Hockey loses on senior night
Utah State’s hockey team had its senior night spoiled by the University of Utah on Friday after a 3-2 loss in overtime at the George S. Eccles Ice Center in North Logan.
Senior forward Matt Hamilton was honored by head coach Jon Eccles before the game started and earned an ovation from the crowd.
“It was awesome,” Hamilton said. “The fans packed the house and it was just a great feeling.”
Aggie captain Brian Gibbons played his first game against the Utes after being forced to miss the first two due to disqualifications. He was excited for the chance to finally play against the in-state rivals.
“This is a game that I definitely had marked on the calendar,” Gibbons said.
In his first and only game against the Utes, Gibbons scored both Utah State goals eight seconds apart in a crazy first period.
There were ten total penalties called in the first period, and at one point teams skated in a very rare three-on-three for a few seconds when both teams were called for two penalties at the same time.
The referee had a talk with both coaches to let them know what was happening on the ice.
“He was getting a little frustrated with the way the guys were acting on the ice and talking on the ice and also by what was happening,” Eccles said.
During one series of four-on-four skating, the Utes opened up the scoring by beating Aggie goalie Bryce Scherschel, who made 42 saves on the night.
During another series of four-on-four with 2:12 remaining in the first period, Gibbons scored his first of back-to-back goals by finding the top corner. Eight seconds later, a Gibbons slap shot beat the Ute goalie and Utah State had its first and only lead of the game.
The game remained tied until 12:04 of the third period when the Utes tied the game at two.
Utah State had three power play opportunities in the final ten minutes of the game, but couldn’t get one to the back of the net to take back the lead. Regulation ended in a tie and the teams went to five minutes of four-on-four, sudden-death overtime.
With 1:07 left in the overtime period, Aggie forward Cooper Limb was pressured at the Aggies’ offensive blue line and the puck got away from his stick, giving Ute forward Zeph Fagergren a breakaway that he converted into the game-winning goal.
Eccles said as many as five Utah State players, including Gibbons, were playing sick, but did not use it as an excuse for the loss.
“That just zaps the energy out of you, and you could tell it just wasn’t the full Brian Gibbons out there and it happens,” Eccles said. “Other teams have injuries and other teams have sickness but you just have to weather through it.”
Even though the Aggies lost, Eccles was pleased with the team’s effort.
“I thought we played well, I really did,” Eccles said. “The bounces just didn’t go our way. We had some opportunities to score and we just couldn’t get the puck in the net. They capitalized on theirs, and we didn’t capitalize on ours and that was the difference in the game.”
This was the last game the Aggies will play before traveling to St. Louis to play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament in March. The Aggie players won’t dwell on the loss during the time off.
“It doesn’t affect us at all,” Hamilton said. “Every team has some hiccups. We’re number one going into nationals for a reason, and when game time rolls around we’ll be ready to bring it.”
The loss may even provide some motivation for the players.
“If anything, it’s a plus for us,” Gibbons said. “We take a loss, we get knocked down a peg or two, and it makes us work that much harder in practice. It makes us work that much harder in the gym.”
The team’s positive attitude will help them move forward into the national tournament.
“We have a team in there that has a lot of heart and character,” Gibbons said. “I could see us definitely going far in nationals and winning a national championship with this team.”
–sean.osullivan@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @seansy89