It’s ‘now or never’ for USU hockey
Heading into its last encounter with the University of Utah, the USU men’s hockey club was staggering a bit, having lost four of its last seven games, while the Utes were riding high atop conference standings.
USU went on to win that game, 8-2, on the Utes’ home ice and has won five of its last seven games, while Utah has since been passed by Weber State University for the top spot in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Hockey Association (RMCHA).
The two teams will square off again Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Weber County Ice Sheet. The Aggies will also play the Provo Ice Cats (Brigham Young University) Friday in Provo.
While the game against the Utes is highly anticipated, the Aggies can ill afford to look past the Ice Cats, said defenseman Danny Wilson. Wilson recalled playing and losing a couple of years ago in the RMCHA tournament to Provo – a team the Aggies had never lost to.
“If we let our guard down, regardless of what team we play, they’re capable of beating us,” Wilson said.
However, both Wilson and forward Kelly Froerer said USU is a much better team than the one that last faced off against the Utes and Ice Cats. Two of the biggest differences are improved play on the defensive side and improved team cohesiveness, they said.
“If we can play as a team, we’re good enough to beat anyone,” Froerer said.
“If we play a controlled, disciplined game, we’re difficult to beat,” Wilson said.
Although the team has improved a lot defensively, Froerer said the game will be won or lost at the offensive end.
“Personally, I think we’re going to have to score a lot to beat these guys,” he said.
Wilson said now is the time the Aggies need to peak if they want to do some damage in the RMCHA tournament. If they do continue to play well, he said, it’s going to come down to “whoever wants it more is going to win.”
“Now is the time we have to peak,” he said. “It’s now or never.”