Max Myers, a forward, steals the puck from an opponent during the Buff's home opener Thursday against San Diego State. (CU Independent/Ilana Finer)
On a chilly October night in Boulder, there can only be one reason why people would gather around a sheet of ice at CU’s Rec Center.
Hockey’s back, baby.
“I was ready two weeks ago,” said CU head coach Ken Fikis. “I missed it.”
For the first time this season, the Zamboni paved the ice and players took to the rink as the Colorado Buffaloes hosted San Diego State Thursday night
What followed was a fulfillment of the hockey senses. The sounds of bodies being thrown into walls, the smell of resurfaced ice, even the feel of students’ cheeks freezing over.
The sweetest, however, was the taste of victory for CU in their first game, a 9-2 cruising over the Aztecs.
Last year, the Buffs put in a 22-13-1 record on their way to finishing 10th nationally in Division II. Their winning record was due in large part to a great second half of the year after starting off at a mediocre 8-7.
“Last year, we lost some games we shouldn’t have in the first half of the year,” Fikis said. “We stressed this year that we’re not going to give away games early in the season.”
In the early minutes of the first period, there was cause for concern. For a majority of the time, CU had two men in the penalty box and was outmanned playing five-on-three hockey. However, the three penalty killers and goalie Kevin Litinsky stepped up to keep the Aztecs scoreless.
“It was a good time to step up,” freshman defenseman John Park said. “We showed we have the ability to kill off those plays.”
Off a beautiful assist by Mark Viau, junior forward Matt Ullrich scored the season’s first goal to give CU a 1-0 lead. Viau stole the puck from an Aztec defender and wrapped it around the goal to find the open Ullrich.
CU scored again later in the period on a goal by forward Timo Provosty to make it 2-0. But San Diego State would not be shut out for the period as they scored their first goal with 1.8 seconds left.
In the second period, CU continued to harass the Aztec goalie with a bombardment of shots. Forward A.J. Koller scored two quick goals in the period to extend the Buffs lead to three.
The game was never close again as CU scored five more goals in the final period.
“We’ve gotten off to a good pace,” defenseman Jason Kornfeld said. “It’s going to be a good flow into the next game to build some confidence.”
The Buffs will match up with one-loss Utah State (4-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rec. Center.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Michael Krumholtz at Michael.Krumholtz@colorado.edu.
