USU loses to Weber D-II
For the first time ever, the Utah State hockey team lost to the Weber State Division-II squad 3-2 Saturday in Ogden in a game where USU was out-shot and out-played by a team it outscored 63-10 last season.
The Aggies were more angry than surprised after the game.
“We’ve been dodging this bullet for three or four games now,” head coach Jerry Crossley said. “Maybe this will help us focus. We’re wasting valuable time.”
Aggie Robert Hashimoto said it wasn’t just one thing that USU did wrong to cost them the game.
“It was lack of focus, laziness and Weber D-II played really well tonight,” he said. “No one was passing to each other. We were just a big cluster.”
WSU had 43 shots to USU’s 30. The Wildcats out-shot the Aggies in both contests over the weekend.
Crossley said he didn’t think his team was taking this game seriously going into it.
“I think we came in overlooking this team,” he said. “This is definitely an improving squad.”
Hashimoto said after this game he thinks the WSU D-II team is just as good if not better than BYU.
“I think offensively, they’re better than BYU,” he said. “But we still lost to a low-class D-II team.”
Defensman Nate Pierce scored for the fourth time this year in the first period and Mike Lewandowski gave USU a 2-1 lead in the second with a goal, but the Aggies couldn’t find the back of the net in the third period.
Hashimoto said he hopes this game will be a wake-up call for the Aggies.
“Hopefully, we’ll be where we need to be next week,” he said. “We have no choice. We’ve got Eastern Washington and Colorado State coming up.”
Utah State 10, Weber State Division-II 6
In a game filled with lead changes and controversial calls, the Aggies stormed ahead of the Wildcats with five third period goals to win 10-6 Friday at home.
Robert Hashimoto scored four goals, Roberto Leo and Nate Pierce each scored twice and William Winsa assisted four goals and scored one of his own to lead the Aggies.
“It was clicking tonight,” Winsa said. “It was just pure luck. I’m not going to take credit for it.”
WSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead before USU scored three goals in the final 5:47 of the first period to take its first lead.
The Wildcats then came back with three consecutive goals to once again take a two goal lead before USU scored six unanswered points to take a 9-5 lead.
Five of WSU’s six goals came on power plays.
Goalie Scotty Beard, who made his first start of the season Friday, said the team needs to stop shooting itself in the foot.
“You want to team to be smart,” he said. “We got to stay out of the box. But it was not all our fault. That ref was kind of against us the whole game.”
In the second period, Hashimoto and a Wildcat player appeared to be cross-checking each other, but Hashimoto was given a five-minute penalty while the WSU player did not receive any punishment.
The Wildcats scored three goals on the extended power play.
Winsa said the Wildcats looked better than they did last season.
“I saw a difference,” he said. “But we’re even more better. We should have scored more.”
Beard said WSU is a team USU is scared to lose to because of the Wildcat’s poor season last year.
“It could screw us over in the rankings for nationals,” he said.
The Aggies will in Provo against BYU Friday and then will face EWU Saturday in North Logan.
-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu
Ice Center. The Aggies won 10-6 Friday, but lost 3-2 Saturday.