Texas A&M ice hockey came in with a 4-0 record when they hosted the Baylor Bears, 2-1, on Friday, October 14, in Spirit Ice Arena. The Aggies outlasted the Bears’ comeback effort and won by a score of 4-3.
It has been a great start to the season for A&M. The Aggies secured their fifth straight victory in what was a scrappy and physical game from the start. The undefeated Aggies have outscored their opponents 24-8 thus far. A&M has picked up right where they left off in 2021, when they won the TCHC championship.
The Aggies started off hot when junior forward Robby Sours scored the first goal with only 17:38 remaining in the first period. Very shortly after, freshman Nate Polinsky checked a Baylor player hard into the boards, which caused both sides to go after each other. This set the tone for the game and energized the crowd.
The aggressiveness of Aggie players gave Baylor a two-man advantage, but fantastic Aggie defense kept the puck away from the goal. More pushing and shoving, including an A&M player pushing a ref, led to a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
A roughing penalty on the Aggies shortly thereafter gave the Bears the advantage, and this time they would capitalize. A Baylor slapshot goal with 1:59 remaining brought the game to 1-1.
A near brawl on the ice capped off the first period, and the teams went into their respective locker rooms.
A dramatic first period left the game tied. The maroon and white would distance themselves a bit in the second.
Texas A&M freshman forward Jacob Smith kicked things off with a two-on-one fast break goal. Shortly thereafter, senior forward Matthew Perri followed it up with a goal of his own. The Aggies had a power play but did not take advantage, and the second period ended with a score of 3-1.
A&M felt good, cruising into the final set with a lead of two. However, it was clear that the Bears were not backing down any time soon. Still playing tough and very physical, Baylor scored with 11:42 left on the clock.
Up 3-2, the maroon and white made a costly mistake. An A&M player pushed an opponent into the Aggie goal and held them there, warranting a roughing call. The penalty gave Baylor a two-man advantage with eight minutes remaining.
A strike of a slap shot in the top corner tied things up with a dramatic Baylor celebration to boot. Baylor had scored two unanswered and suddenly things were all tied up again. This would not last for long.
A&M struck right back with a one-on-one goal from junior forward Christian Spearman. A monumental goal which directly countered Baylor momentum seemed to all but seal it.
The Aggies were not done yet, though, and would have tacked on another one if not for a goal being waived off with 3:16 left to play.
A final Baylor timeout with 55 seconds, and an unsuccessful last ditch effort to tie the game, wrapped things up in College Station.
No beauty points were earned on Friday, but the Aggies continue to win. The Aggies will get the Baylor Bears again on Saturday night where they will try to improve to 6-0.