Hockey beats Utah, Brigham Young again
Utah State 9, University of Utah 6
The Aggies faced off against the University of Utah for the first time this season, coming out on top 9-6 in a chippy match.
The game included a goalie fight and a 15-on-5 brawl. The Aggies struggled to keep their penalties in check all night, allotting the Utes seven 5-on-3 power plays.
“Having not played in two weeks, it showed,” head coach Jon Eccles said. “It could be my fault not preparing them well enough. We did tell them that Utah is a better team this year. They’re faster, they’re hungry and it showed.”
Late in the game, the two teams got into some bad blood. Members of the Utah bench fought against the five Aggie players already on the ice. Utah State goalkeeper Allesandro Mullane got in on the action when he went head-to-head with the Utes’ goalie.
“One guy came in and then another guy came in,” Utah State captain Brendan MacDonald said. “The next thing we knew, we were just protecting each other out there.”
The Aggies’ penalty minutes are something the team has struggled with all season.
“Five of their six goals came off power plays, they only had one even strength,” Eccles said. “We did really well as far as that.”
Utah State 17,
Brigham Young University 5
The Aggies remained undefeated picking up their 12th-straight win with a 17-5 victory over Brigham Young University on Saturday night. Twelve different players scored goals and nine came from the bench.
The Aggies battled a hangover from their recent success and found offense from their reserves. While Utah State saw good production from its veterans, Saturday’s action was the most time many of the younger Aggies have seen all season.
“It’s disappointing when we come out and the competition isn’t up to par,” Utah State captain Brendan MacDonald said. “We have to push ourselves to work harder. A lot of the younger guys and first timers, they get in there.”
Without Tyler Mistelbacher, the Aggies’ second-leading scorer who was out because of a suspension earned against Utah, the Aggies needed their younger staff to step up.
Aggie forward David Reeve notched his first career goal in an Aggie uniform, while freshmen Dee Fontaine and Luke Cummings each added two goals to the final score.
“David works hard,” Eccles said. “He works hard in practice and in games. A lot of times he’s the one in the corner. We switched things up so he is in front of the net. Let the shots come.”
Another positive for this game was in the Aggies’ penalty minutes. After the chippy game the night before, they reined in their tempers, only getting caught on five penalties the entire game.
Despite staying out of the box, the Cougars capitalized on opportunities, scoring three of their five goals while on the power play.
The Aggies got on the board first, with the first of three goals from MacDonald. The forward found the net, just a minute and a half into the game, with a goal against Utah goalkeeper Taylor Barr.
Two more Aggie goals followed, including a goal from freshman Cooper Limb, who took an assist from Matt Hamilton and back handed it into the goal.
Tate Cowely put BYU on the board with a break-away, top-shelf goal against McKay, and Tanner Gray notched two of his three hat-trick goals before time ran out.
The Aggies led 7-2 after the first 20 minutes of play and added four more goals in the second. Gray added two more goals for BYU, to cut the score after two periods to 11-4.
In the third period Utah State picked up goals from Gary Higgs, and Luke Cummings also notched his third and forth goals of the season. With 6:39 left, Reeve picked up his first career goal.
“It feels pretty good. I owe it all to my line mates,” Reeve said. “I wouldn’t have got it without them. It’s nice out there being on a good team and playing all the way to the end.”
The Aggies take the ice again Nov. 11 against the Cougars in Provo.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu