With the Arizona hockey team in the midst of a four-game losing streak, its longest of the season, a trip up north to the frigid weather of North Dakota might be exactly what it needs to get back on track.
“It’s going to be a big change (from) here, but I think the boys are ready for the weekend of cold weather,” forward Scott Wilson said. “It kind of brings you back to the roots of hockey.”
Traveling to hockey country isn’t going to put Arizona back on the winning track by itself, beating a pair of teams on winning streaks might.
Tonight the UA takes on non-ACHA member Williston State College, which is on a five game winning streak. The Wildcats then play No. 10 Minot State Friday and Saturday, a team on a nine-game winning streak of its own, and also the last team to beat Williston State.
A victory tonight should help the team erase the sour taste in their mouth from the 10-3 defeat in their last game against No. 3 ASU and return the Wildcats back to how they were performing before their recent skid.
“Playing consistent is definitely going to be key for us … It’s kind of been the story of our season,” captain Brian Slugocki said. “We’ll let up for a couple minutes and that’s really what kills us.”
The task of playing three straight games isn’t daunting for Arizona, and the Wildcats view it as more of an opportunity.
The three games in a row will always bring fatigue, Wilson said, but it also gives Arizona a chance to try and build on momentum if it can win the first game.
And while Williston State has been hot as of late, Arizona should take care of the Tetons, who are in the National Junior College Athletic Association. But Williston State did beat Minot State once in three tries this season, so if the Wildcats aren’t ready, it could turn into a trap game.
“You don’t want to look past any game, and this game is just as important as any other game in the building process we’re trying to create here at the UA,” Wilson said.
What might be even more challenging than the three straight days or the streaking opponents is the travel schedule the players have to endure.
