Arizona Wildcat hockey will try to snap a six-game losing streak this weekend at the Tucson Convention Center. No. 20 Arizona (9-13) hosts the Division II Utes of Utah (20-7-1) in a two-game series this weekend.
“This weekend is about getting back on track,” UA hockey coach Chad Berman said. “Last weekend’s performance was completely unacceptable and we are going to fix it. This week we have demanded heavy emphasis on the details of the game that are essential to consistent success. We have a lot to prove against Utah.”
Utah’s ACHA Division II club hockey team has come a long way since it was formed in 2006 and has become one of the elite D-II teams in the west. This year’s hockey team made school history by being ranked at No. 3, making it the highest rank Utah has ever earned in the poll.
Sophomore forward Josh Dangel leads the Utes in scoring with 41 points from 23 goals and 18 assists. Right behind Dangler is Chase McDonald with 35 points and Ben Seastrand with 30 points.
This season, freshman Chris Komma earned the starting position in net over junior goaltender Devan Betts. Komma has a .91 save percentage and holds a 14-5 record between the pipes.
“We’ve never played Utah so we don’t know much about them, but after we struggled last weekend, we need to play exceptionally well this Friday and Saturday,” UA hockey captain Shane Gleason said. “You never want to underestimate anyone in this league, so we will be preparing for this Utah series and the rest of our remaining games as if they were playoff games.”
Arizona has found itself in a slump over the past few weeks and has fallen below a .500 record. However, the Wildcats have one of the toughest schedules in the ACHA Division I and their losing streak comes against teams all ranked in the top five.
John and Brian “Toppie” Hogan, a pair of St. Louis twins, are two new additions to Arizona’s team. During their season debut last weekend, the boys wasted no time proving to the coach, team and TCC what they are capable of.
Brian Hogan lit up the ice during his first weekend as a Wildcat, scoring five points from three goals and two assists. John Hogan collected three points from one goal and two assists in his first collegiate hockey game.
Robbie Wilkinson leads the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points from 10 goals and seven assists. Following shortly behind is Dylan Carter with 16 points.
The Wildcats dedicate this weekend’s series of games to the military and on both Friday and Saturday night, fans can show their military IDs for half price Macho Nachos. Puck drops Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 pm.
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