Cougar Hockey Splits Series with USU

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    By Mitch Olsen

    How do you know you are at a BYU hockey game? The arena smells like a high school boy”s locker room, you can see your breath better inside than outside, there is a stake activity on the opposite rink where 300 co-eds play broom hockey (where everyone is a winner) and you can hear Blink 182, Smash Mouth and Bon Jovi (all Cougar favorites) played over the PA system. But the formalities of a regular BYU hockey game did not compare to the emotion and physicalness of this weekend”s match-ups against rival Utah State.

    The Cougars physicalness Friday gave them a 4-2 win, but roles switched Saturday when the emotional and physical advantage went to the Aggies who beat BYU 6-2, and continued their unbeaten streak against the Cougars at home.

    “Being away for a couple of weeks and having the history of having lost with just .8 seconds left in overtime, our guys wanted to come out and pound the flesh,” said head coach Ed Gantt about the physical play on Friday. “Our guys were really up for that game. Unfortunately we were so up for that one that we thought that they would just hand it to us tonight, and that is not the case when you roll into Logan.”

    The Cougars were quick to remember their overtime loss to the Aggies less than a month ago. All 60 minutes Friday were full of hard hitting, checking and even a few punches. After BYU went up 3-1 in the second period, the intensity heightened when Gage Rasmussen sent one of the Aggies head over skates. The hard hitting continued, but the referees were quick to blow their whistles and send players to the penalty box. Even the Utah State goalie got two minutes.

    BYU capitalized on Utah State”s penalties and scored three of their four goals on powerplay situations. Ben Shugart, Jimmy Burkart and his little brother Josh each had a goal in the second to give the Cougars a 4-2 lead at the end of the second. Although the hitting continued, the scoreboard would not change in the third, giving the Cougars their eighth win of the season.

    “It was a big game and we were playing in front of our home crowd so you want to give it a little extra and leave everything out on the ice,” said Josh Burkart. “On Saturday, they kept their feet moving a little more and they out skated us to some pucks. They were a little more physical on Saturday.”

    On Saturday, the physical dominance not only switched sides, but the team sitting in the penalty box did as well. BYU”s penalties Saturday gave the Utah State offense eight opportunities to score with a one to two man advantage. Offense was hard to come by for BYU, and two goals was not enough to get their first win ever in Logan.

    “The biggest difference was that the physical presence was switched from Friday to Saturday,” Shugart said. “We just did not have the bounces go our way tonight. Last night we did, and tonight they went their way.”

    BYU will now have to wait until February of next year for another chance to get its first win in Logan. The Cougars (8-2-1-1) had hoped to jump Utah State in the rankings, but with a split this weekend it is unlikely.

    “We need to work on our mental preparation more than anything else,” Gantt said. “You cannot take any games or shifts off. You just have to win night in and night out.”

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