By MATTHEW PRIBYL
The Provo Ice Cats showed why there's no place like home when they took an early lead and never looked back in a convincing victory Friday, defeating the University of Utah 8-7.
Although the final score made the contest appear to be closer than it actually was, the Ice Cats made quick work of the Utes, lighting up the net several times throughout the game.
'Building up the lead was key and the team put in its chances and capitalized,' said Carlin Scott of the Cats.
'We played and did a lot early on and fell back on our strength to carry us through,' Scott said. The proficient attack proved to be too much as the Utes could not rebound from a late 8-5 deficit, although they managed to squeeze in two more goals due to some questionable calls late in the game.
Bart Harris was unstoppable on the offensive side of the puck as he topped his hat trick performance with his fourth goal late in the game. 'Bart had many chances to score and he played awesome,' Scott said.
The Ice Cats had no trouble finding the net, the same could not be said for the Utes, as they had a very difficult time scoring.
The Ice Cats showed that they can be a force to be reckoned with and that was apparent on Friday. Also noticeable was the equally strong efforts put forward on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck. As for motivation, this game should give the Ice Cats a lift for this weekend's match-up against the very tough squad of Weber State.
'Weber is firing away this season. We know that they are good and we need to play tough if we want to compete with them,' Scott said. As for the game schedule this weekend, the Ice Cats will host Weber State on Friday and then travel to Ogden to play them again on Saturday.
Playing in Ogden has also proven to be a challenge to the Ice Cats players as Weber State and their crowds really get up for cross-town rivalry games.
'We can play well under pressure but we are expecting a hostile environment when we head up that way,' Scott said.
Although the defensive effort against Utah was much improved from their previous games, the Ice Cats will have to remain focused and intense on the objective of stopping the puck. As for the offensive side of the puck, the Ice Cats have been sharp. 'Passes are connecting very well and we are successfully finding each other at the net,' Scott said.
After this weekend's action, the Ice Cats will be finished with play for the 1997 season until they hit the ice again Jan. 9.