The Arizona club hockey team entered the weekend with a golden opportunity to prove it can play with the East Coast teams and to try to remove a bias against the West. By the end of the weekend, however, the Icecats had been sent back home disappointed, winless and unranked.

Arizona fell 4-2 to No. 4 University of Delaware Sunday, 4-2 to No. 15 West Virginia University Saturday and 5-3 to No. 17 Robert Morris University (PA) Friday.

Though the weekend didn’t end how the Icecats had originally hoped, head coach Leo Golembiewski said the team played well and showed signs of becoming a good hockey team, though it started the season 0-3.

“”We proved this weekend that we are still a top-25 team, considering the quality opponents in which we faced,”” said Golembiewski, who led the Icecats into the weekend ranked No. 23.

In the first game of the season Friday, the Icecats struggled to stay out of the penalty box against Robert Morris, which resulted in a 5-3 loss. In the second game against West Virginia, the Icecats led through the second period but allowed three goals in the third, eventually falling 4-2.

The Icecats improved with each game and had their best showing in their last game against Delaware on Sunday. In the first period neither team scored, both sides still half asleep after starting the game at 9 a.m. local time.

In the second period, Delaware wasted no time by scoring in the first nine seconds of the period and then scoring three minutes later on a power play goal.

With the Icecats down 2-0, it appeared the Blue Hens would run away with the game, but with 29 seconds remaining in the second period, Icecats forward Matt Conover scored on an assist by Robbie Nowinski.

The goal pulled the Icecats within one point of tying the game going into the second intermission.

In the third period, Delaware struck again, taking a 3-1 lead. Then with 10:43 left in the final period, Icecats freshman forward Alex Dunning brought the Icecats back within one goal.

It was one of three goals on the weekend – one in each game – for the Arizona freshman.

Arizona was unable to score, so the coaches pulled goaltender Nick Boddy to gain the main advantage with a minute remaining. Delaware then scored on an empty net to seal the game.

“”Boddy didn’t have nearly as much protection as he should have had,”” Golembiewski said, and that unnecessary penalties and inconsistent play from the defense are things the Icecats look to improve before the next game.

Slapshots
Freshman Forward Zack Gross broke his wrist in Friday’s game and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.