In a 60-minute hockey game, .8 seconds is nothing. It is 1/2880 part of the entire time. A hockey player, or any human being for that matter, cannot even put their socks on that fast. However, in a fast-paced sport like hockey, that is all the time it takes to win.
Less than a month ago,the Cougars learned the importance of playing every second when the Utah State Aggies beat them 3-2 with just .8 seconds left in overtime. A combination of tired defenders and penalties allowed the Aggies to come back against the Cougars and hand them their first and only loss of the season.
This weekend BYU will be able to revenge its loss when it plays Utah State Friday at Seven Peaks and Saturday in Logan.
"We are still licking our wounds a little bit from losing so late in overtime in that first game," said head coach Ed Gantt in a frustrated tone as he reflected once again on the disappointing loss. "We are a better team now than we were then. We have evaluated some games and made some adjustments, but it is going to be another dog fight."
With the University of Utah hockey team still in its rebuilding stages, the Cougar rivalry in hockey is blue v blue instead of blue v red. The Cougars have never won in Logan, and in the previous two seasons both teams have won four games each and tied once. Two of the four Aggies' wins came in overtime, and one came in a 3-0 shutout at Seven Peaks in 2005.
"This is one of those games where I don't have to do anything to get them up," Gantt said. "The boys in the locker room want the win so bad that they can taste it. All want to be part of the team that gets the first game at Utah State."
The 8-8-1 Aggies had last week off due to the holiday, but on their latest road trip, Utah State crushed Santa Clara 11-0 and got a big win over San Jose State who is currently ranked third in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's West Division. The eighth ranked Aggies beat the Spartans 4-3 on their home ice in one of their biggest wins of the season.
The tenth ranked Cougars beat Utah 7-2 in a game last weekend that was smashed between Thanksgiving and the highly anticipated BYU/Utah football game. The 7-1-1-1 Cougars will look to Brandon Holmes and Derek Battisti to continue to provide offensive power while goalie Ben Shapiro will look to continue his stellar play this season.
"This will be the first time that we get to play Utah State in front of our home crowd this year and we will look to take it to them and to send a message," Gantt said.
The Friday game will be played at Seven Peaks at 8:30 p.m. and students can get in for $5. Game two will be played in Logan Saturday at the George S. Eccles Ice Arena.
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Hockey Rivalry
Which is the true blue?
BYU and Utah State resume their hockey rivalry this weekend. Here's the results from the past two seasons:
2006-2007 Season
Utah State- 6 BYU- 5 @Logan
Utah State- 1 BYU- 3 @Provo
Utah State- 3 BYU- 3 @Logan
Utah State- 2 BYU- 6 @Provo
2005-2006 Season
Utah State- 4 BYU- 3 OT @Logan
Utah State- 3 BYU- 0 @Provo
Utah State- 3 BYU- 5 @Provo
Utah State- 3 BYU- 5 @Las Vegas
Utah State- 3 BYU- 2 OT @Logan
Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Nov 2007
