The annual “Pink the Rink” series wasn’t just a fundraising event — it became a showcase of dominance on the ice, as Texas A&M ice hockey beat Texas State 4-0 and 6-4 on Oct. 24 and 25 at Spirit Ice Arena.
The Aggies didn’t just show up for breast cancer awareness, coach Gary Russell said; they showed up to win and buried the Bobcats in back-to-back victories, making the night about hope as much as hockey. A&M competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and is now 10-3-1 on the season.
In Game 1, A&M took a 1-0 lead in the first period with an unassisted goal from biology senior forward Nate Polinsky. The period turned rough, with A&M nuclear engineering senior F Mason Burdett and Texas State’s senior F Jake Recore sent to the penalty box after a tussle.
“It got pretty physical early,” senior nuclear engineering F Nico Leone said. “I got cross-checked twice in the neck, so I just tied the guy up and went down. I didn’t want to get kicked out of the game.”
The second period was scoreless as both teams stayed aggressive. The Aggies broke the game open in the third period with goals from Burdett, political science junior F Lucas Lisciandro – assisted by political science sophomore defenseman Grant Givens and general studies junior F Ethan Ratliff – and Polinsky off another feed from Lisciandro to seal the 4-0 Friday-night victory.
“We just did what worked in the third, used our speed and stayed aggressive,” Leone said. “Once we woke up, we kept our foot on the gas.”
On Saturday, Texas State showed up ready to fight and drew a penalty from Polinsky before finding the back of the net on an unassisted goal from Bobcat freshman winger Alexander Chan to take a 1-0 lead.
“We knew it was going to be a chippy game,” Russell said. “They came out swinging, but our guys kept their composure and stuck to the game plan.”
The second period heated up when Texas State junior D Austin Weber started a brawl by throwing punches at Burdett. When Burdett swung back, both players were ejected from the game. The second period remained scoreless, with the Bobcats still up 1-0 headed into the third.
“We knew we just had to settle down and play our game,” Leone said. “Once we did that, our speed and pressure took over.”
A&M battled through a wild third period. The Aggies struck first with goals from Lisciandro and economics senior F Jacob Smith, assisted by aerospace engineering senior D Evan McCuaig, before freshman D Connor Claughton tied it up for the Bobcats at 2-2. Finance junior F Cade Willis quickly answered for A&M, but Texas State fought back with two goals to make it 4-4. Smith scored his second goal of the night, and Blinn freshman F Konstantin Deshevyy scored to secure the hard-fought 6-4 victory for A&M.
“It took that fight in front of our net to wake us up,” Russell said. “After the timeout, the guys settled in, played their game and showed what Aggie hockey is all about.” The Aggies will be back at Spirit Ice Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, to face off against North Texas. Tickets are available online at TamuIceHockey.com.
