Open the floodgates
The Utah State Aggies played their first of two games this weekend against the Montana Grizzlies at the George S. Eccles Ice Center. The Aggies were victorious for the second time against the Grizzlies with a 3-1 win, extending their current win streak to seven.
Junior forward Dillon Hale connected with sophomore Zach Pires who was left unmarked across the crease. The shot was saved by Grizzlies goaltender Nash Wilson.
A delayed penalty on the Grizzlies allowed junior forward Mason Mulneaux to take a shot that had eyes for the top right corner of the goal but was saved again by Nash.
Montana’s Henry Morrison was able to pick the pocket of freshman forward Jackson Ferry and get a shot on goal, but it was easily kept out by freshman goaltender Kale Samuels.
Samuels would come up with a crucial save as Grizzly Jackson Knutson was able to find Owen Lee for a shot across the crease, but the puck ended up in Samuel’s glove instead.
The first period came to an end with a scoreline of 0-0. Both teams’ goaltenders put in heavy shifts to keep their teams from conceding the first goal.
USU Senior defenseman Trace Farr and Grizzly Will Smith would go to the penalty box for roughing, the penalties extending into the second period.
“We need to just get in deep and apply the forecheck,” Ferry said during the first intermission. “We’ve got to focus on the net and keep the shots coming,” Mulneaux added.
The second period kicked off with senior defenseman Tate Jenson finding his way to the penalty box for slashing. The game was a three-to-four matchup momentarily before Farr returned to play.
Junior forward George Kuehn took a shot on the net that was handled well by Nash to keep it out of the net.
Montana would rack up three attempts in rapid succession from Knutson, Lee and Javier Hamlin but Samuels was up to the challenge to keep the scoreline level.
Ferry broke through the wall of Nash at the 6:43 mark capitalizing on a poor pass by the Grizzlies, which became a foot race as Ferry outskated Ben Cremers and slotted the puck to the right side net making the score 1-0 for USU.
Montana looked to respond as Knutson took a shot that was mishandled by Samuels and landed on the stick of Lee, who tried to redirect it on the net, sliding it past Samuels. Farr maintained strong positioning and kept the puck out of the net.
USU freshman defenseman Brogan Young scored at the 4:18 mark after a pass from Aggie’s Captain Ben Carlson found Mulneaux on a breakaway. Mulneaux made an unselfish pass to Young who shot the puck into the left side net making the score 2-0 for USU.
USU went on the powerplay after a cross-checking penalty sent Morrison back to the box for the remainder of the period. USU presented a flurry of shots from Pires, Young and Hale but could not convert.
“We had a lot of chances, and to put one by them, I felt relieved,” Ferry said. “We just needed to get that first one to get going.”
Jenson earned himself a trip to the penalty box early in the third period after a hard hit in the Aggies defensive zone against Grizzly Will Pankratz.
Pankratz wasted no time in the powerplay as he capitalized on a loose puck after a shot through the crease from Pablo Frank. The score rested at 2-1 with 16:36 left to play.
Lee was on a breakaway chance for the Grizzlies when Young laid out for an extended stick poke to loosen the puck before Lee could shoot. This defensive play and his goal earned him the player of the game from his teammates.
Pires would go on to rifle three quick attempts on net from deep in the offensive zone but the Grizzlies momentarily survived the burst by the Aggies.
Farr picked off a Montana pass and found the stick of Ferry on the breakaway who scored his second of the night, making the scoreline 3-1 with 13:37 left to play.
An incident broke out with 9:20 left to play after an apparent trip from Samuels led to senior forward Sean Johnston and Pankratz being sent to the box for cross-slashing and checking.
Grizzly Alex Niebaugher took a shot that forced Samuels into an acrobatic save to keep it out of the net.
The scoreline proved too steep a hill for Montana to climb. USU closed out the game by putting on a clinic of shots from freshman defenseman Josh Girard, Johnston and Farr. Each attempt was saved by Wilson.
USU takes on the Montana State Bobcats tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in the George S. Eccles Ice Center.
“We just need to bear down our chances. I know we had a ton that we could have scored today,” Ferry said. “We need to get one by them early so we can get the floodgates going.”
“The boys are going to have to come prepared and ready for a tough one tomorrow,” junior goaltender Titan Anderson said. “It’s going to be like a second versus third game.”