Rival Wildcats await USU hockey club
Twenty-one games down, 11 to go for the Utah State hockey club.
The Aggies (11-9-1) will continue their quest for a berth to Nationals (held Feb. 26 through March 1 in Southern California) this weekend as they will host the University of Washington Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Eccles Ice Center.
The Aggies will also travel to Ogden on Saturday night to face hated rival Weber State (16-6-2). Starting time for that game is set for 8:15 p.m.
“It’s time to turn it on,” said USU center Nick Thiros. “If we want any chance of going to Nationals, we have to win this weekend.”
As far as qualifying for Nationals goes for Weber State, it is in a slightly better position than USU. The Wildcats are ranked No. 3 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II West Region, while USU is ranked No. 6.
Wildcat Head Coach Rob Larsen said he feels a win Saturday would clinch a trip to Nationals for the Wildcats.
“We honestly believe that if we win this game, we’re in,” he said. “It’s ours to lose. [We know USU will] really play hard against us, and we have to match their intensity. When our teams play, you know everybody is going to come to play.”
As for Washington, USU doesn’t know much about the Huskies other than “usually they’re pretty weak,” Thiros said.
The Huskies own an 11-6-1 record, which includes two home losses to Weber State in November as the Wildcats outscored the Huskies 27-3 in the two games.
USU comes into the weekend riding a three-game winning streak, one that started Dec. 7 at BYU — USU’s last game before a month-long Christmas Break. The Aggies defeated BYU and the University of Utah a week ago.
The Aggies will be home for both contests next week, hosting BYU and Eastern Washington University at the Ice Center.
–samhis@cc.usu.edu