By CLINT LOWRY
Three goals from Indy Walton and 'great goaltending' by Brian Blum helped the Provo IceCats defeat the University of Denver 4-1 Friday at Utah Lake State Park.
'In front of great goaltending, we played really well,' IceCats head coach Royle Schmidt said. 'We were able to put good pressure on Denver in their zone and forced a lot of turnovers. Had their goalie not been on, we could have really put up a big score.'
The IceCats started the game strong, outshooting Denver 14-9 in the first period. Walton scored the first of his three goals to give Provo the early lead -- a lead it never relinquished.
'Indy (Walton) really played tough,' Schmidt said. 'Not only did he score three goals, but he had a hit that knocked out a pane of glass. He was a strong presence on the ice all night.'
Walton, whose three goals gave him his second hat-trick in four games, added a power-play goal in the second period to put Provo up 2-0. Denver scored a power-play goal of its own early in the third period, but Walton answered four minutes later with his final goal to increase the IceCats' lead to 3-1. Sophomore Jim Dahl scored the IceCats' final goal with 5:30 remaining to seal the victory.
'We played a strong game from beginning to end,' Schmidt said. 'When (Denver) scored and was within one, we bounced right back and scored ourselves. They beat us twice earlier in the season, so it was really nice to come back and win solidly.'
Schmidt said much of the game's success can be attributed to IceCats' goalie Blum. After missing the previous game, Blum was back with a vengeance. He saved 34 of 35 shots and shut out Denver for two periods.
'Both goalies played great,' Schmidt said. 'As much as we hate to admit it, (Denver's) goalie did a great job against us, but Brian (Blum) was even better.'
Although the IceCats are pleased with the victory over Denver, Schmidt said it's also somewhat frustrating. Provo is currently in fifth place in its division and needs to be fourth or higher to receive a playoff berth. Denver occupies fourth place.
'It was great to beat Denver, but it's also a little frustrating because they're still ahead of us in the standings,' Schmidt said. 'We feel we're a better team, and we've proven we can beat them, but it doesn't do us any good.'
The IceCats travel to Ogden for their next game where they will face Weber State University on Friday. The 'Cats don't play at home again until Mar. 1, but will be hosting a skating party on Feb. 11 from 10 p.m. to midnight at Utah Lake State Park. The theme will be 'celebrating hockey,' and the IceCats will be checking interest in a women's team and a no-check team.