State Your Case: USU Hockey vs Arizona State
Utah State University
By MEREDITH KINNEY
Last weekend Utah State hockey picked up their first loss of the season against Arizona State and while the Aggies may have lost to the No. 2 team in the West, their No. 1 spot is still secure. It’s true, from here on out USU’s strength of schedule is lackluster. The Aggies will face a number of teams from the Beehive state.
But even with the light schedule, the Aggies are the No. 1 team. There are 10 players on the Aggie roster with more than 22 points — three of them have racked up more than 60 points. Brendan MacDonald is on pace to break the Utah State points record, he already has 75 with half the season left to play. To put that into perspective Aggie great Kent Arsenault only had 86 in an entire season last year.
With the strength of USU’s schedule, there is no reason the Aggies shouldn’t win out. The individual talents on the team are far above those of the other teams in the West. Combined as a team, they are unstoppable. Of the five players who have the most points, all of them have recorded more assists than goals and have thus proven their ability to play as a team.
Utah State proved themselves against D-I schools like Lindenwood, who won a D-I national championship three years in a row before earning runner-up honors last year. There is no question who is No. 1.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu
Arizona State University
By MEGAN BODILY
Until this weekend, Utah State Hockey dominated the ice and had not recorded a loss. At the Winter Classic 2011 held at Colorado State University,USU fell to No.2-ranked Arizona State University 6-1. Once thought of as the top team in the West, doubts are now being raised about whether or not this is the golden team we all thought it was.
USU boasts the top goal scorers and goalies in the region, but failed to hold the Sun Devils off in the first game for both teams in the tournament.
The loss could be blamed on coming off a long road trip to the tournament, but this is equally true for ASU, or the fact that USU has not been really tested by a team since the St. Louis exhibition in Missouri, way back when.
But excuses for the lack in mental toughness and motivation cannot be discarded. To be the best means beating all others and being the best at all times, no matter the conditions.
Future games will show whether USU hockey is the national championship team we have hoped for or just another first-round loss at nationals. But until then, USU lost to the next-best thing and showed that we may not be the best in the West, but perhaps second best — to the ASU Sun Devils.
– mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu.edu