Texas State Hockey (2-5) rolled into College Station for its third of four road trips this season and lost to the Texas A&M Aggies (5-3) 4-0 in front of a raucous crowd at Spirit Ice Arena Friday evening on Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
The first period started with a frantic and inspired pace by the Bobcats, who were coming off a two-game series against North Texas, which saw twice as many penalties as goals for both sides.
The Bobcats embraced quick, fast-paced offensive rushes, handy puck play and a strong showing between the pipes by freshman goalie Damian Clark.
The first goal came 12 minutes in on a flashy unassisted backhander by Aggie senior forward Nate Polinsky. Texas State tightened up on defense but squandered two power play chances to leave the Aggies up 1-0 in the first period.
The second period proved to be a war of attrition as neither side broke through on the scoreboard. The Bobcats looked sleek and methodical on offense, producing quick offensive rushes with multiple looks at the net.
Texas State also improved in avoiding the penalty box, only tallying three penalties in the first two periods and killing all three off harmlessly.
The final period began with more of the same from the Bobcats as they threatened an equalizer. However, three goals by three Aggies in seven minutes of play, another for Polinsky and one each from forwards Lucas Lisciandro and Mason Burdett, ended any hopes for a comeback.
The Bobcats, frustrated with these goals, found themselves tangling with scrums with the Aggies throughout the final minutes of the third period. While nothing major broke out, tensions between the two teams should be high coming into the final game of the weekend.
Texas State will return to Spirit Ice Arena on Oct. 25 to rematch the Aggies and fight for a series split. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be available to stream for free at Black Dog Hockey.
The University Star’s 3 Stars of the Game:
FW Nate Polinsky – 2 G, 1 A
FW Lucas Lisciandro – 1 G, 1 A
G Damian Clark – 38 saves, .905 Save Percentage
