By Spencer Deery
The IceCat?s season came to a bittersweet ending Friday as they ended the season with the best win-loss record in the team?s history, even after losing to Utah State Friday night 6-1.
?We had a great season,? said IceCats head coach Matt Beaudry. ?It was a landmark year for us in a lot of ways. Tonight was a sad ending to a great season.?
The sad ending did not begin until late in the game when the Cats kept the Aggies scoreless in the first period and took a 1-0 lead off a goal scored by Jon McBride. However, Utah State bounced back in the second period by scoring three goals in the first six minutes and three more in the third period.
Following the three quick Aggie goals in the second, IceCats captain Jimmy Burkart said he thought the team became frustrated. Throughout the remainder of the game, five different IceCats players received penalties for misconduct or roughing, which Burkart attributed to frustration.
The frustration culminated midway through the third period as all three referees were forced to break up three fights that occurred simultaneously. The conflict resulted in the disqualification of IceCats forward Daren O?bray. Although not disqualified, Nathan Hymas and Mike Nathan also left the game as opposed to spending its remainder in the penalty box. Aggie Ben Froehle left the game for the same reason.
Despite the loss, Burkart, one of the three departing seniors, said the season was a positive one because of the team?s win-loss record, and even more importantly the relationships the players established as teammates.
?What has made my college experience so meaningful are the relationships I have had with the guys on the team,? Burkart said. ?I may forget the goals I scored, but it?s the people, the faces, the relationships I have been able to create over the past four years playing hockey I?m going to take with me.?