Things looking up for USU hockey in spring
An 11-10-1 first semester record qualifies as below expectations for Utah State’s tradition-rich hockey club.
The Aggies sustained several gut-punch type losses – 8-0 vs. Colorado, 6-0 vs. Colorado State, 6-2 vs. Denver and 5-3 vs. San Jose State were some of the lowlights – and were up and down against in-state rivals like BYU and Utah Valley. USU barely outscored the Cougs 16-15 in finishing 2-2 against their hated rivals in first semester play. Against the newcomer to the upper echelon of ACHA division-2 western division hockey – UVSC – USU finished 1-2 with an even 15-15 split on goals.
Even the victories were symptomatic of the problems that plagued the Ags. Since when does Utah State need overtime to slide by BYU 3-2 at home? How on earth did Metro State take USU into overtime before allowing a Jeremy Madigan breakaway goal? The answer is simple: USU was shorthanded even when they were at full strength, and struggled to score goals. The team was overly reliant on leading scorers Jay McFadden, Kent Arsenault and William Winsa.
The Aggies started off the season looking to replace top producers like Robert Hashimoto and Roberto Leo from within, as the only impact recruits were goalie Dan Cornelius and forward Jeremy Madigan. (Alaskan Ben Tikka was an immediate help when he joined the team late.) That was a tall order. Then Jordan Francom, an intimidating defender with a goal-scoring mentality, and Matt Geer, hero of the season-opening win over Weber State, dropped out of the lineup. Then Paul Reinhardt, another key defender who can pop in the occasional goal, broke his wrist, and USU was short of players at every position.
Those depth problems are history. Geer, Francom and Reinhardt are all back. Players like Madigan, Walter Voisard and Ryan Osterheldt gained valuable experience playing with the top lines and are now battle-tested. And Cornelius has made a huge contribution in his freshman year by working connections he made playing junior hockey north of the border for new recruits. The fruits of his labor include a defenseman named McKenzie York who says “yeah, definitely,” when he is asked if he is a violent person and a high-scoring forward, Brendan MacDonald, who has already notched a goal in his belt.
“I played against Dan in my league and he found out that I wasn’t playing with the (University of Manitoba) Bison,” MacDonald said. “The skill level here is pretty high and it’s a great group of guys from what I’ve seen so far.”
MacDonald was cut from UM because he was on the small side and got hurt, but Canadian college hockey is on a par with America’s NCAA D-1 and MacDonald should be able to step right into the lineup and start pouring in goals at this level. Coach Jerry Crossley employed MacDonald on a line with Winsa, probably USU’s smoothest skater, last weekend against BYU and Utah, but MacDonald said he doesn’t think the lines are set yet.
“I think we could have two good solid scoring lines and two solid checking lines,” MacDonald said.
The other newcomer, the one with the great hockey name (McKenzie York, indeed), said he is looking forward to adding some punch to the Aggie defense.
“I’m a pretty aggressive defenseman,” York said. “I’ve noticed from the games I’ve watched that there was a lot of chances to hammer guys. Something I’m looking forward to is the opportunity to do that.”
Cornelius is not done pounding the recruiting trail. “I’m working on two more guys for next year,” Cornelius said. “They played with me last year on the Thunder Bay Bulldogs.”
The first semester wasn’t all blah: Greg Finatti, who alternates in-goal with Cornelius, backstopped USU to several key wins which have the Ags holding steady at number nine in the West. It was Finatti’s unconventional yet effective goaltending that lifted USU to a 2-0 road win against Denver, a 4-3 road win against San Jose State, and the 6-2 win over UVSC. Those wins take on greater significance when taken into account with the second-half schedule: USU has already split against No. 8 San Jose; split with No. 4 Denver, and tied with No. 3 Long Beach State. Now, with a full clip, the Aggies have a chance to split or better against No. 2 Eastern Washington, whom they play twice in the next two weeks. USU also has a chance to earn the split against No. 1 Colorado in a game on Feb. 1, and split with #6 Colorado State the next night.
The ball is in the Aggies court. Rounding out the second-half pre-regionals slate are two more games against ranked in-state rivals UVSC and BYU. Win all those games, and USU can punch its ticket to regionals in Stockton Calif. on Feb. 22. All but three games are at home on the big, international-size rink in the Eccles Ice Arena, where the Ags feel more comfortable and are 7-4-1.
-graham.terry@aggiemail.usu.edu