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Last-minute hat trick wins game for Aggies

The dream of hockey players became reality for Utah State captain Cooper Limb.

A hat trick from Limb, which started with 1:34 left in the final period, led the way for a 7-4 victory over Northern Arizona University.

The fans willing to part with their hats flung them to the ice as Limb scored an empty netter from beyond the blue line with the final 12 seconds on the clock.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a hat trick that fast,” Limb said. “I’ve had a few in my career, but that one definitely stands out.”

Before the captain’s moments of brilliance it was an very tight encounter that involved many momentum swings for both sides.

Utah State committed a couple of early penalties. The first ended up in a goal for NAU. The second ended with a USU goal. Utah State center Chris Cutshall was able to intercept the pass and take it in to the opponents goal shorthanded.

“It’s a huge momentum shifter, especially when you go down that quick,” Cutshall said. “To be honest, JoJo [Joseph Chase] looks over to me and tells me to be a mosquito out there tonight. Be a menace and pressure them right off the bat.”

After the first goal from Cutshall, the Aggies were able to find a quick second from Otto Jaaskelainen and take the lead 2-1 into first intermission.

The second period involved 13 penalties, including two disqualifications.

“Our mindset drifted away and worried more about the ref more than the game itself,” Cutshall said.

Coach Jon Eccles called the teams’ effort after the second period resilient.

“You never lose the game because of the ref, but about how well you adjust,” Eccles said. “This team has come a long way.”

Aggies were on the way to a healthy lead after scoring a third time through Morgan McJimsey to make it 3-1 with 5:36 left in the second period. NAU was able to persevere and close out the period to equalize and make the game 3-3 heading into the final period.

The Lumberjacks carried on to take the lead 4-3 within two minutes of the third period. A holding penalty five minutes later opened up the door for the Aggies and Shaun Gibbons to capitalize to make the game 4-4 with 13 minutes left in the game.

The final period wore down and the tired legs became evident, until a puck dropped perfectly for Limb.

“I ran a couple lines pretty hard,” Eccles said. “After a couple goals, that energy jumped back into them.”

Limb gave the Aggies the go-ahead goal with 1:34 left in the game. And before the crowd could sit down from celebrating he got a second at the 1:08 mark.

NAU — desperate for a goal — pulled the goalie at the end. The puck was won in the Aggies defensive area for Coop to fling a 3/4 of the rink shot into the corner of the net.

“Cooper is a finisher,” Eccles said. “If you get him the puck in the right spots and he gets that chance, he’ll finish.”

— tparadise@aggiemail.usu.edu

Twitter: @tristan0010