In a two-game series filled with penalties, big saves and plenty of emotion, Texas A&M ice hockey battled hard against Arkansas, but came up short in both games at Spirit Ice Arena on Oct. 3 and 4. The Aggies fell 4-3 in overtime to the Razorbacks in a Friday-night shootout before they dropped Saturday’s rematch 3-1, to bring their season record to 4-2-1.
After the initial defeat in the first game, the squad battled through a physical redemption match that saw multiple players ejected following heated exchanges. Despite the losses, the weekend reflected progress in teamwork, discipline and preparation as they look ahead to a California road trip, according to A&M coach Gary Russell.
Arkansas junior forward Cole Helm struck first within minutes to put the Razorbacks up 1-0 in the first period. A&M answered with three second-period goals from aerospace engineering senior defenseman Evan McCuaig, nuclear engineering senior F Nicholas Leone and public health junior D Dylan Luu to swing momentum in its favor and tie the game at three.
“I hadn’t scored in two games, so I was like, ‘I needed to be selfish on this one,’” Leone said. “We were the better team five-on-five, we just have to stay disciplined — they flop a lot, and that hurts us.”
Both teams combined for over a dozen penalties in the Friday opener and pushed the match into one overtime period. Arkansas sophomore F Ayden Frolik sealed the win for the Razorbacks in the shootout to end the game, 4-3.
“They weren’t aggressive, they were just cheap-shooting,” Leone said. “We expected a hard game, but not that kind of play.”
The physical play carried into the Saturday matchup where Leone struck first, but the Aggies couldn’t hold the lead. Arkansas sophomore D Wilder Outman clapped back to tie the first period at one.
“Arkansas is a tough, fast team,” Russell said. “We wanted to stay disciplined and get more pucks to the net. But we played well defensively, and our backchecks were solid, but we’ve got to generate more offense.”
Arkansas’ depth showed in Game 2, scoring in the second period to pull ahead, 2-1. Business freshman goaltender Mikhail Saratovtsev turned away multiple dangerous shots to keep A&M in contention, earning cheers from the 12th Man for his composure to end the second period with Arkansas up, 2-1.
“I don’t really think about anything when I’m out there,” Saratovtsev said. “I just react to whatever happens and try to stay calm. It’s about helping the team as much as I can.”
Despite the hard fight, Arkansas won 3-1 in Game 2. The Aggies’ resilience and aggressive style were clear to fans who packed the stands both nights, Russell said.
“We’ve got to create more offense,” Russell said. “We can’t win by scoring just one goal, but the effort was there. We’ll clean things up this week and turn their hard-fought play into wins.”
The Arkansas series also served as a learning experience for A&M as it prepares for a challenging road trip to the West Coast to face off against Loyola Marymount and UCLA in Los Angeles on Oct. 10 and 12.
“Arkansas is a really good team,” Saratovtsev said. “We’ll take what we learned and keep getting better throughout the season.”
The Aggies will be back at Spirit Ice Arena in College Station on Oct. 17 and 18, where they will compete against the UCLA Bruins. Tickets are available online at TamuIceHockey.com.
