better overall game and got the bounces.”
Finatti got his second straight start in-goal for the Ags but was undone by the fickle bounce of the puck. Three Denver goals came on deflections off USU players.
Arsenault said the Aggies’ emotions got the better of them in the third period when they felt the game slipping away.
“We got in some penalty trouble last night,” Arsenault said. “It was emotions. Pretty much the same story you always see when it’s a close game, and they go up 5-3, and it’s just over.”
-graham.terry@aggiemail.usu.edu