The University of Arizona men’s hockey team opened up the first round of the ACHA National Tournament with a defeat over the University of Oklahoma 3-0 on Thursday, March 13. The game was played in Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo.  

The Wildcats came into the game as the No. 15 seeded team in the 24-team bracket with Oklahoma being the 18 seed. 

Arizona started the game with Hadyn Gould in net. Gould has been the team’s primary goalie throughout the season, starting 23 games for the team with a 15-8 record during the regular season. 

During the first period both teams failed to convert on any of their chances as the game remained tied at zero. 

The Wildcats were able to get onto the power play late in the second period but were unable to break the ice. The score stood at zero going into the third period.

With 9:23 left in the third period, forward Brian Ericsson broke the tie to give Arizona a 1-0 advantage. The lead was extended just minutes later, as forward Dylan Walker scored, continuing his stellar season, averaging 1.18 points/goals per game. 

Trailing 2-0 with under two minutes to go in the game, Oklahoma pulled its goalie as Arizona forward Eddie Slack was able to get an empty net goal to seal a 3-0 win for Arizona.

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