BYU hockey lost to rival University of Utah in a thrilling 5-4 game Saturday night.
The Cougars came out strong and took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Chris Tuttle and Nick Bartholomew. Utah responded in the second period by scoring two goals within the first two minutes to tie the game. The Cougars then rallied back to take a 3-2 lead with a goal at the end of the period.
Utah started the third period much like the second, scoring two quick goals to take the lead 4-3. BYU goalie Scott Mehr made several clutch saves as BYU fought to tie the game. Two power plays then provided BYU with an opportunity to score, but Utah held the Cougars off until six minutes remaining, when Blake Dorton scored, tying the game at 4-4.
“Utah is ranked #3 in the West,” BYU head coach Ed Gantt said. “They were surprised that we played toe-to-toe and didn’t expect (a close game).”
The game rolled over into a five-minute, sudden-death overtime in which Utah scored to win the game.
“We’re really disappointed,” forward Axel Boyer said. “We’ll learn from it, though—take the good things like our penalty kills and work on (other) things like our power plays.”
The team returns to Peaks Arena on Jan. 16 at 7:00 to play Montana Tech. It will then host the first Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League Tournament Feb. 5–7. Three games will be held Feb. 6 at 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
