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Show StatesmanSports Page 10 Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011 Hockey reloads From Paget UTAH STATE FORWARD BILLY GUOTRHO fights off a Colorado defender in a game last year. Guothro is one of the Aggie forwards vying to replace all-time leading goal scorer Kent Arsenault, who graduated from Utah State University last year. Statesman file photo CAREER Visit Early and Often SERVICES DISCOVER the LIFE you W=Tal said. "Probably the best I've seen in my three years here." Hamilton's looking to improve on a strong season last year. His aggressive play and puck battles will continue to be an asset for Utah State, but the real story of the Aggie forwards is written in the young but powerful off-season additions to the team. "We've brought in a couple of new kids that fill the roles of some of the guys we lost," Hamilton said. Brian Gibbons is one of those new kids. A transfer from Utica College in central New York, came on the ice ready to play for the Aggies. Gibbons was unable to play last season for the Pioneers because of a wrist injury, but was the third leading scorer for the pioneers, with 14 goals in the 2009-2010 season. The state might seem low, but it is important to note the Pioneers play approximately 25 games during that season, compared to the Aggies' 45 games. "We have the talent on the team," Gibbons said. "We're In theKnow Students can bypass lines at the Eccles Ice Center by purchasing 2011-12 tickets in advance, in the HPER and Nelson Field House. Once a student purchases a ticket, credit is transferred to their USU ID card, which can then be swiped at the game much like basketball admissions. Prices for students are $5 per game ticket or $80 for a season. heading in the right direction." Gibbons has been highly talked about, helping Utica College to the ECAC West conference tournament. Gibbons recorded 12 assists in his last season of play, and the Aggies are expecting his unselfish style of play to turn the heads of many fans. Gibbons brings a skill level beyond what the Aggies have seen before. Eccles said Gibbons is very strong on the puck. "Brian will be a great goal scorer and a great set up man," Eccles said. "He's a very unself- ish player." Another transfer is Utah native Cooper Limb, who made the move to USU after aging out of Juniors in Canada. Limb had 22 goals and 13 assists for the Lloydminster Bobcats, last season, and will return home and make some noise for the Aggies. "Once we get these guys into a game and see how these guys work, and how they can put the puck in the net, that will really tell the story," Eccles said. —meredith.kinney@aggiemail. usu.edu *From Page 8 Volleyball drops match to BYU 3-0 it's always a fun match. The • Choose a Major/Career • Obtain an Internship • Prepare for Grad School & Tests • Get a Job after graduation University Inn Rm 102, Ground Level 435.797.7777 www.usu.edu/career career.services@usu.edu UtahStateUniversity CAREER SERVICES USU VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS middle blocker Nicole GneitingTheurer and outside hitter Josselyn White attempt to save a ball bouncing off the net. The Aggies lost all three sets in the match against Brigham Young University. CODY GOCHNOUR photo crowd was awesome. I love when they just cheer and cheer for us, and heckle the other side. They're lots of fun." Coach Debose echoed Sorensen's praise for the crowd. "It's a great crowd," he said. "I appreciate those guys coming out and supporting us, and being loud and kind of heckling a little bit; it's a great environment. Volleyball kind of lends itself to that stuff so it's kind of fun." The Aggies will be on the road this weekend, in California, to take on old West Coast Conference foes UC-Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, Friday and Saturday. USU then returns home to the Spectrum, Sept. 22 and 24, to host San Jose State and the No. 9 Rainbow Wahine of Hawaii. -curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu A much needed soccer shoutout to our Aggies Maybe START CLIMBING HIGHER. "ws START STRONG a isimiliNow There's strong. Then there's Army Strong. Do you want to jump-start your career plans? Apply for the Army ROTC Leader's Training Course at Utah State University. This 4-week leadership development course will challenge and push you to your limits. After you finish, you will be ready for life as a leader when you graduate from college as an Army Officer. To get started, contact Curtis Turner or visit usu.edu/armyrotc. CONTACT US TO LEARN WHAT ROTC CAN OFFER! COMPETE FOR A FULL SCHOLARSHIP AT THE PAID SUMMER LEADER'S TRAINING COURSE! We teach you the skills employers are looking for after college! Call 435-797-7682 or email: curtis.turner@usu.edu it's because I spent a couple years in Scotland, and I've developed a love for soccer. Maybe it's because I'm writing half of this column at a USU soccer match. Whatever it is, I've got to give a shout out to the women's soccer team. They have won eight in a row and haven't lost or tied this entire season. That's pretty amazing for any sport at the university level. Did you know about the success they are having? Judging by how many people I see in the bleachers right now, probably not. That's really too bad, because these women are something special and anyone who watches them play will see something amazing. They were good last year, and now they are just one game away from having as many wins as all of last year's 9-7-5 record. The Aggies have only allowed three goals all season. Senior goalkeeper Molli Merrill had a careerhigh eight saves in the win over Cal State Fullerton, Sept. 4., and has never allowed more than a goal in any match so far this year. Forward Shantel Flanary leads the WAC in goals, at eight, and was named the WAC offensive player of the week, Monday. The senior from Highland, Utah, scored her first career Show me a Scotsman hat-trick even though she played in less than half of the game in USU's 6-1 win over Idaho State, Sept. 11. She is only one goal away from matching her goal total from last season. Transfer Kersey Davis has come in and made an impact with the Aggies already. She has also captivated spectator attention during her throw-ins, in which she gets a running start and flips her entire body around the ball, before launching it into the field of play. As a whole, the team earned its first ever regional ranking this season and has climbed the chart ever since — currently it is ranked No. 7 in the West. They're pretty much awesome. Not to distract from how great Utah State is doing this year, but I've noticed some huge flaws in American soccer. First of all, why am I staring at a clock counting backwards? For anyone who hasn't spent time outside of the United States, the clock in soccer matches counts forward. It starts at zero and moves to 90, stopping only once for halftime. It's not like basketball or football where the clock stops after every play. When the ball goes out of bounds, or across the touch-line as the British would say, the clock does not stop. Substitutions are another thing the NCAA has screwed up. In soccer matches ,each side is normally allowed three substitutions. Once a player has been substituted off the pitch — or field for you Americans — he or she is not allowed to return. This forces soccer players to be much more fit, athletically. In the collegiate rulebook we have now, a player can sub on and off as many times as the coach orders, provided they have not reentered the game more than three times. There are a few problems with the collegiate league rules — but hey, don't hate the player, hate the game. Our Aggie soccer team is something else to watch in awe. -Tavin Stucki is a sophomore majoring in print journalism. He is the sports editor for The Utah Statesman and writes USU football stories for ksl.com . He is an avid Aggie fan and has been since birth. Follow him on twitter at @ tavinstucki for your football updates. |