After getting its season off to a slow start with five straight losses, Fresno State’s hockey team picked up its first pair of wins of the season over the weekend at Gateway Ice Center.
Fresno State lost its first game of the weekend, 16-1, to Santa Clara on Friday, Oct. 13. It bounced back in the next two games, with two wins over UC Santa Cruz. Fresno State won 8-2 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday.
“For a brand new club, this is huge and shows anything can be done with enough grit and determination,” goalie Zach Ortiz told The Collegian. “After losing some games prior, winning can turn the tide and change the environment in the locker room.”
On Saturday, the ‘Dogs were led by defenseman Nilen Peoples, who recorded four points with two goals and two assists. Peoples also scored a goal on Sunday.
“When I scored, I felt self-accomplishment in myself, but I also felt that I gave the fans that came and watched us something to be excited about,” Peoples said. “It makes it so much better when you do something positive in the game and you look over and see so many fans rooting for you and staying by your side.”
With the two wins, Fresno State now sits in second place in the West Coast Hockey Conference Tier 2 North Division with 4 points. They trail Santa Clara, who has 8 points.
The ‘Dogs started the season off with a five-game losing streak. During the streak, they got outscored 14-74 for a goal differential of -60.
One of the areas of improvement was the team’s performance on defense. After allowing an average of 14.8 goals per game over the first five games, Fresno State only surrendered two goals in each of the wins this past weekend.
“We had some good pressure on their defense and we were creating a lot of turnovers,” Head Coach Mark Haupt said on the post-game recap following the 8-2 win. “We played the majority of the game in their end; we only gave up nine shots. It was a good performance for us today.”
Even with the two promising wins, Ortiz feels like the team can do a better job of getting ready for opponents.
“One thing we can improve on is studying our opponents so we can come in shooting and get a lead early,” Ortiz said
One of the strong spots for the team over the weekend was their puck movement.
“We were able to execute passes that lead to great opportunities to score goals and put pressure on the other team,” Peoples said. “As long as we played like we did this weekend, the sky is the limit with the success we can reach and accomplish.”
Another bright spot for the team early on in the season has been the chemistry, on and off the ice.
“A few of us have grown very close together over these past months and it has helped [us] tremendously,” Ortiz said.
The ‘Dogs will be back on the home ice at Gateway Ice Center on Oct. 19, as they’ll face off against Long Beach State at 3:45 p.m.
