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Show StatesmanSports Monday, Nov. 11 2010 Page 11 Hockey shows no mercy toward in-state rivals By MATT SONNENBERG assistant sports editor A week after sweeping in-state rival BYU in back-toback games, Utah State kept things local with a weekend set of games and two more wins, against the University of Utah and another contest against BYU. The Aggies never once trailed over the course of the two games, and wasted little time before taking the lead Friday. Tyler Mistelbacher, returning to action after missing the past two weeks with a thumb injury, took all of 22 seconds to put the Aggies up 1-0 on the Utes during Friday's game. "He has been dying to play," USU coach Jon Eccles said of Mistelbacher, who is still healing from his broken thumb that has had him on the shelf. "We're worried about his hand a lot." That early lead was something that the Aggies had made a priority leading up to the weekend. "All week we just focused on getting quick starts, getting out of the gate early, and we did that tonight," center Billy Gouthro said. "We were hungry tonight." Utah State put its back against the wall just more than six minutes into the contest when Jeremy Martin and Joel Basson were both called for cross checking penalties at 6:11 of the first period, giving Utah a 5-on-3 advantage. The Aggies responded masterfully behind some quality defensive play and anchored by a stellar performance by goalie Dan Cornelius. "He came to play," Eccles said of Cornelius, who also was returning to action for the first time in several games. "He played a great game. Late in the penalty kill, defenseman Ty Johns laid an authoritative hit deep in the defensive zone to gain possession of the puck and to kill the remainder of the Utah power play. Johns wasn't done yet though. Just 27 seconds after the penalty was killed off, Johns ripped a shot from just inside the blue line that clanked off the inside edge of the top-right post and into the net, beating Utah goalie AJ Boldan to give Utah State a 2-0 lead. WIth 2:37 remaining in the opening period the Aggies netted their third goal of the game when captain Kent Arsenault redirected a shot from defenseman Jason Moore into the net to give Utah State a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission. The second period was essentially the Gouthro show. Just more than five minutes into the period, the centerman buried his first goal of the game off assists by Martin and Basson. Just more than a minute later, Gouthro scored again, this time off of an assist by Arsenault to put Utah State up 5-0. Forward Matt Hamilton added a goal to his stats for the night to go along with his assist on Johns' first period goal to put the Aggies up 6-0. Gouthro, needing just one more goal for the hattrick, slid behind the Utah defense where defenseman Jeff Sanders found him with a bullet pass right up the center of the ice to give Gouthro a breakaway chance for his third goal. Gouthro cashed in on his opportunity to bring on the raining down of hats from the crowd and putting the Aggies up 7-0. Utah's first and only goal of the game came with just more than two and a half minutes remaining in the second period when winger Chris York got the only shot of Utah's 33 on the game to elude Cornelius. The Aggies, who had 18 total penalties in the game, found themselves in the penalty box on five separate occasions during the third period, leaving USU to battle through much of the period shorthanded. That, along with the time spent killing penalties in the first two periods, is something Gouthro said kept the team from sustaining their offensive momentum throughout the final period. Neither team found the back of the net during the third period, but Eccles said he was pleased with his team's 7-1 win. "I loved the players' intensity and their sense of urgency. I thought they brought it all three periods," he said. Going into Saturday's game on the road at BYU, the question was looming as to which Aggie team would show up to play that day. USU had dominated BYU on the road during the first game of the prior weekend's doubleheader, but struggled to hold on for a win the next night. Eccles was banking on the team that dominated to be the ones who would show up to play on Saturday against USU CENTER BILLY GOUTHRO skates toward the puck during a game earlier this year. Gouthro had five goals and an assist in the weekend's games versus the University of Utah and BYU. Utah State outscored the two teams by a combined 12-I and improved its record to 13-2. CARL R.WILSON photo the Cougars. Eccles was right. Riding a flawless effort by goalie Cody Palmer, Utah State beat the Cougars for the third time in two weeks 5-0. Gouthro continued his weekend scoring rampage, netting two more goals against the Cougars, the second of which came via converted penalty shot. Hamilton also scored for the second time in as many games, while Dave Wyman and Jay McFadden each scored goals of their own. Utah State put up 43 shots against the Cougars, while only allowing 24 shots against, every one of which Womenfinish second, men third at WAC championships By MIKE REES staff writer The Western Athletic Conference witnessed things play out a little differently than previously anticipated at the conference's cross country championship race held Saturday in Moscow, Idaho. Utah State's men, who had been favored to walk away with it all, finished in third place after a close race amid a tight field of competitors. Utah State's women ran to a strong second place performance behind pre-race favorite Idaho, and ahead of last year's champion, New Mexico State. The women had been picked to finish third. "The women had their best race of the year," head coach Gregg Gensel said. "They came together as a team and beat last year's defending champions. As a team, you want to improve each year. As you run you have a tendency to not reach or reach your potential. They worked closely together and reached their potential." The top finisher for the Aggies, sophomore Ruth Hilton, placed fifth with a time of 17 minutes, 50.84 seconds, earning first team all-WAC honors. "Personally, I hoped to do a little better, especially after coming back from an injury last year," Hilton said. "I feel like I have improved over the year though, even though I didn't really start the season as a standout." Finishing behind Hilton for the Aggies was sophomore Kaylee Campbell in 13th place with a time of 18:11.56, good for second team all-WAC honors. Hilton said, "We hoped we could've done a little better, but overall, we thought we did pretty good." Boise State University took home the men's conference title after finishing with 57 total points. New Mexico State University was close behind, managing to squeak past Utah State by just one point with 66 to USU's 67. Although placing third may come as a let down to the Aggies, who have enjoyed a commanding five straight Conference Championships, the boys in blue and white still ran impressively. Their average time for the eight-kilometer (4.97 miles) course was fastest among all the teams at 25:15.30. Boise State and New Mexico State averaged 25:16.55 and 25:24.61, respectively. "We ran good, we just didn't run good enough," Gensel said. "You'd like to think you can win it all the time, but we all know that's impossible. I'm proud of our kids because they handled it well. They did what they thought they could do. It will motivate us for the future." Senior Brian McKenna led the way for the Aggie men, as he has all season, finishing close on the heels of Fresno State individual champion Olivier Collin with a time of 24:27.45. McKenna garnered first team all-WAC honors, along with teammate Daniel Howell, who finished in fifth place with a time of 24:43.83. Also earning allconference accolades was sophomore Aaron Clements, who placed 13th in 25:17.99. Despite the close finish, McKenna looked to the horizon instead of remaining on the past. "It's good to have some strong competitors in the WAC to help us raise the bar a little bit," McKenna said. "We came out to perform. You've got to give credit to the guys who outperformed US. Cross Country races are scored based on the placement of the top five runners from each team. First place scores, one point, fifth place scores five points, and so on. Therefore, in order for a team to do well, each of the top runners must run a solid race and place well, instead of having one runner excel while the other four scoring runners don't run as well. For example, Fresno State freshman standout Collin was the individual Conference Champion with a time of 24:34, but the Bulldogs placed fourth as a team because their fourth and fifth runners placed 28th and 34th. Conversely, on the women's side, the Aggies placed ahead of third place New Mexico State, which had three runners place in the top ten, as opposed to Utah State's one. However, Utah State's fifth woman, sophomore Stephanie Burt, placed 20th, well ahead of New Mexico State's fifth woman, Madelyn Stoltze, who placed 34th, giving Utah State the edge. With the conference championships in the rear-view, the team will rest up this week before heading to compete in the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships hosted by the University of Utah on Nov. 13. The Aggies will attempt to qualify for the National Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 22. "I told the kids, focus on the positive, and get motivated for the next big race, which just happens to be regionals," Gensel said. The Aggies are sure to be looking for a rematch as New Mexico State will join them in Salt Lake. The other members of the WAC will run in either the Western Regional or South Central Regional. In order to qualify for nationals a team must place in the top two at regionals or qualify for an atlarge bid based on their performance. - michael.d.rees@aggiemail.usu.edu was turned away by Palmer. The Aggies now stand at 13-2 on the season as they travel to California this weekend for the San Jose Showcase. Utah State will return home Nov. 11 when they face Metro State. - matt.sonn@aggiemaiLusu. edu Men's team results 1.Boise State - 57 2. New Mexico St. - 66 3. Utah State - 67 4. Fresno State - 119 5. Idaho - 136 6. San Jose St. - 189 7.Louisiana Tech - 195 USU men's finishers 2. Brian McKenna - 24:37.45 5. Daniel Howell - 24:43 13. Clements, Aaron - 25:17.99 22.Nelson, Hunter - 25:47.59 25.Atkinson, Steve - 25:49.62 27. Larson, Eric - 25:54.39 29. McKenna, Kyle - 26:09.37 32. Lopez, Chio - 26:27.02 36. Barton, Jacob - 26:43.48 Women's team results 1.Idaho - 48 2. Utah State - 69 3.New Mexico St. - 75 4. Boise State - 89 5. Fresno State - 129 6.Nevada - 140 7.Hawaii - 182 8. San Jose St. - 226 9.Louisiana Tech - 286 USU's women finishers 5. Ruth Hilton - 17:50.84 13. Kaylee Campbell - 18:11.56 15.Jessie Chugg - 18:13.59 16.Alex Litzsinger - 18:16.94 20. Stephanie Burt - 18:21.43 23.Kim Quinn - 18:29.92 23 24.Alicia Wilkins - 18:34.93 29. Ashley Robison - 18:45.26 41. Hannah Williams - 19:03.33 Football debrief: The good, the bad and the ugly By ADAM NETTINA sports editor The Good: Diondre Borel continues his ascension up the Aggie record books, his performance Saturday adding to his already gaudy career resume. Borel, threw a career high 399 yards in the game and topped his previous career best of 369. It was the most passing yards by an Aggie quarterback since 2002, when Jose Fuentes threw for 426 yards against Middle Tennessee State. Borel wasn't the only one Aggie to have a big offensive game. A week after failing to establish the passing game against Hawaii, USU's backs, receivers and tight ends stepped up in a big way. Dontel Watkins (6 catches, 82 yards) and Kellen Bartlett (5 catches, 121 yards) led the way for the Aggies, but Kerwynn Williams, Eric Moats, and Travis van Leeuwen all logged more than 40 receiving yards apiece. If there's any saving grace in their performance going into the final stretch of the season, it's that all five players return will return to next year's USU team. The Bad: Where do you start? Utah State surrendered 596 yards to Nevada, which rushed for 387 yards despite missing the team's leading rusher in Vai Taua. Colin Kaepernick glided past USU defenders with ease, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown, while also picking part the Aggie secondary on 10-of-15 passing. Utah State's defense also failed to generate a turnover for the first time of the season. game in Logan slated to be the last conference matchup between the two team's before Nevada moves to the Mountain West. The Aggies are 2-8 in Reno, and have lost the last three away from Logan. As far as October goes, the Aggies' 25 losses in their last 32 October games speaks for itself. At least November brings the start of basketball season. The Ugly: Like games against San Diego State and Louisiana Tech, Utah State came out flat in the first half, struggling to adjust to the speed of the game while at the same time committing costly penalties which aided the opposition. Five of the first six Aggie possessions ended in punts, while the sixth ended after a Derrvin Speight fumble. Despite coming alive on offense in the second half, USU's defense did little to slow down the Nevada offense. What it means: Despite Gary Andersen's insistence that the Aggies are starting over with a "four game season," Saturday's loss effectively kills any lingering hope USU had to make a bowl game in 2010. To become bowl eligible, the Aggies would have to win their remaining four games - a highly improbable scenario, considering undefeated Boise State and 4-4 Idaho still loom on the horizon. But forget winning the remaining four, or even three of the last four for that matter. Despite a 2-6 record, New Mexico State won't be a cakewalk next week, especially with fan interest waning. The Painful: Neither the month of October nor the Wolf Pack have been kind to the Aggies in recent history. Saturday's loss drops USU to 4-17 against the Wolf Pack all-time, with next year's - adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu |