(11-07-06)
By Justin Ellison
Roseville, CA - The Sacramento State Men’s Ice Hockey team felt as if they had something to prove to their fans. After a wonderful showing in their first home game, and first win against UC Davis last weekend, fans were excited for the Hornet’s weekend homestand. The problem was, Sac State came out completely flat in the first game of the weekend against UC San Diego. The result: A 4-0 loss to the Tritons, not to mention an unsatisfied crowd at Skatetown Ice Arena.
The Hornets wanted to bring the same kind of intensity to the UCSD game that they brought to the UC Davis game. They were obviously unsuccessful. The team could not get on the right track from the beginning. They had numerous man advantages, including two 5 on 3 opportunities. The game was virtually equal for the most part with the game being tied for the first period and a half. UCSD just did what the Hornets had so much trouble doing all night. They capitalized on Sac State’s mistakes, which ended up being the clincher for the Tritons.
Though the Hornets did begin to pour it on towards the end of the game, it was just too late. They finished with 26 shots on goal, with most coming in the third period. The Tritons net minder had been up to the challenge and skated away with a shutout.
Now the idea of “proving themselves” to their fans came to the Hornet’s minds. They wanted the same kind of support that they got from the Davis game to continue for the rest of the season. The Saturday game against the Fresno State Bulldogs would be a perfect opportunity for the boys. Boy, did they ever take advantage of it.
The Hornets fought back and forth with the boys from Fresno in a classic game of give and take. The Hornets finished their weekend off with 41.8 seconds left in the contest when Jeff Roberts punched in the deciding goal. Players crashed the Bulldog net furiously as the thought of breaking the 4-4 tie was on their minds. At least three shots had been taken on net before Roberts finally put it behind Fresno’s net minder.
The goal was a culmination of all the hard work put in by the Hornets throughout the game. Goals, hits and insults were exchanged by the teams throughout the game. Justin Ellison and Matt Van Atta started the offensive shootout between the teams with a pretty goal on the power play. Ellison picked up the puck at Fresno’s blueline and skated wide down the left wing side. Van Atta flat out beat his man on the right wing side and called for the puck. Ellison floated a backhand pass to Van Atta who slammed it home for the first of three power play goals by the Hornets on the night.
Fresno quickly returned the favor and swept away any idea of a Hornet blowout. From there it was a mass of goals from both sides that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Jamison Meikle scored the goal that really ignited the crowd. With Sac State scoring only two minutes earlier to tie the game up, Meikle had the lead on his mind for the Hornets. A loose puck trickled down to the Fresno end and Meikle jumped all over it. The Bulldogs goalie came out to play the puck, but instead of clearing it down ice, he bounced it right off of Meikle. Meikle then picked the puck up in the right corner, at the goal line, with no possible angle of scoring. Without thought, he threw the puck at the net with the Fresno net minder desperately sprawling to get back into position. Somehow, some way, it found its way into the net for a Sac State 4-3 lead. From there, the Bulldogs showed their resilience by tying the game back up until the final seconds when the hornets scored the game winner. The whole team skated away satisfied with the win and the approval of their fans as well.
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