BYU’s hockey team is taking a long trip to Arizona to have some games that are sure to be competitive against Arizona State Nov. 7, Nov. 8, and Nov. 9.
The Cougars recently had several games that were competitive down to the wire, but the close games didn’t turn into victories for them. But based upon the way BYU and Arizona have matched up against the same opponents, the Cougars say they are confident the next three games will be close matchups that should result in BYU wins.
“A lot depends on how our players play,” said BYU coach Josh Burkart said. “If we bring our A-game, we will win.”
Burkart said his team has been focusing on shooting and specialty teams drills all week, areas where, if the Cougars had been at their best in the past, would’ve resulted in several close game victories. The Cougars have been out-shot in every game this season.
“We’ve been out-shot, and we are not shooting when we have opportunities to,” Burkart said. “We try to make fancy plays when we need to just take a hard shot at the goal.”
Implementing these techniques will be crucial to the Cougars’ success in Arizona. The Cougars continue to play with an ever-shortening bench as key players have been injured over the season, so every player will have to be at their best to take up the slack needed to win.
