USU hopes to finally get the best of Colorado St. Saturday
The USU men’s hockey club is hoping the fourth time will be a charm against the Rams of Colorado State University.
Riding high after pulling away from Eastern Washington University in the third period, the Aggies will be looking to make a record of four wins in five contests as they square off against CSU Saturday night at the Weber County Ice Sheet. Face-off will be at 8:30 p.m.
The Aggies have played well as of late, but defenseman Aaron Sutliff said the team is going to have to step up its level of play to beat the top-ranked team in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Hockey Association (RMCHA).
“We have to play up to our ability to have a chance in this game,” Sutliff said.
However, the Aggies are playing a lot better then they did in their previous encounters with the Rams, Sutliff said. In the Eastern Washington game, USU was able to put the Eagles away, scoring three goals in a five-minute span after EWU tied the game at 2-2.
“We finished the game strong; we finished with a lot of momentum,” he said.
In order for the Aggies to be successful against CSU, Sutliff said the Aggies need to limit CSU’s scoring opportunities in transition. He said the Rams have speedy stakers who will look to make it an up-tempo game.
“We have to control the tempo of the game,” he said.
If the Aggies are able to draw first blood, he said, they can turn it into a defensive, grind-it-out affair.
Sutliff said he’s happy the Aggies are playing the Rams – in what he called USU’s biggest game of the year – on their home ice. A victory against the Rams is a must for the Aggies to have any chance of qualifying for nationals, he said.
“This game means a lot more to us than them, so it’s great to be on our home ice,” he said.
In addition to playing better hockey, Sutliff said the team, for the most part, is healthy and at full strength. Forward Rad Anderson will be playing in his second game since being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
“We should be fresh and ready to play,” Sutliff said.