Aggie forward Jacob Smith and winger Konstantin Deshevyy each had two goals apiece as Texas State Hockey (2-6) fell 6-4 to the Texas A&M Aggies (6-3) Saturday night at Spirit Ice Arena in College Station.
Despite dominant Power plays resulting in three goals as well as playing some of its best Hockey so far this year, Texas State couldn’t cement the result it was looking for as it fell for the sixth consecutive game.
The first period began with a Power play chance for the Bobcats in the first minute of regulation. Halfway through the man advantage, freshman winger Alexander Chan swiped in a goal to give the Bobcats an early 1-0 lead.
That goal would remain the lone score for much of the game despite the Bobcats committing several penalties throughout the match. While the Aggies remained physical and aggressive on the forecheck, Texas State played fast and loose and looked to be the more energetic team just before the first intermission.
The second period proved to be a back-and-forth slugfest with neither side landing a definitive blow. The climax of the second period occurred in the form of an on-ice fight between Aggies senior forward Mason Burdett and Bobcats junior defenseman Austin Weber. Both were ejected and sent to an early dismissal from the game.
Despite a late second-period push by A&M’s offense, the Bobcats carried their lone goal advantage into the second intermission.
In the third and final period, both teams had a sudden surge of offense.
Aggie forward Lucas Lisciandro, who scored two goals the night before, knotted the contest up at 1-1. The Bobcats responded in a back-and-forth trading of rallies with freshman defensemen Connor Claughton scoring halfway through the period and then assisting his linemate junior winger Garrett Shantz with a net-rattling score of his own to go up 3-1.
Texas State’s first three goals were all power play opportunities, taking advantage of A&M’s mistakes. However, Smith and Deshevyy throttled the Bobcat’s defense with two goals of their own and were ultimately the difference in a gut-wrenching loss for head coach Barry Cummins’ crew.
While the match proved to be one of Texas State’s better and more promising showings as of late, the results still aren’t there as the season enters the winter months.
Next up, the Bobcats will return home to face the Texas Longhorns Nov. 21 and 22. All Bobcat hockey games can be streamed for free at Black Dog Hockey.
The University Star’s 3 Stars of the Game:
FW Konstantin Deshevyy- 2 G
FW Jacob Smith- 2 G
D Connor Claughton- 1 G, 1 A
