Ice hockey club loses 2 games, misses out on win after cancellation of game

After two blowout losses to the No. 7 Arizona State men’s hockey team Friday and Saturday, the IU club ice hockey team was able to fire back, seeming to grab its first win in almost two months Sunday in 9-5 game against the Sun Devils that was called due to a power outage.

IU entered Tempe, Ariz., on Friday with a 10-game losing streak. The team lost by at least six goals three times during the streak, and it forfeited twice due to a suspension from play after failing to follow IU club sport tryout and practice protocol.

The team began the first period Friday like a team with something to prove.

Senior goalie Jason Burriss succeeded in not letting a single puck through the net against the strong Arizona State offense, but those 20 minutes would seem to be Burriss’ only shining moments in the 60-minute game. In a 10-minute stretch during the second period, Burriss gave up three goals, sending the Hoosiers into the third period down by three.

The Hoosiers, however, would attempt to make a comeback. Junior Mark Huber would score the lone IU goal for the night, assisted by senior KC Madock and freshman Brian Bieschke. Burriss gave up two more goals in the closing minutes, and IU fell 5-1.

Although IU suffered the loss at the hands of a top-ranked opponent — certainly not the first the club has faced this year — the defeat seemed to intimidate the squad going into its next game Saturday, as the 12-3 rout was the worst of the season.

The first of these 12 goals came quickly. Just 14 seconds after the puck dropped, Burriss let the first of his 10 allowed goals hit the back of the net. IU sophomore Kyle Lewis, assisted by sophomores Nick Dobrez and Alex Santostefano for the Hoosiers, matched another Sun Devil goal, and the first period ended with IU at just a 2-1 deficit.  
But after breakdowns in the team schemes and bundles of turnovers, Burriss and IU allowed more goals — seven — in the second period alone than it had allowed in all but one game the entire season.

Coach Jan Jas decided that he had seen enough after Burriss let yet another goal through to make the score 10-2 in the third period, and the coach substituted Ryan Israel midway through. Israel surrendered two more goals of the nine shots against him on goal. A late unassisted goal by senior Chris Benz rounded out the final score.

Yet the series may be remembered for the finish the Hoosiers brought to the pair’s final game Sunday, which was brought to an early finish due to the lack
of electricity.

The teams battled through two-and-a-half periods of play when the lights in the Arizona State ice arena began to flicker on and off. Two short power surges, followed by a longer third, lasted for almost a half-hour, stopping play indefinitely.

Up to that point, IU had found the offensive surge it was looking for, scoring nine goals in its shortened playing time despite giving up five themselves, four on Sun Devil power plays.

Freshman Greg Rachke, junior Erik Skjodt and senior KC Madock each scored two goals to lead IU in its apparent 9-5 win against the Sun Devils. Sophomore Dakota Hooker led the team both in points and assists with four in each category.

It does not appear that the game will be made up for the time lost due to the power outages and therefore will not have an official winner, though IU had a comfortable lead on the Sun Devils with just nine minutes to play.

The team will wrap up the fall semester’s play this weekend as it plays two games against Midwest rival Kentucky on Friday and Saturday.