USU hockey beats ASU twice in doubleheader
Utah State’s club hockey team completed the home sweep of the Arizona State University Sun Devils Thursday and Friday night. The Aggies were looking for revenge, since ASU was the only team to beat USU in the regular season last year. They got two shots at the Sun Devils for their first two home games of the year.
Utah State 4 – Arizona State 1
Utah State’s quest for revenge started out strong Thursday night as the team beat Arizona State 4-1.
“I know we all wanted redemption after the game we played last year,” said forward Joel Basson, who scored the game winner. “We only got to play them once, so we were all pumped up for the game and it turned out really well for us.”
The Aggies and Sun Devils both played very physical games, constantly hitting the opposing puck carrier.
“We were expecting it,” Basson said. “We’re both fast teams, like to play the body.”
Aggie defender Ty Johns opened up the scoring on the power-play in the first period by sneaking a shot from the point through the traffic in front of the net.
Even though the Aggies were outshot in the first period, they were able to keep possession more than the Sun Devils.
The second period, however, appeared to be all Sun Devils.
The Aggies took nine penalties in the second period for a total of 18 minutes. Six of those minutes were attributed to defenseman Jordan Kerr.
“That hurts when you lose Kerr for six minutes in a period, but he was pretty well rested for the third, he said,” USU head coach Jon Eccles said.
Even though Utah State was outshot 16-5 in the second period, they still beat the Sun Devils on the scoreboard. Basson finished a two-on-one rush by firing the puck past the ASU goalie after receiving a perfectly placed pass from forward Ian Beckstrom.
“Great pass from Becks,” Basson said. “I just tried to get it on net and it ended up going in. It felt good.”
The Sun Devils scored in the third period following a defensive lapse by the Aggies.
“I was a little frustrated they got that goal on a shorthanded,” Eccles said. “Just little break downs here and there.”
Kerr scored the third goal for the Aggies on the power play, and forward Matt Hamilton iced the game with a breakaway goal.
“I was pretty excited with our intensity,” Eccles said. “Our forecheck worked really well for the most part of the game. The only struggles that we really had was we were in the box too many times.”
Utah State 2 – Arizona State 0
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br /> On Friday night, the Aggies completed the sweep by shutting out ASU 2-0 at the George S. Eccles Ice Center.
Utah State didn’t come into the game with the same intensity that they had Thursday, and it was noticeable in the first period.
“I thought that in the first period, we were kind of sluggish,” Eccles said. “We gave up some stuff that we should’ve been dominating.”
The Aggies came back stronger after the first intermission.
“Between the first and the second, we had a few things to say to each other, and coach came in and tore us a new one,” said Aggie forward Stu Hepburn. “We came out hard in the second and third, and we really stepped up our game and closed out the series with these guys.”
In the second period, Aggie captain Brian Gibbons’ forecheck pressured ASU into a turnover. The puck was thrown on net and forward Cooper Limb shot the rebound into the back of the net to put the Aggies on the scoreboard.
Then, in the third period, defenseman Ty Johns scored from the point on the power play, almost at the exact spot he scored from on Thursday. Basson and Hamilton assisted Johns on the goal.
Late in the third period, a brawl broke out on the ice. All five skaters from each team were involved, and three Aggies were disqualified from the game.
“It’s a little frustrating what happened at the end,” Eccles said. “I know the fans get excited, but we lost Shaun Gibbons for three games, Gibby (Brian Gibbons) for one game and (Jordan) Kerr for one game. We still have some big games coming up.”
Shaun Gibbons received a three-game ban because he was involved in two separate fights during the brawl. Brian Gibbons and Kerr were each only involved in one fight.
By the end of the game, the Aggies’ physical play took its toll on ASU.
“They were afraid pretty much every time we’d come down and line them up,” Eccles said.
The Aggies accomplished what they set out to do Thursday and Friday night.
“We got handled last year by these guys,” Hepburn said. “We had a lot to prove this year so we’re really excited about the two wins. It feels really good right now. We’re going have a great weekend.”
‒ sean.osullivan@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @seansy89