Texas A&M hockey pushed, shoved and battled against the University of Texas on Friday, Oct. 20, but it wasn’t enough, as they had no answers late in its 5-3 loss. The defeat moves the Maroon and White’s record to 3-6 in 2023.
The match began just like any other between the Aggies and the Longhorns: with plenty of physicality. The first five minutes of the first period were physical, with each team going back and forth with shots on goal, and players battling each other for a chance at the puck. 
In the sixth minute, freshman forward Colson Zak scored first, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead. Zak, who was named player of the game last week in the team’s victory over the Roadrunners, finished the evening scoring two of A&M’s three goals.
The Longhorns would respond quickly, however, as they scored back-to-back goals late in the period to take a 2-1 lead, with the first of these goals coming off the stick of freshman winger Adam Takacs. A&M was able to tack on another goal near the end of the period thanks to junior forward Marshall Rushing’s second goal of the season, knotting the score at 2-2 to end the first period.
The physicality between the two teams continued into the second period. In the seventh minute of the second, the Aggies took a 3-2 lead with another goal from Zak. Once again, however, the Longhorns had an answer, as they scored a pair of goals to take a 4-3 lead. A&M continued to battle, but the score would remain the same until the end of the period.
The third and final period of the evening was a defensive showcase, as it was the only period of the game without multiple goals. The Aggies were aggressive in their pursuit to even the score, but the Longhorns were just as aggressive defensively. Junior Texas goalie Jesse Reinhard made several key stops in the third to keep the Maroon and White at bay. In the final minute, Texas scored to extend their lead to 5-3, driving the dagger into the heart of A&M.
The Aggies had their share of opportunities throughout this one, but the Longhorns were more persistent, capitalizing on more of A&M’s mistakes.
A&M’s will look to snap their losing streak when they face Texas once again on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.