Aggies hammer Metro

Freshman forward Tyler Mistelbacher rattled off a hat trick and the USU hockey club put a beat-down on the Metro State University Roadrunners, 8-3, in the Eccles Ice Center Saturday night.

USU wasted no time taking it straight to Metro. For the first two minutes of the game, USU kept the puck effectively in Metro territory and, before long, put itself on the board. At the 18:51 mark in the first period, Metro State’s Michael Walters was penalized for holding after nearly tackling Jay McFadden to the ice. In the ensuing power play, Brendan MacDonald took a pass from Jeremy Martin and punched it into the back of the net after only 1:55 of play. MacDonald’s powerplay goal sent USU on its way. The Aggies never trailed.

The real star of this game, however, was Mistelbacher. “Missile,” as his teammates call him, scored once in the first and twice in the second period. The “Missile” and USU really showed their deadly nature on the power play – all three of Mistelbacher’s goals were power play goals. That, along with MacDonald’s super quick goal just under two minutes into the first, really sealed the deal for Utah State and solidified the win for the Aggies. Team leader David Wyman said he was pleased with Mistelbacher’s effort.

“He’s had a ton of chances this year,” Wyman said. “He’s like a natural goal scorer. He’s hit a ton of posts, so it was great to see him put in three. It helps with the confidence. He’s a great player. It’s always great to see one of your fellow teammates have a big night.”

USU only really fell apart during a 30-second stretch of low-efficiency hockey in which Metro State was able to fire two pucks past USU goaltender Dan Cornelius. Metro was able to clean up the trash after a couple of long shots left the puck right in front of the goal. With 4:09 remaining in the first period, Metro’s Turner Bahn snuck through a slew of Aggie defenders and put it past Cornelius. Twenty-seven seconds later, Metro State’s Steve Call swung around the back side of the net, spied Montana Loundigan’s rebound next to Cornelius’s right shin pad and punched it through his legs. Just like that, the score was locked at two apiece.

Enter Tyler Mistelbacher.

Metro State was called for having too many men on the ice with 1:44 remaining in the first, and Roadrunner Adam Page went to the sin bin. USU started its attack. With about 20 seconds remaining, Jeremy Martin took a shot at the goal that Metro’s keeper, Anthony Davis, was able to deflect. Martin gathered the puck and passed the puck out to the blue line where Matt Hamilton advanced toward the goal. Hamilton split two defenders, got Davis to commit on a fake-shot attempt and dropped it back to the trailing Mistelbacher to make the score 3-2 in favor of USU.

Mistelbacher’s other two power-play goals came in the second period. With 15:39 remaining, Metro’s Rob Malik was called for hooking and sent to the penalty box. Ten seconds later, Martin faked a shot at the blue line and sent the puck low to Hamilton. Once again, Hamilton put it right in Mistelbacher’s wheelhouse and “Missile” sent it home. Finally, Hamilton found Martin who found Mistelbacher on the power play with 5:31 remaining in the second. Pass. Shoot. Score. USU led at that point 6-3 and would add two more goals. McFadden sent in a bullet off a Wyman assist and Wyman himself scored his second goal and the final goal of the game with 13:57 remaining in the third period.

USU’s puck movement was excellent in this game. Metro was trailing five yards behind the Aggies’ quick passes all night long. Wyman praised his team and credited the win to USU’s passing.

“I think it was really good,” Wyman said. “It’s one of our definite advantages against other teams is that we’re very good passers and we look for the open man. Tonight it just came together and worked out for us.”

The matchup against Metro State was certainly not the cleanest. USU was called for 14 penalties compared to Metro’s 9.

Several players and the coach were not pleased with both their own team’s effort and the officiating, despite the favorable result. Wyman was one such individual. He said the officials made some questionable decisions, but also that USU can continue to show progress in certain disciplinary areas of its game.

“Tonight there were a lot of marginal calls,” Wyman said. “But you didn’t see us yelling at the ref or anything like that. So, that’s an improvement. We’re slow learners with that, and it’s cost us earlier this season and last year. But if we can keep improving then it’s going to be a big step forward for our team.”

Head coach Jon Eccles said USU needs to learn to play more consistently.

“It should have been 10-0,” Eccles said of the game. “We tend to fall into a pattern where we play to their level at times. I thought the guys held their composure and played through it. It’s tough when you play teams that aren’t a CU (Colorado) or CSU (Colorado State), but we’ve got to be able to play at that high intensity every game.”

The defensive play caller and goalkeeper, Dan Cornelius, said USU goes through stretches where the team falls apart mentally. He said the team needs to develop mental fortitude.

“We do this a lot,” Cornelius said. “We underestimate teams and let them stay in the game until the third period where we actually have to step it up. We need to quit getting down on ourselves. If they get a goal, we need to shake it off and get another goal. The best way to answer is to get another goal. There’s still stuff we need to work on. All we need to do is keep working on being disciplined.”

USU will have an opportunity to continue developing its game next Friday when the Boise State Broncos skate onto the rink at the Eccles Ice Center. The puck drops at 7 p.m.