Juan Villa / The Collegian

A late press by the Fresno State ice hockey team was not enough to end a six-game losing streak as pure attrition ended Saturday afternoon with an 8-3 loss to UC Davis.

Fresno State made a late third-period run with two goals in 30 seconds, but it was not enough to propel the overmatched Bulldogs past UC Davis.

The ‘Dogs have constantly been hounded by a lack of players.

UC Davis brought 17 players while Fresno State did not even have enough players to make a line change.

It took nearly 10 minutes for either team to gain any sort of passing consistency in the first period.

Fresno State finally gained enough composure to take a 1-0 lead in the first period on a wrist shot by forward Michael Gandy with 6:30 left on the clock.

Juan Villa / The Collegian

UC Davis, clearly overpowering Fresno State with raw personnel, had far more shots on goal in the first period.

Fresno State goalie Joe Ricupero played a flawless first period, protecting a 1-0 lead with lightning reflexes and a quick glove.

Senior ‘Dogs captain Derek Miller was hurt on the first shift of the game, but played through the pain.

“The other teams have to stand up on the bench just so they can all fit, where we can all sprawl out on the bench,â€Â Miller said.

Miller said he was happy with the performance on Saturday by the Bulldogs because they “played more together than the past two games.â€Â

Obvious exhaustion for the Bulldogs dominated the second period.

The Bulldogs were unable to make a full line change with six forwards, three defensemen and a goalie.

Fresno State had seven penalties in the second period and UC Davis capitalized on two of the power plays.

“Guys will get tired and they’ll stop skating and they’ll start using their sticks to cheat and start pulling on people. It creates penalties that you shouldn’t take because you’re tired,â€Â coach Marcel Bourdase said.

Fresno State did not score in the second period and was also hurt when a short-handed UC Davis forecheck netted an own goal against the ‘Dogs.

The third period began with two goals by UC Davis, the second another short-handed goal.

Fresno State finally responded, scoring two goals within 30 seconds to cut the four-goal lead in half.

The Bulldogs could not keep the momentum and UC Davis scored three more goals to close out the game, 8-3.

Gandy, a senior, scored two of Fresno State̢۪s three goals.

“I think that we played better against Davis tonight than we did the past two times, even though we lost,â€Â Gandy said.

The Bulldogs were missing one of their most talented players, Phillip Matson, who was out with a knee injury, Bourdase said.

“I’d love to have 15 skaters, I’d love to have 20 skaters, but at this point it’s not the case,â€Â Bourdase said. “If we keep improving, you never know what can happen.â€Â

The Bulldogs have two more regular season games before the playoffs, which starts in mid-February.

The ‘Dogs were happy to play in the Save Mart Center, an upgrade from their normal rink at the Gateway Ice Center in southwest Fresno.

The players noticed a big difference.

“It’s surprisingly bright, brighter than the other rinksâ€Â Gandy said. “On the ice it feels smaller when you’re down there.â€Â

“Obviously we’re a club sport and we don’t get the pick of the litter, we’re not NCAA, we have guys who play because they like to play,â€Â Bourdase said. “The Fresno Falcons have given us a chance to play in their facilities before the game, which they don’t have to do, and it gives us a great opportunity to treat our players like pros.â€Â