Nationals at stake for USU hockey club
If the Utah State hockey club wants to qualify for Nationals it will have to do so on the road this weekend with all odds piled against them.
The Aggies, owners of a seven-game winning streak, will travel to face the Wyoming Cowboys Thursday, the Colorado Buffalos Friday, and the Colorado State Rams Saturday.
USU will definitely need two wins, and most likely all three out of the trip to have any chance at qualifying for the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II tournament (held Feb. 26 through March 1 at Southern California).
Colorado (14-6-2) and Colorado State (15-5-2) are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the Jan. 24 ACHA D-II West region poll. Weber State University (19-6-3) is No. 3 and USU (15-9-1) No. 4.
Although four teams from the west are invited to Nationals, USU has its eye on one of the top three spots since the University of Southern California (No. 6 in the west) gets an automatic bid because it is the tournament host.
USU is a combined 0-4 against the Buffalos and Rams (home and road losses to each).
The Aggies’ nine losses that go along with this is what makes their position troublesome.
“Knowing the Aggies, knowing their situation, we feel they’re going to come out ready to fight,” CSU Head Coach Brian Sutton said of Saturday’s contest. “I’ll bet money it’s a battle until the last second ticks off the third period.”
USU center Jacob Guttormsen said, “This week’s road trip is probably one of the biggest we’re going to have this season. It does finalize who goes into Nationals, who buys tickets for Nationals. We’re going to come in strong and hopefully come out with three big wins.
“If we do that, we’re guaranteed Nationals.”
The next set of rankings, due out Feb. 4, will be the final ones, with the top three teams headed for a weekend of — weather depending — warmth and sunshine.
Wyoming is a D-III team, but has had its share of success both in past seasons and this season.
The Cowboys were the 2001 D-III champions and the 2002 runner-up. This season they did have a decent showing against CSU, a 3-1 home loss Nov. 23.
And the Aggies know a performance like last Saturday’s, a 5-2 win over Eastern Washington in which penalties were committed in profusion by both teams (26 between both teams in the third period), is the type of game that won’t work against more talented teams like the Buffalos and Rams.
“It’s going to come down to some good discipline and some good focus,” said USU Head Coach Jerry Crossley.
He said the Aggies will need a performance mirroring Jan. 18’s 8-7 overtime victory at Weber State or Nov. 23’s 3-2 home win against D-I club Arizona State.
“A good team effort. It’s possible.”
–samhis@cc.usu.edu