The Arizona Wildcats' club hockey team outscored Utah 21-1 in last weekend's two-game sweep of the Utes. Thursday night, they dispatched Colorado State 2-0 at Tucson Arena.
The sixth-ranked Wildcats will look to keep their momentum when they host No. 16 Colorado on Friday and Saturday inside the Tucson Arena. The puck drops at 1 p.m. both days.
“Colorado is very dangerous right now,” UA coach Chad Berman said. “They’re playing really good hockey.”
The same can be said for Berman and his team, who have won five of their last six, outscoring their opponents 34-5 in the process. Arizona is the second-ranked team in the Western Conference Hockey League, while the Buffaloes are ranked fifth.
“We know what’s at stake here, we play in one of the best conferences in the entire country,” Berman said. “I’m not worried about us taking anybody lightly.”
Berman said this weekend's games will come down to three things. Here's what the Wildcats must do:
1. Be heavy on the forecheck: Utah was able to muster only one goal in the two-game series against UA. The Wildcats have allowed a combined 56 goals in their 28 games. Defensemen Manny Rowe and Keelan Ulnick helped hold Utah to a single score. Thy'll try to contain Colorado’s Trace Jablin and Luke Carter.
2. Be excellent on the blue lines: Arizona's Bayley Marshall and Anthony Cusanelli will try to pressure Colorado’s defensemen early and often. “Last weekend was the best hockey we’ve played in a while,” Cusanelli said. CU is coming off two impressive wins as well, beating Missouri State by a combined 7-2 score in their two-game series.
3. Win on special teams: “I really think power-play will be an opportunity for us,” Berman said. It doesn’t hurt having two talented forwards in Marshall and Cusanelli, who have combined to score 37 goals. Marshall has nine power-play goals while Cusanelli has seven. The Wildcats will have to keep an eye on Jablin, who leads the Buffaloes with six power-play goals. Colorado has allowed 73 total goals thus far. It will be up to Arizona’s top-leading scorers in Cusanelli and Marshall to take advantage of as many opportunities that may come their way.
