The University of New Mexico hockey team returned to its home ice at the Outpost Ice Arena over the weekend and seemed to pick up where it left off last season, despite having fewer players on the roster.
New Mexico (1-0-1) earned a draw on Friday night in the season opener, followed by a gritty performance in a physical matchup and Saturday that yielded a 3-2 victory over the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers.
Head coach Grant Harvey said he was pleased with the team’s overall effort and thought the players responded well given the circumstances.
Harvey said conditioning will be point of emphasis with New Mexico looking at an early bye week, mostly because the reality is that players won’t have much time to rest for long after a line change and will have to be ready when their number is called.
“We were shuffling defensemen up where forwards should be playing, and vise versa,” the head coach said regarding the line changes throughout the game.
The team took some big hits Saturday night, forcing the players to step when needed to pick up any slack on the ice.
“They (the players) are pretty head strong and brave, so it’s a testament to their toughness,” Harvey said.
The head coach also mentioned that UNM men’s basketball coach Paul Weir and some of his players were on hand for the opener, which he took note of. Several university athletic programs have been showing up to support fellow student-athletes and enjoy seeing other Lobos in competition.
Friday’s draw may have come as a shock to Lobo fans as UNM lost the lead it worked so hard to build over the first two periods. Center Nate Taglialegami started the season with two goals in the first for the Lobos, bringing the team a 2-0 lead over CSM.
The second and third periods proved to be more competitive as the Lobos sat in the back of the ice fighting off the Orediggers’ aggressive offense. In the second period, the visitors put two up on the board, but Lobo right wing Graeme Chiasson knocked in the final point for his team. His score gave New Mexico a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Unfortunately for the Lobos, the team couldn’t hold the one-point lead as Colorado School of Mines knotted things up in the third, ultimately forcing the game to end in a tie after neither team was able to add to its total in overtime.
Saturday’s game was as physically taxing a contest as one might see. Things got a little chippy, there were some big hits and some players got laid out on the ice as a result. Even though some may have been worse for wear, everyone seemed to walk away relatively unharmed.
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Taglialegami, one of the team co-captains, set the tempo for the Lobos right out of the gate. New Mexico won the face-off and almost immediately fired a shot at the opposing net — it was off the mark, but the captain lit the lamp less than one minute into the game for an early 1-0 lead.
The Lobos continued to apply heavy pressure, but the Colorado School of Mines keeper seemed to weather the storm after relenting the opening goal. He made impressive saves using his glove, body, stick and anything else he could find to protect the goal.
UNM keeper James Bostian also played well, diving to the ground to cover a loose puck amidst a stack of bodies to save what looked like a sure goal. But the Orediggers broke through moments later for their first goal and the first period ending with the scored tied at 1-1.
New Mexico appeared to reclaim the lead with a goal five minutes into the second period, but referees waved it off and met with both benches to provide an explanation. Apparently there was an inadvertent whistle, which rendered anything that happened afterward null and void.
The Lobos continued an offensive assault on the net and the perseverance finally paid off late in the period when they made the most of a power play opportunity. UNM’s Jarrod Ronquillo torched a shot past the keeper to give his team a 2-1 advantage, followed by another score moments later off the stick of teammate Mike Kalaber.
That goal put the Lobo hockey club up 3-1 and seemingly in control heading into the final period. But Colorado School of Mines made things in the third, putting one past Bostian with 13:26 remaining in the game.
New Mexico had several good looks in the frame, but couldn’t pierce the defense again to create more separation. The Lobos nearly doubled up their opponent in shot attempts, outshooting the Orediggers 36-19 for the game.
Colorado School of Mines played with a one-man advantage for four minutes late in the game after the Lobos were whistled for a pair of penalties. But the Lobos were able to kill the power play both times, denying the Orediggers a shot attempt during one of the two-minute stints.
Bostian was a brick wall the rest of the way as well, playing his part in helping the Lobos record the first victory of the season by preserving the 3-2 win. The result netted UNM a 1-0-1 record to start the season.
Harvey credited Taglialegami and Bostian as the standout players of the weekend and seemed impressed by their effort, saying they both played critical roles in the team’s success.
“(Taglialegami) put up four or five points in the two games,” Harvey pointed out. “(Bostian) just played tough at the end when he needed to — made some big saves, made some heroics saves to the prevent them from tying up the game.”
New Mexico will enjoy a bye week, which will hopefully allow players to heal up before returning to the Outpost Ice Arena to host Colorado Mesa University on Sept. 28 and 29 with both matches taking place at 8 p.m.
Alanie Rael is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She primarily covers volleyball, hockey and track and field, but also contributes content for football. She can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AllyRael.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball and baseball and contributes content for various other sports as well. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.
