Eagles ranked third in ACHA

EWU’s men’s hockey secured a place in the American College Hockey Association’s (ACHA) regional tournament after defeating the Weber State University Wildcats 8-0 Friday and 6-1 Saturday.

With a record of 23-5-2, the Eagles sit third in the ACHA West Division II power rankings, guaranteeing them a spot in the regional tournament. A win against Colorado, Feb. 25, would help the team qualify for the national playoffs.

“We need to keep up the pressure while fore-checking and keep forcing those turnovers against Colorado and hopefully go on to nationals,” said Head Coach Gary Braun.

Eastern came out shooting against a road-weary Weber State on Friday with left winger Alex Arnold picking up five goals, four of which were assisted by Captain Mike Truex.
Scoring continued to come from the first line as Arnold and Truex also set up Ryan Schank for his cannonade goal shot from just inside the point early on. Schank had three points and two assists in the game.

Thomas Heaney assisted Kris Boyce’s shot into the net, finishing off the eighth and last goal that night.

“We had a lot of things we worked on over the weekend that went really well in this game,” Braun said. “We tried to play as much of the game in their end as we could, and I think we did just that.”

Hockey action continued Saturday as the senior game kicked off at 4 p.m. Players Heaney, Truex, Kenny Johnston, Mike Jenson and Pat Murphy took to the ice for their last game in the rec center before the end of their final season at EWU.

“Playing for Eastern was an incredible experience,” Heaney said. “I was able to compete in a national semifinal in the last two years and play in front of a sellout crowd almost every home game, which is a pretty rare thing for a non-NCAA college student.”

The Eagles took an early lead in the first period when Schank and Truex linked up with Arnold, who scored the early power-play goal. Five minutes later, Kevin Ogle dished the puck to Arnold for his seventh goal of the two weekend games.

Eastern was unrelenting in the second period as Heaney set up Martin Elliot for his first goal of the night. Weber state was able to pull one back a minute later, cutting EWU’s lead to just two goals.

Eastern’s spirit seemed unaffected by the goal against them. In the third period, a shot from Truex was deflected off Schank into the net to put them up three. Scoring followed from Elliot and Boyce, raising EWU to a total of 14 goals during the weekend.

“We didn’t prepare as well as we did on Friday, and as a result, the play was a little bit sloppier,” Braun said. “We just have to remember that every game we play from now on is sudden death. The next game we lose means we’re done for the season.”

Braun was also thankful for the amount of effort put into hockey this season, both on and off the ice.

“I want to thank everyone who supported us this year; the fans, the club sports organization and everyone else involved,” Braun said. “Every time I walk into the rink at The Roost, I thank Eastern for the great facility. We’re truly blessed to be playing in such a nice arena.”

The team’s focus is now on the upcoming regional championship game with Colorado as the Eagles look toward national glory.

“Hopefully we can keep this momentum going and win the national championship,” Braun said.