USU hockey battles stiff competition at Beehive Showcase

Image courtesy of Kirsten Linden/Dark Star Photography

The Utah State University Aggies hockey team hosted and competed in the annual “Beehive Showcase” Nov. 21-24. The Aggies opened with a win, but dropped their next three games across the series.

A total of seven teams competed in the event, headlined by no. 1 ranked University of Mary and the fourth-ranked University of Northern Arizona Ice Jacks. On Nov. 21, NAU’ first game of the showcase was against no. 5 ranked Utah State, which proved to be a test for both teams.

In the first period, USU’s Conner McKeachnie opened the scoring nine minutes into the game, setting the stage for a see-saw match. Shortly after McKeachnie’s goal, NAU’s Rayce Miller put one past Aggie goalie Ethan Wiese to tie the game.

Unfazed by the goal, the Aggies struck back just one minute later to put them up 2-1, a lead they took heading into the second period.

The middle 20 minutes was relatively uneventful scoring-wise, as the Ice Jacks were the only team to register a goal, which knitted the game at two. It was the final period, however, where the pucks would fly.

The Ice Jacks continued to pressure the Aggies, scoring the next two goals in the first 10 minutes of the third. With the score at 4-2 and half the period gone, it looked as if USU was destined for a loss. However, a goal by Olli Jansson after a productive power play expired brought the Aggies within striking distance, 4-3.

Jansson’s goal breathed new life into USU and the team went on to score two unanswered goals within four minutes to go, taking a 5-3. The score held and the Aggies went on to win their first game of the showcase.

Game two was not as fruitful for USU, as the team struggled to gain their footing against the next opponent, the University of Northern Colorado Bears. 

After an early penalty committed by the Aggies, Bears forward Jake Seibold scored on the subsequent power play. Following the goal, both teams played back-and-forth, fast-paced and physical hockey. Each had quality chances, while both goalies did a good job stopping every shot. It was not, however, enough for USU to get the puck in the back of the net and the first period ended with a 1-0 lead for UNC

USU did have a momentary reversal of fortune, as mid-way through the second Keegan O’Brien scored during a net-front skirmish to tie the game. Then, less than three minutes later, UNC scored off a strange bounce, with the credit going to forward Nick Sheridan. The Bears took the lead, and momentum, into the locker room after the second.

The third period was just as contentious as the first two, with each team trading chances and both goalies playing solid between the pipes. Aggie goalie Colter Pritchard had an especially highlight-reel worthy series in which he made several saves.

As the game wound down, UNC pulled away and the Bears’ Seibold scored his second goal of the game and put the team up 3-1 over USU, with only three minutes remaining in regulation time. To put the nail in the coffin, Sheridan notched his second goal and put the game out of reach, 4-1 UNC. 

Reflecting on the game, head coach Todd Renae laid out what the team needed to do to bounce back from the loss. 

“We will need to focus on playing as a team. Buying into the systems and running them correctly and with discipline. Huge chance for redemption from last night vs UNC tonight,” he said.

During game three, in which USU faced off against the top-seeded University of Mary, stakes were high and the Aggies’ expectations were even higher. Unfortunately, the team’s effort did not match the final outcome.

In the first period, the Aggies spent more time than they liked in their own zone. The Marauders hemmed them in the defensive zone for a while, and it was not until the two-minute mark before USU even entered UMary’s end. For the remainder of the first half of the period, the Aggies struggled to put together passes and sustain any pressure on the defense. Then, at the mid-way point of the first, USU flipped the switch and scored the game’s opening goal with 10:49 remaining.

After the tally, UMary appeared to be thrown off their game, as the team struggled to rebound. The rut did not last long, the top-ranked squad scored off an Aggie turnover to tie the game at one goal apiece. This led to another series of shifts during which the Aggies spent too much time in their own end, allowing the Marauders to maintain pressure. Despite the push, Pritchard held the fort and the period ended with the teams knotted at one. 

Unlike the first period, both teams came out skating well and the pace was much quicker. However, it was UMary who took over the play early and took the game to USU. 

One saving grace for USU though was the stellar performance by forward Chris Cutshall. Hounding every opponent who came his way, Cutshall’s strong fore-checking and back-checking kept the Marauders from breaking out from the neutral zone. Cutshall was later awarded for his tenacious play, scoring the game-tying goal less than a minute after USU gave up the goal, evening up the score at 2-2.

Unfortunately, this one-man display of defense was not enough to kick start the Aggies and the team struggled to put together any offense. After a string of quality chances, UMary broke through and found the back of the net at the 11:50 mark, to take a 3-2 lead.

Despite a strong 15 minutes of offensive bursts and lights-out goaltending, nothing helped USU tie the game. With 5:40 left in the game, UMary struck again and ultimately put the game out of reach, winning 4-2.

USU’s fourth and final game of the week was against Boise State University, a team ranked eighth in the West Division of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. It was a low-scoring affair, with the first goal coming in the last minute of the period; USU’s Alec Moser netted what ended up being the team’s only tally of the night heading into intermission.

Both teams played at a standstill for most of the second period, with the second goal of the game coming late. On a power play, Boise State’s Brandon Benson scored with a tip-in to tie the game up 1-1 at the five-minute-mark.

The Aggies had a chance to break the tie late in the second, as Chris Cutshall was awarded a penalty shot. But Boise State’s goalie Brad Johnson stood him up on the doorstep, robbing USU of a glorious opportunity.

Early in the third the Aggies suffered another case of bad puck luck, when Justin Jones put the Broncos up with a nifty backhander that snuck past Pritchard. The play developed when USU was unable to clear the puck and gave Boise State room to shoot. “I think the area we lacked the most was our mental toughness to be disciplined after playing 3 games. Little mistakes will turn into big problems and Boise took advantage of and capitalized on our mistakes,” Coach Renae said. 

USU made one last push on a 6-on-4 power play in the last 30 seconds, but were unable to capitalize and the game ended 2-1 to Boise State.

When asked about the team’s overall performance during the showcase, Renae noted the team “found out a lot about ourselves” over the four games. “[We had a] huge comeback win against a great team (NAU), [which] showed us that we are a skilled team that can come back from a deficit and overcome adversity.” Renae also remarked on USU hosting the event.

“Personally, I love the Beehive. It’s a great opportunity for us to see some teams we don’t get to watch too often and it’s a great showcase of the talent that the Men’s ACHA D2 has to offer,” he said.

The Aggies will be off for the holidays this week and their next game is Dec. 6, on the road against Utah Valley University, which is also the last game of the semester.