The University of New Mexico hockey club took on the Colorado Mesa Mavericks this weekend at home, but were unable to overcome the challenges Mesa brought to the rink.
With alternative captain Garrett Inman out for the season due to an injured knee, the Lobo team faced obstacles going into the weekend’s matches.
On Friday night, the Lobos came onto the ice with a competitive attitude that was evenly matched by the Mavericks. Nate Taglialegami, center for the Lobos, pitched in the first goal of the night with no assists. UNM held their small lead through both the first and the second period.
In the final period, the Mavericks showed up with their own competitive spirit, putting offensive pressure on the Lobos throughout the period. Three minutes into the third, Mesa got the puck past UNM’s goalkeeper James Bostian, evening the playing field.
The remainder of the game was vying as both teams put up a fight to break the tie. In the end, it was the Mavericks with a final shot into the net, winning 2-1.
Friday’s game resulted in more obstacles for the Lobos to overcome during Saturday’s game. Taglialegami was disqualified on Saturday after an aggressive pile up on the ice.
Saturday’s game started slow for the Lobos. The Mavericks put up a two-point lead in the first period as the Lobos lacked in much needed energy.
The adjustment’s that needed to be made to make up for the loss of two players was evident in the first period, and Coach Grant Harvey commented with some tough love for his players.
“Considering the circumstances, I’m proud of my guys,” Harvey said, “We had a bad start with no intensity, no heart. I’ll be hard on them.”
But UNM quickly shifted gears, going into the second with the energy they were missing in the first, proving they weren't going to lose without a fight.
The Mavericks matched the energy, finding the back of the net within a minute into the second, giving them a 3-0 lead. The Lobos defense stepped up to the challenge of matching the intense Maverick offense.
Mesa didn’t let up on the pressure. The Mavericks shot in another goal before the Lobos managed any points on the board. The Lobos were looking at a 4-0 lead when right wing Graeme Chiasson pushed the puck past Mesa’s goalkeeper.
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Tensions got high towards the end of the second, with trash talking on the ice that turned into a pile up fight between the teams. Number 28 for the Mavericks took the penalty for the fight while number 72, another Maverick player, faced a total of twelve minutes in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The second period ended with 4-1 on the board, CMU with the lead.
The third period was a small victory of sorts for the Lobos as the team kept the Mesa offense away from the Lobo goal and closed the lead slightly.
After a long fifteen minutes of battle on the ice and near misses from the Lobos, Chance Shanks, a right wing for UNM, pushed in the second goal of the night, ending the game 4-2.
Despite the loss, the Lobos chose to take it with a grain of salt and use it as a humbling moment that Harvey says all teams have to go through to stay grounded.
“They’re as tough as I thought they were going to be,” Harvey commented on the Mesa team, “Coming back and having a great third period is a win for me.”
Goalkeeper James Bostian put in another great weekend on the ice and is ready to bring the effort the team put in against the Mavericks, and more, for the upcoming weekend.
“Anytime you come away with an outcome like that after putting forth the effort we did, it’s a tough one to take home,” Bostian said, “But we’ll dwell on it for a bit and come back better next week.”
The Lobos travel north Friday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m., to take on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for a two-night match up.
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.
