New and improved Aggies hockey looks to turn heads

The Utah State hockey team cruised to a 6-3 win vs. Weber State in the first game of the season.

The result was a better start than last year’s stagnant effort.

“Last year, the first half we really struggled,” said head coach Jon Eccles. “We had a real decent team, but it didn’t seem like we meshed really well. This year we have some new players in, and those guys have been a breath of fresh air.”

Team captain Cooper Limb agreed with his coach’s statement.

“We picked up a lot of bigger, older guys we were missing last year,” Limb said. “It’s made our team a lot stronger already.”

One of these new faces is Chris Cutshall coming from Alaska. Cutshall is already making positive impressions in practice.

“He’s really fast and he stands out every day,” Limb said.

Alternative captain Shaun Gibbons is of the same opinion.

“Yeah, he’s a hard working kid,” Gibbons said. “He just wants to go-go-go; he doesn’t stop moving.”

Aside from the talent of individual players, the squad has a team-first mentality. This way of thinking is evident from the head down starting with the captain.

“Obviously I want to do well and score goals and get assists,” Limb said. “But my goal is to help them get as many points as they can, and that, in turn, helps the team win games.”

Gibbons said that he isn’t concerned about individual accolades.

“I think it’s more team oriented here so I don’t really care about the points,” he said.

The selflessness of the team is preached by Eccles.

“Well everyone right now is really doing well, and that’s down to the rookies,” Eccles said. “Everyone is behind each other. All the rookies are doing really good pushing the vets, making the vets push that much harder.”

Eccles praised Limb for pushing the team.

“Cooper Limb, my captain, is really involved with team and coaching staff,” Eccles said. “He really wants it to be a successful year.”

USU has a full slate of games scheduled, with some of the top teams for competition. Among the teams to look out for on the schedule, Eccles singled out ASU Elite (Arizona State), Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado and Denver.

“Those four teams will be the cream of the crop,” Eccles said.

The outlook on the team is at a high, as the team looks to build on its new players and team first attitude. Eccles is optimistic about the season.

“Last year we had the ingredients, but no glue,” Eccles said. “So this year I think we have all the ingredients and the glue to have a successful year.”

— tparadise@aggiemail.usu.edu

Twitter: @tristan0010