Texas State club hockey swept SMU over the weekend with two convincing victories at The Crossover Sports Complex in Leander.
Game 1: Texas State 7, SMU 4
A late-night edition of college club hockey saw the Texas State Bobcats defeat the SMU Mustangs at The Crossover Sports Complex in Leander, Friday Night.
Junior forward Hayden Cox flashed the hot stick with a three-goal performance, including a breakaway opportunity from mid-ice in the waning minutes of the second period that you had to see to believe.
“I think the tenacity of my linemates, we switched things up, and I think… just everyone was working together as a unit,” Cox said.
The offensive attack was evident from the first puck drop as the Bobcats quickly won possession after possession, keeping the puck in the Mustangs’ zone and taking their chances. The Bobcats employed crosses, one-timers, and low-to-high setups en route to their seven-goal performance.
Cox, the hat trick maestro, deflected credit for the accomplishment.
“None of my goals came solely from me. There’s a lot of help from our defense.” Cox said.
Another key opportunity that Texas State exploited was the use of the power play, which accounted for 3 goals by 3 different Bobcats. The scoring started in the seventh minute of the first period. Junior winger Garrett Shantz fed a pretty pass through to senior forward Leo Bilic, who then scored the first goal of the contest.
“We moved [the puck] well, we were finding options,” Shantz said. “We changed our lines a little bit and I think we found some chemistry which worked out pretty well.”
While the Bobcats weren’t penalty-free by any stretch, their defensive prowess was unmatched. Open-ice checks and impressive forecheck chances left the Mustangs sputtering. When they were then short-handed, the Bobcats took full advantage.
“I would say we take pride in that part of our game. We need it more and more throughout the season,” Shantz said. We’ve kind of lacked, and that’s why I think we found more success tonight than we have had in the past.”
Game 2: Texas State 7, SMU 3
Senior Night had a sweet, if shortened, victory for the Texas State Hockey Club (4-8) against a six-man SMU Mustangs (10-4) squad at The Crossover Ice Arena Saturday night.
Senior winger Daniel Bates and goaltender Colton Miller were honored for their 4+ years as Bobcats and their night was complete as the offense delivered a no-doubt performance with the defense holding up their end of the contest.
Bates started the game as the center on the “A” line. Miller put forth a 17-save gem between the pipes. Both were honored to have their parents in attendance.
Offensively, sophomore forward Frederik Chagnon opened the scoring with an unassisted, short-handed gem in the first period. Chagnon assisted his teammate, junior forward Austin Alcala, in Alcala’s first of two goals on the night. Their one-two punch combined for 4 of the 7 goals put on the board.
The Mustangs entered Saturday night with only 6 players, with only one skater on the bench to sub in. Despite the disparity in numbers, they kept the contest competitive until the end of the second period.
When the third period reached the halfway point, frustration mixed with the physical nature of the game, leading to two fights breaking out on the ice. When the dust settled, Bobcat junior forward Brennan Cummins and Mustang senior defender Nikita Bykov were disqualified. The latter’s dismissal led to the referees conferring SMU’s personnel and declaring the game forfeited with 10:29 left in the third.
Texas State laces up its skates again on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Northwoods Ice and Golf Center in San Antonio, TX. All the Bobcats games can be streamed for free at Black Dog Hockey.
