The No. 24 Arizona men’s club hockey team needed a boost to help it win on the road once again, but it couldn’t find a groove and lost its two-game set to Saint Louis on Friday and Saturday.
Saturday’s second game yielded more positives than Friday’s first, but still the Icecats (6-4-1) were unable to overcome a huge swing in momentum at the end of the second period, ultimately losing 8-4.
Trailing 4-3 and on the power play, the Billikens (5-6-2) forced a turnover and went on a two-men-on-zero breakaway.
They scored with with 0.2 seconds left in the period.
The Icecats “”played a little better in the second game,”” Golembiewski said. “”They seemed to get some motivation, but that fifth goal really, really hurt us.””
Forward Matt Conover had two goals, and Joe Del Rossi and Matt Stommen each added a goal in the defeat.
The first game left few seeming positives for the Icecats to draw from as they lost 5-0. They continued a season trend of struggling on the power play, going 0-for-7 on their man advantages, while allowing three power-play goals of their own.
Meanwhile, they were outshot 35-25 and accounted for 10 penalties.
Even though the Billikens were unranked, they weren’t slouches by any standard, said Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski.
“”This was one of the few games I’ve been a part of when things got progressively worse instead of better,”” Golembiewski said.
Defenders Phil Hotarek and Evan Morro both picked up game disqualifications over the weekend, and both will miss Friday’s game against Long Beach State.
Golembiewski said the two players have to clean up their play, pointing to them ranking first and second on the team in
penalty minutes.
“”I was disappointed with the weekend’s game,”” Golembiewski said. “”Urgency is out the window. It’s pure execution now. The job has to get done, it doesn’t matter who does.””
“”I think people just need to start executing and becoming more responsible and accountable for their play,”” he added. “”Not only on the ice, but off the ice and in the locker room as well.””
The team will regroup during a full week of practice, as a talented Long Beach State team will provide another tough challenge for the Icecats, Golembiewski said.
The 49ers split a weekend series with ASU’s Division-II team, improving their record to 8-2-2.
Golembiewski said he expects to make a “”drastic”” change on the power-play unit.
Defender Austin Capobianco, who has been out the last two weeks with a knee injury, might return to the team this week – a change expected to bolster a struggling defense, Golembiewski said.
Forward Scott Marshall won’t be back for at least another week as he continues to recover from a concussion, Golembiewski said.