Hockey splits on rivalry matches
After destroying the University of Utah by scores of 18-3 and 20-0 earlier in the season in Logan, Roberto “Bo-Dangles” Leo said beating the Utes only 10-1 was “like taking a step back.”
The Aggies and a vocal contingent of their fans invaded Utah’s cavernous, two-rink, two-story Steiner Ice Center Friday night and made it look easy beating their rivals. A few Utah fans were present and one even brought a giant Utah flag but had very little reason to wave it other than a lucky Utah goal in the first period.
Scotty Beard got the start in goal for USU and was a wall for the rest of the night.
USU captain Scotty John said the teams are starting to get familiar with one another.
“It’s the third time we’ve seen them this year and it’s just one of those things where you don’t show up as much as you might for another team,” John said.
Leo and the other Aggie skaters were clearly on another level than Utah’s players. Once again the Utes looked like the Bad News Bears, tripping over their own skates and sprawling all over the ice to provide some comic relief. At one point in the second period, Leo was skating with the puck inside Utah’s zone for an extended period with four Utah players swarming him but unable to get a stick-blade onto the puck.
“Bo-Dangles” also lived up to his street hockey nickname in the second period on a ridiculous goal that left Utah’s goalie looking mystified.
“I poked it away from the defender on the blue line and I was wide open, so I figured I would try one of my favorite moves,” Leo said. “I faked a shot, back-hand passed it between my legs and kicked it to my forehand.”
The senior wing said he enjoys showboating and he “will always do it, but you’ve got to know the right times to do it. Against teams like this, you can bust them all the time and it might accidentally go in and you look good no matter what.”
John complimented the Utes for not trying to start a fight after being humiliated three times playing USU this year.
“The key to the game tonight was probably just staying level-headed,” John said. “I’ve got to commend those guys because they don’t really ever get chippy. I don’t know if they’ve won a game yet this year, but they still play with class and that’s a good thing
because we could easily lose our heads if they got chippy, but they don’t.”
He also said the Utes will improve after having a rough time in their first season as a team.
“Their program is still developing,” John said. “They play here, Park City and in Murray, so they’re still shopping around for cheap ice, but I think they’ll come around in a few years.”
Weber State Division I
Robert Hashimoto wound up and swung for the fences, shattering his new Easton hockey stick on the USU goalpost and turning it into $200 of kindling. The veteran wing was frustrated after Weber State DI’s Mike Spanton stole the puck from USU’s goaltender Scotty Beard and scored an easy goal in the third period to make the score 8-2 in the Wildcats favor.
The visitors jumped on USU right out of the gates, scoring four goals on goalie Greg Finatti in the first 12 minutes of the first period, prompting USU Head Coach Jerry Crossley to pull Finatti and put Beard between the pipes. Weber’s first two goals came on power plays.
“As far as the goaltender change goes, that’s nothing,” Leo said. “That crap happens all the time. It just wasn’t Finatti’s night. Sometimes the puck bounces your way and sometimes it doesn’t, you know? It happens, even to Finatti. It’s no big deal and I’m sure he’ll be starting next game.”
Leo scored the first goal for USU in the second period off an assist by Brett Fryslie. That made it 4-1, and with Beard conceding nothing since coming into the game with eight minutes left in the first, USU seemed to have found new life.
“To tell the truth, after I got that goal and it was 4-1 I really thought we were coming back,” Leo said. “I was ready to go and I thought everybody else was ready to go and we were coming back. After they got that 5-1 goal it totally drained us.”
It was 7-1 in the third when USU’s Matt Geer scored thanks to a Jay McFadden assist to give the large home crowd something to cheer about.
“We were coming on the break and Jay came down and tried to throw something at the net,” Geer said. “It deflected up and I got a lucky bounce and took advantage of it. I’ll take a lucky one any day.”
Both of USU’s goals came on power plays. Although Weber State only outshot USU by one, 42-41, their goalie Kyle Gover was tremendously effective and denied USU goals even when they had great opportunities.
Leo was frustrated that USU wasn’t able to beat Weber DI for the second time this year, but said, “There’s nothing to really say about this, but we came out and didn’t play as solid as we like to, but like I’ve said before and I’m always the first to say, it’s a long season. This doesn’t mean anything.”
Leo said the biggest difference between this game and the one USU won in overtime in Ogden earlier this season was Weber’s speed in transition.
Geer concurred, saying, “They’re a good transition team and we couldn’t keep up with them at certain points of the game. They move the puck really well.”
There were 30 penalties in the game as frustration got the better of a few of the Aggies late in the game. Hashi was hit with a 10-minute misconduct penalty for breaking his stick, which ended his night. With 46 seconds left, USU freshman Walter Voisard and Weber State’s Chris Cotsilis got into an altercation, getting both called for spearing and misconduct. Weber actually had 10 penalties to USU’s six in the third period, but USU was frustrated by Gover’s keeping.
-graham@cc.usu.edu