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2012-2013 schedule has been announced
(03/01/12)
The 2012-2013 schedule has been announced. We are still confirming game times, but the dates have been set. Mark you calendars, start making signs, and get ready for another thrilling Viking hockey season!
We look forward to seeing the best college hockey fans in the PNW again this season! We have our eye on the National Championship this year and want everyone to be a part of it.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay caught up with everything WWU Hockey this season. You don't want to miss it!
We look forward to seeing the best college hockey fans in the PNW again this season! We have our eye on the National Championship this year and want everyone to be a part of it.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay caught up with everything WWU Hockey this season. You don't want to miss it!
Vikings add two more notches to the belt to wrap up the 2011-2012 hockey season
(03/01/12)
Your WWU Vikings finished up the season with an impressive 23-2-0 record beating Central Washington Uiversity and Walla Walla University on consecutive nights. The Vikings handled the Wildcats Friday night as rookie goaltender Alexander Zarutskie earned his first collegiate win and first collegiate shutout all in the same night. WWU took the ice the following night against the Walla Walla Wolfpack. The game stayed close in the early parts, but midway through the 2nd period your Vikings took the line and ran with it. By nights end, WWU wore down the Wolfpack netting 10 total goals to a Walla Walla four. It was another outstanding season for your Viking Hockey boys. The Vikings are now an impeccable 80-11-5 under head coach John Dougan over the past four seasons. "Having a coach who is so dedicated to the team is unreal! Having coach around has made such a huge difference for this team. You can tell he is just so passionate about the game. It's pretty awesome."
We would like to say thanks again to all our WWU Hockey fans! Your guys' support does not go unnoticed. We've said it before and we'll say it again; we have THE BEST fans in the entire northwest! We look forward to sharing more games with you next season!
Like us on Facebook to stay caught up with everything WWU Hockey this off-season. You don't want to miss it!
As always, you can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter.
We would like to say thanks again to all our WWU Hockey fans! Your guys' support does not go unnoticed. We've said it before and we'll say it again; we have THE BEST fans in the entire northwest! We look forward to sharing more games with you next season!
Like us on Facebook to stay caught up with everything WWU Hockey this off-season. You don't want to miss it!
As always, you can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter.
Vikings Entering the Iditarod After Taming the Dawgs
(02/19/12) - By Josh O'Reilly
Your Western Vikings took on the University of Washington Huskies on Friday night in front of a sold out crowd at the Bellingham Sportsplex. The script had been written. The #1 in the NAIH, Western Vikings, taking on the recently crowned PAC-8 Champion, Washington Huskies. The play was physical, fast-paced, and an all-around defensive battle from the first drop of the puck. After grinding in the corner, Kyle Neal and Nik Toor got the puck out to an unlikely goal scorer in Western Senior Kevin Arsenault, who took a few swings at the loose puck, knocking it under UW's goaltender Danny Dougan. It was the first of the season for the man called Dragon, who had this to say during the first intermission:
"You know I wasn't going to be off the score sheet forever. I've really been working hard in practice and consulting with Parsons (Matt) about improving my shot. He's always had a good shot and can teach you some things."
The Huskies notched their first goal of the night a few shifts later tying the game up at one a piece. The deadlock would remain heading into the first intermission.
Coming into the second both teams continued their physical, defensive game, not allowing much room for error. Cue Jeff Bulger: After numerous attempts of breaking through the Huskies defense, Kyle Keller constructed a play out of a Walt Disney movie by flipping the puck over six guys heads; the puck found the air-bound stick of the Vikings leading point-getter Jeff Bulger who knocked the puck down at the blue line and followed chase. With a UW defender on his heals, a diving UW goalie, and what Viking fans called the magic puck, Bulger threw an diving offensive poke check; the puck went up and over the diving goaltender as the frozen rubber found its way into the back of the net in what many people are calling the goal of the year. The place erupted as the red light went on and Bulger's teammates rushed him to celebrate.
"I pass[ed] the puck and it went to Jeff. The puck go far. Jeff there. Goal scored. Yay!" said Kyle Keller after the game. "Jeff [is a] real good player. I really look up to him."
Soon after, it looked as if Kyle Neal would notch his second point of the night after a beautiful play by Freshman Hans Eggebroten; Unfortunately for WWU, the goal was waved off due to the net coming off its moorings. After the discussions commenced, the momentum of an apparent two goal lead was erased by the "no-goal" call. A UW rush tied the game back up at two, a score that would remain going into the second intermission.
The third period was another defensive battle which lead to a barrage of penalties. One after another, Viking and Husky players found their way to the sin bin. When it seemed like overtime was inevitable, the Vikings got a 2 on 1 rush that usually ends up in a WWU goal. The only way to stop the WWU goal was to do something illegal. The 2 on 1 rush forced an inexperienced and 'incapable of playing against opposing teams top lines,' UW defender to take a penalty; this penalty put Western on the power play. Skill overcame the conservative penalty killing of the Huskies, as a cycle between Jeff Bulger and JT Burris moved the puck to Todd Coates who found a way of sliding it under a sprawling Dougan. The score followed the script of the hometown crowd's liking, as the Vikings defended their zone, knowing that Tyler Zetting would keep the game where it was with anything that UW was willing to throw at him.
Western Captain Kellen Charpentier had this to say about his goaltender's performance: "Whenever I miss a hit or turn the puck over I know that Zetts will bail me out. He has won us a lot of games based on his skill level all year. He won us this game."
Zetting secured the 4x6 opening as the seconds ticked off the clock. When the final buzzer sounded the building erupted with the Vikings edging the UW Huskies by a final score of 3-2. Enter credits.
★ Tyler Zetting: W, 2.00 GAA, .941 SV%, 2 PIMS
★★ Todd Coates: 1 G, GWG, 2 Hits, +1
★★★ Jeff Bulger: 1 G, 1 A, 2 Pts, 3 Hits, +1, 2 PIMS
Western is undefeated this year at home. Come on and cheer the Vikings as they take on the Central Washington Wildcats, Friday, 2/24/12, and the Walla Walla Wolfpack, Saturday, 2/25/12. Both games are played at the Bellingham Sportsplex.
This weekend's tickets will be half off if you bring in a sealed canned food item.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter.
"You know I wasn't going to be off the score sheet forever. I've really been working hard in practice and consulting with Parsons (Matt) about improving my shot. He's always had a good shot and can teach you some things."
The Huskies notched their first goal of the night a few shifts later tying the game up at one a piece. The deadlock would remain heading into the first intermission.
Coming into the second both teams continued their physical, defensive game, not allowing much room for error. Cue Jeff Bulger: After numerous attempts of breaking through the Huskies defense, Kyle Keller constructed a play out of a Walt Disney movie by flipping the puck over six guys heads; the puck found the air-bound stick of the Vikings leading point-getter Jeff Bulger who knocked the puck down at the blue line and followed chase. With a UW defender on his heals, a diving UW goalie, and what Viking fans called the magic puck, Bulger threw an diving offensive poke check; the puck went up and over the diving goaltender as the frozen rubber found its way into the back of the net in what many people are calling the goal of the year. The place erupted as the red light went on and Bulger's teammates rushed him to celebrate.
"I pass[ed] the puck and it went to Jeff. The puck go far. Jeff there. Goal scored. Yay!" said Kyle Keller after the game. "Jeff [is a] real good player. I really look up to him."
Soon after, it looked as if Kyle Neal would notch his second point of the night after a beautiful play by Freshman Hans Eggebroten; Unfortunately for WWU, the goal was waved off due to the net coming off its moorings. After the discussions commenced, the momentum of an apparent two goal lead was erased by the "no-goal" call. A UW rush tied the game back up at two, a score that would remain going into the second intermission.
The third period was another defensive battle which lead to a barrage of penalties. One after another, Viking and Husky players found their way to the sin bin. When it seemed like overtime was inevitable, the Vikings got a 2 on 1 rush that usually ends up in a WWU goal. The only way to stop the WWU goal was to do something illegal. The 2 on 1 rush forced an inexperienced and 'incapable of playing against opposing teams top lines,' UW defender to take a penalty; this penalty put Western on the power play. Skill overcame the conservative penalty killing of the Huskies, as a cycle between Jeff Bulger and JT Burris moved the puck to Todd Coates who found a way of sliding it under a sprawling Dougan. The score followed the script of the hometown crowd's liking, as the Vikings defended their zone, knowing that Tyler Zetting would keep the game where it was with anything that UW was willing to throw at him.
Western Captain Kellen Charpentier had this to say about his goaltender's performance: "Whenever I miss a hit or turn the puck over I know that Zetts will bail me out. He has won us a lot of games based on his skill level all year. He won us this game."
Zetting secured the 4x6 opening as the seconds ticked off the clock. When the final buzzer sounded the building erupted with the Vikings edging the UW Huskies by a final score of 3-2. Enter credits.
★ Tyler Zetting: W, 2.00 GAA, .941 SV%, 2 PIMS
★★ Todd Coates: 1 G, GWG, 2 Hits, +1
★★★ Jeff Bulger: 1 G, 1 A, 2 Pts, 3 Hits, +1, 2 PIMS
Western is undefeated this year at home. Come on and cheer the Vikings as they take on the Central Washington Wildcats, Friday, 2/24/12, and the Walla Walla Wolfpack, Saturday, 2/25/12. Both games are played at the Bellingham Sportsplex.
This weekend's tickets will be half off if you bring in a sealed canned food item.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter.
Vikings win two more against a solid Boise State Broncos squad
(02/07/12)
Your Vikings headed 10 hours southeast last weekend to take on the Boise State Broncos. WWU hit the ice flying nearly netting one 19 seconds into the game. The Vikings kept the heavy pressure on and it paid off minutes later as JT Burris scored his first of two on nice rebound. In an attempt to slow down the strong Viking pressure, Boise State began taking penalties. This is when the potent Viking power play went to work. After the first 20 minutes of play, Western found itself with a cozy 5-1 lead. The Vikings appeared to let down their guard a bit on the second period, but goaltender Tyler Zetting wasn't phased. Zetting turned away every shot he saw for the rest of the game. WWU added to the lead in the 3rd period scoring two more to make it 7-1. Boise State had a few more chances, but the game was out of reach by this point. As the final buzzer sounded, WWU turned their sights to the quick turnaround for the 11:00am game Sunday morning.
Game two had a little different feel than the first. "It was a much more physical game today. They came out with a chip on their shoulder and tried to beat our aggresive play with their own." There were fewer scoring opportunities for both teams in the 1st period of this game, which led to a 0-0 tie heading into the 2nd. Early in the 2nd period, the Viking power play drew first blood on a Charpentier point shot that was redirected in front by Jeff Bulger. A few minutes later Bulger's brother Cam threw an elbow that earned him 2 minutes in the box. Halfway through the penalty kill, Jeff Bulger through what looked like a routine dump in around the glass. The puck took a WWU bounce off one of the stanchions between the glass, banked off the net, and ended up on forward Nik Toor's stick. Toor corralled the puck and shot it into the back of the BSU net to make the score 2-0. WWU got into some penalty trouble later in the 2nd period. The Broncos capitalized on the power play to cut the WWU lead in half. The Vikings held to their 2-1 lead partway into the 3rd; after a long shift and several missed opportunities to get the puck out, the Broncos made Western pay tying the game up at 2 goals a piece. Western found themselves on the receiving end of a couple borderline penalty calls, but the PK and goalie Evan Turpin came up big; stopping everything Boise had. WWU continued to get their chances, but couldn't seem to get a bounce to put them back on top. Once again though, JT Burris came to rescue on a scramble in front of the net. With a 3-2 lead, the Vikings went on the power play with 2:30 left in the game. With an all but certain win in their future, WWU carefully controlled to puck to run the clock out. With 0:45 left on the clock, WWU defenseman got called for a hit to the head and found a seat in the penalty box. Coach John Dougan called a timeout to give his team a quick breather while preparing for the ensuing 6-on-4 penalty kill WWU would now have to complete to finish out the game. The first faceoff led to a quick whistle that brought the next one to the other side of the ice. As the puck hit the ice, Bulger swept the puck back to Charpentier, who sent the puck all the way down the ice at the empty net. The puck hit dead center in the middle of the net for the 4-2 insurance marker. When asked about the goal, Charpentier had this to say, "I just threw it down the ice and got lucky. I'm getting pretty good at this. Must be my rabbit's foot that I keep in my glove." With the two goal lead, WWU killed off the remaining seconds of the game. With two more wins under their belt, Western hit the road with smiles across their faces.
Come out and see WWU take on UW this weekend at the Sportsplex. Gametime is 10:10pm this Friday night (2/17)! Also mark your calendars for next weekend! WWU will play two home games Friday/Saturday night (2/24 and 2/25). Gametimes are 10:10pm and 9:15pm respectively.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Game two had a little different feel than the first. "It was a much more physical game today. They came out with a chip on their shoulder and tried to beat our aggresive play with their own." There were fewer scoring opportunities for both teams in the 1st period of this game, which led to a 0-0 tie heading into the 2nd. Early in the 2nd period, the Viking power play drew first blood on a Charpentier point shot that was redirected in front by Jeff Bulger. A few minutes later Bulger's brother Cam threw an elbow that earned him 2 minutes in the box. Halfway through the penalty kill, Jeff Bulger through what looked like a routine dump in around the glass. The puck took a WWU bounce off one of the stanchions between the glass, banked off the net, and ended up on forward Nik Toor's stick. Toor corralled the puck and shot it into the back of the BSU net to make the score 2-0. WWU got into some penalty trouble later in the 2nd period. The Broncos capitalized on the power play to cut the WWU lead in half. The Vikings held to their 2-1 lead partway into the 3rd; after a long shift and several missed opportunities to get the puck out, the Broncos made Western pay tying the game up at 2 goals a piece. Western found themselves on the receiving end of a couple borderline penalty calls, but the PK and goalie Evan Turpin came up big; stopping everything Boise had. WWU continued to get their chances, but couldn't seem to get a bounce to put them back on top. Once again though, JT Burris came to rescue on a scramble in front of the net. With a 3-2 lead, the Vikings went on the power play with 2:30 left in the game. With an all but certain win in their future, WWU carefully controlled to puck to run the clock out. With 0:45 left on the clock, WWU defenseman got called for a hit to the head and found a seat in the penalty box. Coach John Dougan called a timeout to give his team a quick breather while preparing for the ensuing 6-on-4 penalty kill WWU would now have to complete to finish out the game. The first faceoff led to a quick whistle that brought the next one to the other side of the ice. As the puck hit the ice, Bulger swept the puck back to Charpentier, who sent the puck all the way down the ice at the empty net. The puck hit dead center in the middle of the net for the 4-2 insurance marker. When asked about the goal, Charpentier had this to say, "I just threw it down the ice and got lucky. I'm getting pretty good at this. Must be my rabbit's foot that I keep in my glove." With the two goal lead, WWU killed off the remaining seconds of the game. With two more wins under their belt, Western hit the road with smiles across their faces.
Come out and see WWU take on UW this weekend at the Sportsplex. Gametime is 10:10pm this Friday night (2/17)! Also mark your calendars for next weekend! WWU will play two home games Friday/Saturday night (2/24 and 2/25). Gametimes are 10:10pm and 9:15pm respectively.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Vikings head back to Oregon, this time to take on Ducks
(02/07/12)
WWU continued their six game road trip heading back down to Oregon. This time they would face the U. of Oregon Ducks. WWU would find themselves in the penalty box early and often throughout the entire game. Goaltender Tyler Zetting, the WWU defense, and penalty kill had their work cut out for them, but managed to turn away several early Duck scoring opportunities. Despite the scoring chances early on, your potent Viking power play struck first blood on their first opportunity of the game. Oregon and Western exchanged one more goal apiece by the end of the 1st period. The second period opened with another Viking goal, this time by forward Matt Parsons. Continuing the back and forth theme, U of O scored the next two to tie the game up at 3-3. The WWU power play scored again as time winded down in the 2nd period. The first half of the 3rd period remained scoreless as both defenses turned shots and scoring chances away. The Ducks would tie up the game on a power play opportunity. Your Vikings answered back on the very next shift of the game as JT Burris split the defenders and put the puck past the Oregon goaltender. The refs tried to give Oregon the chance to tie the game up once again, but Zetting and the Vikings would not be deterred. After a couple of last minute surges, WWU took game one with Oregon 5 goals to 4.
Game two opened in a similar fashion to game 1. WWU struggled to get their legs and Oregon controlled the first period. A couple of strange bounces found the Vikings in a two-zero deficit after the first. The Vikings controlled most of the 2nd period, but Oregon found the back of the net again on another crazy bounce. The WWU power play opened up the scoring for the Vikings scoring on back-to-back power plays to bring the score within one. The Ducks scored a late goal to make it 4-2 before the 2nd ended. WWU came out flying in the 3rd, once again controlling much of the play. "The bounces just didn't seem to be going our way tonight. Nights like that happen. You suck it up and come out ready to play next game," said a WWU forward when asked about the game. Western brought the game within one goal, but Oregon scored on another power play soon after. With 5 minutes left in the game, Western forward Cam Bulger went toe to toe with one of the Oregon players in an exchange of fists. This seemed to light a spark on the Viking bench as they had a couple of quick chances to score. Another penalty depleted that energy; Oregon scored one more by games end to bring it to a final score of 6-3. "If we take away the first period, we played a really solid game. This was their last game of the season and they came out playing like it. We'll take the good things from the weekend and get ready to take on Boise next weekend."
WWU heads to Boise next weekend, but mark your calendars for the following Friday as WWU takes on their UW rivals at the Bellingham Sportsplex. Game 2 is down in Seattle for those WWU fans from the area.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Game two opened in a similar fashion to game 1. WWU struggled to get their legs and Oregon controlled the first period. A couple of strange bounces found the Vikings in a two-zero deficit after the first. The Vikings controlled most of the 2nd period, but Oregon found the back of the net again on another crazy bounce. The WWU power play opened up the scoring for the Vikings scoring on back-to-back power plays to bring the score within one. The Ducks scored a late goal to make it 4-2 before the 2nd ended. WWU came out flying in the 3rd, once again controlling much of the play. "The bounces just didn't seem to be going our way tonight. Nights like that happen. You suck it up and come out ready to play next game," said a WWU forward when asked about the game. Western brought the game within one goal, but Oregon scored on another power play soon after. With 5 minutes left in the game, Western forward Cam Bulger went toe to toe with one of the Oregon players in an exchange of fists. This seemed to light a spark on the Viking bench as they had a couple of quick chances to score. Another penalty depleted that energy; Oregon scored one more by games end to bring it to a final score of 6-3. "If we take away the first period, we played a really solid game. This was their last game of the season and they came out playing like it. We'll take the good things from the weekend and get ready to take on Boise next weekend."
WWU heads to Boise next weekend, but mark your calendars for the following Friday as WWU takes on their UW rivals at the Bellingham Sportsplex. Game 2 is down in Seattle for those WWU fans from the area.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Battle for the Viking Cup Series continues versus Portland State
(01/22/12)
Western finished the second series for the Viking Cup this weekend on the road versus Portland State. WWU jumped ahead early in the game with two first period goals by Kyle Keller and Jeff Bulger respectively. Portland State got their chances, but each shot was turned away by WWU goaltender Tyler Zetting. The 2nd period brought more chances for both teams, but Western was the one cashing in on a deflection by forward Derek Binder. WWU added to its lead halfway through the 3rd on another deflection; this time it was a beauty of tip by Kyle Neal. The last five minutes of the game saw a handful of PSU chances, but Zetting was in the zone turning away everything Portland State threw at him. When all was said and done, WWU took game one by a score of 4-0 with Zetting notching his first shutout of the season.
Upset with being shutout the night before, Portland State showed up Saturday night ready to play. Both teams had their chances early on in the game, but the defenses and goaltending stayed strong. Halfway through the first period, the first power play of the series started up and 50 seconds later, the WWU power play made them pay. Todd Coates walked the puck in and blasted a shot. PSU's goalie turned away the first shot, but couldn't get a pad on the rebound as Jeff Bulger notched the first goal of the game. With 1:33 left in the first period, Portland State netted their first goal of the series. WWU appeared unphased, as they answered right back with a goal of their own only 19 seconds later. Continuing the back-and-forth scoring, PSU tied the game up at 2 one minute into the start of the 2nd period. The teams exchanged scoring chances for the next seven minutes; the scoreless streak was finally broken when WWU forward JT Burris sped threw three PSU defenders, faked out the goaltender, and slid the puck into the back of the net. Less than 30 seconds after regaining the lead, WWU found themselves on the wrong end of a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck out of play in their defensive zone. The usual duties of killing off the penalty was not enough for WWU forward Matt Parsons; Parsons picked up the puck in the neutral zone and headed into the PSU zone. Parsons turned on the jets to get around the last remaining defender and fired the puck on net. The puck found its way to the top right corner of the goal to put WWU up two. Western capitalized once again, this time on a late period 5-on-3 power play opportunity. After some nifty passing, WWU defenseman Kyle Keller blasted the puck past the screened PSU goalie. With a comfortable three goal cushion, WWU turned their main focus to defending the lead. Goaltender Evan Turpin and the Western defense shut the PSU offense down for the remainder of the game. When the dust settled, WWU pulled out their brooms completing the sweep of Viking Cup series.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Upset with being shutout the night before, Portland State showed up Saturday night ready to play. Both teams had their chances early on in the game, but the defenses and goaltending stayed strong. Halfway through the first period, the first power play of the series started up and 50 seconds later, the WWU power play made them pay. Todd Coates walked the puck in and blasted a shot. PSU's goalie turned away the first shot, but couldn't get a pad on the rebound as Jeff Bulger notched the first goal of the game. With 1:33 left in the first period, Portland State netted their first goal of the series. WWU appeared unphased, as they answered right back with a goal of their own only 19 seconds later. Continuing the back-and-forth scoring, PSU tied the game up at 2 one minute into the start of the 2nd period. The teams exchanged scoring chances for the next seven minutes; the scoreless streak was finally broken when WWU forward JT Burris sped threw three PSU defenders, faked out the goaltender, and slid the puck into the back of the net. Less than 30 seconds after regaining the lead, WWU found themselves on the wrong end of a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck out of play in their defensive zone. The usual duties of killing off the penalty was not enough for WWU forward Matt Parsons; Parsons picked up the puck in the neutral zone and headed into the PSU zone. Parsons turned on the jets to get around the last remaining defender and fired the puck on net. The puck found its way to the top right corner of the goal to put WWU up two. Western capitalized once again, this time on a late period 5-on-3 power play opportunity. After some nifty passing, WWU defenseman Kyle Keller blasted the puck past the screened PSU goalie. With a comfortable three goal cushion, WWU turned their main focus to defending the lead. Goaltender Evan Turpin and the Western defense shut the PSU offense down for the remainder of the game. When the dust settled, WWU pulled out their brooms completing the sweep of Viking Cup series.
If you would like to stay caught up on WWU Vikings Hockey head on over to Facebook and like Western Hockey.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. Sorry to those fans for the lack of Twitter updates during the games this weekend. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Vikings versus Wolfpack Part 2
(01/17/12)
A good sized crowd came out to cheer on your Vikings as Western took on Walla Walla in a two game Saturday/Sunday series. Western finally got a chance to work on their even-strength play and it paid off in game one. Despite three penalty kills in the 1st period, you Vikings were able to get the scoring going early with three even strength goals. With a 3-1 lead heading into the 2nd period, Western gave up a power play goal that brought the game within one goal. That was the closest Walla Walla would get. After a few more opportunities Western struck again. Greg Parsons swiftly skated around the Walla Walla defense and cut towards the goal. The initial save was made, but ended up on the stick of a Viking forward Stephen "Rosie" Fuller. With a quick flick of the wrist, Rosie found himself on the scoresheet with his first collegiate hockey goal. Western notched the next six goals to take a commanding lead. Walla Walla netted one more by the end of the game, but it was too little too late, as the Vikings skated to a 9-3 victory.
Western came out with a bit of a big-win hangover and Walla Walla took advantage early. When asked about the game, Western forward Jeff Bulger had this to say, "They came out ready to play. We couldn't seem to get the wheels going. We were real sluggish to start the game. Walla Walla scored their first of the game on a Viking turnover in the defensive zone. From the stands no one could really tell if the puck crossed the line as the refs were heading the other way to join the play. After talking it over, the refs decided that the goal counted and Western found themselves down a goal early in the game. WWU defenseman, Kellen Charpentier answered back with only 7.5 seconds left in the 1st period. "Everyone is saying 'nice snipe', but I didn't even know where it was going. I just threw it on net and got lucky," said the Viking captain when asked about the goal.
The second period was filled with all sorts of scoring opportunities. Western once again found themselves on the losing-end of these scoring chances. With 20 minutes left to play, Western found themselves down 3-2 to start the 3rd period. Shot after shot was turned away by the Walla Walla goaltender and the goal itself. "We couldn't seem to buy a goal out there. We hit at least 8 posts today and probably missed another 8 back door chances. The big thing is that the scoring chances are there. The goals will come! The boys really beared down out there though, always good to see." With about eight minutes left, Viking fans got a little blast from the past in the likes of the Parsons-Parsons-Bulger line of a few years back. On their second shift together, Coach John Dougan's line decision paid off, and it paid off big. With a little under six minutes left in the game, the Parson Brothers flew into the zone and after a couple of nice passes, the Walla Walla goaltender found the puck sitting behind him in the goal; the time on the clock read 5:57 left. After a quick face-off win by Matt Parsons, Greg "The Future" picked up the puck and flew by the Walla Walla defenseman feeding his brother in front of the net for a tip-in giving Western their first lead of the game; the time on the clock now read 5:50. The line wasn't done their either. Matt Parsons won the following face-off up to Jeff Bulger who busted into the zone and fed a perfect backhand pass to a streaking Greg Parsons; in one quick motion, Parsons tipped the puck up and over the sprawling Walla Walla goaltender; the clock now read 5:43. As if it were clockwork, less than 30 seconds later, your Vikings found themselves on the penalty kill. WWU killed off the penalty and rookie forward Corey Slitter found the puck on his stick as he stepped out of the penalty box. Slitter raced down on a breakaway ahead of the Walla Walla defenseman and put the puck top shelf over the Wolfpack goaltender for his first collegiate hockey goal.
As the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read Vikings-6, Wolfpack-3. Bulger also had this to add, "Zettsy stood on his head for us out there. He doesn't make some of those saves, we don't even have a chance to tie it up late there in the game."
Western hits the road now for a big string of away games against some very strong opponents. The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Western came out with a bit of a big-win hangover and Walla Walla took advantage early. When asked about the game, Western forward Jeff Bulger had this to say, "They came out ready to play. We couldn't seem to get the wheels going. We were real sluggish to start the game. Walla Walla scored their first of the game on a Viking turnover in the defensive zone. From the stands no one could really tell if the puck crossed the line as the refs were heading the other way to join the play. After talking it over, the refs decided that the goal counted and Western found themselves down a goal early in the game. WWU defenseman, Kellen Charpentier answered back with only 7.5 seconds left in the 1st period. "Everyone is saying 'nice snipe', but I didn't even know where it was going. I just threw it on net and got lucky," said the Viking captain when asked about the goal.
The second period was filled with all sorts of scoring opportunities. Western once again found themselves on the losing-end of these scoring chances. With 20 minutes left to play, Western found themselves down 3-2 to start the 3rd period. Shot after shot was turned away by the Walla Walla goaltender and the goal itself. "We couldn't seem to buy a goal out there. We hit at least 8 posts today and probably missed another 8 back door chances. The big thing is that the scoring chances are there. The goals will come! The boys really beared down out there though, always good to see." With about eight minutes left, Viking fans got a little blast from the past in the likes of the Parsons-Parsons-Bulger line of a few years back. On their second shift together, Coach John Dougan's line decision paid off, and it paid off big. With a little under six minutes left in the game, the Parson Brothers flew into the zone and after a couple of nice passes, the Walla Walla goaltender found the puck sitting behind him in the goal; the time on the clock read 5:57 left. After a quick face-off win by Matt Parsons, Greg "The Future" picked up the puck and flew by the Walla Walla defenseman feeding his brother in front of the net for a tip-in giving Western their first lead of the game; the time on the clock now read 5:50. The line wasn't done their either. Matt Parsons won the following face-off up to Jeff Bulger who busted into the zone and fed a perfect backhand pass to a streaking Greg Parsons; in one quick motion, Parsons tipped the puck up and over the sprawling Walla Walla goaltender; the clock now read 5:43. As if it were clockwork, less than 30 seconds later, your Vikings found themselves on the penalty kill. WWU killed off the penalty and rookie forward Corey Slitter found the puck on his stick as he stepped out of the penalty box. Slitter raced down on a breakaway ahead of the Walla Walla defenseman and put the puck top shelf over the Wolfpack goaltender for his first collegiate hockey goal.
As the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read Vikings-6, Wolfpack-3. Bulger also had this to add, "Zettsy stood on his head for us out there. He doesn't make some of those saves, we don't even have a chance to tie it up late there in the game."
Western hits the road now for a big string of away games against some very strong opponents. The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook.
You can also follow WWU Hockey on Twitter. We try to update our twitter throughout the games, so that the fans can follow us, even when they aren't able to make it out to the games.
Vikings take down the Broncos to kick off the second half
(01/12/12)
It was an uphill battle against the referees and a stingy Boise State Broncos team Sunday morning. Twenty seconds into the the first, WWU captain, Kellen Charpentier threw a check to establish a physical presence early. What looked to be a clean and legal body check was perceived by the ref as a roughing penalty and Boise State went to the Power Play for the first of 14 times. WWU didn't back down, challenging Boise State and killing off the penalty to get back to even strength. Both teams got their chances in the first, but it was BSU that capitalized to take the lead. As the second period started, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Boise State. Soon after, a parade of WWU players made their way to the penalty box as BSU received power play after power play opportunity. The Viking penalty kill units continued to kill off penalty after penalty keeping the game close. After the numbers evened up, WWU defenseman Todd Coates fought his way deep into the offensive zone. After fending off two defenders, Coates made a beautiful one handed pass to a wide open Jeff Bulger in front of the net. As we all know, Bulger doesn't miss from there as he one-timed the puck between the goalie's legs to tie knot the score up at 1-1. The rest of the period was filled with more penalty killing for your Vikings. With 2:15 on the clock, Bulger came out of the penalty box and joined the play; A few seconds later, Bulger found himself in the right place at the right time again. Western forward Zach Midgarden battled through a couple of Boise players and moved the puck in front of the goal. Bulger snagged the puck and backhanded the puck up and over a sprawled Bronco goaltender to give Western their first lead of the game. When asked about the goal, Bulger had this to say, "Middy battled hard through a couple guys and the puck popped out in front. All I had to do was bury it. Middy did all the hard work on that one."
The penalties seemed to have died down in the third period and Western capitalized even strength. Tommy Wartinger drifted towards the goal and found himself with the puck on his stick in front. Wartinger slid the puck past a sprawling defenseman and goaltender for Boise State to add to the WWU lead and to notch his first collegiate hockey point. At 3-1, the penalty calls peered their ugly head once again. With seven minutes left in the 3rd period, WWU found themselves a man short once again, this time three players to Boise's four. A shot came from the point that the Boise captain tipped up and over goaltender Evan Turpin's pad. With 3:04 left in the one-goal game, Boise got another break as WWU got two penalties to their one. WWU killing yet another and only up 3-2, had to to bear down. BSU got their chances, but Turpin was not letting this one get away. As Turpin turned away shot after shot making one crucial save on a sure tip-in goal with 1:35 left on the clock. With 30 seconds to go, WWU received another penalty and would have to kill for the rest of the game. The defense came up strong and W ended the game with a 3-2 victory. This win brings their record to 9-1-0 on the season.
Western will take on Walla Walla this upcoming weekend at home. The game times for the weekend are 8:00pm Saturday (01/14) and 1:00pm Sunday (01/15). The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook
Thank you for your continuous support and look forward to seeing you all out this weekend Saturday 8:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm.
The penalties seemed to have died down in the third period and Western capitalized even strength. Tommy Wartinger drifted towards the goal and found himself with the puck on his stick in front. Wartinger slid the puck past a sprawling defenseman and goaltender for Boise State to add to the WWU lead and to notch his first collegiate hockey point. At 3-1, the penalty calls peered their ugly head once again. With seven minutes left in the 3rd period, WWU found themselves a man short once again, this time three players to Boise's four. A shot came from the point that the Boise captain tipped up and over goaltender Evan Turpin's pad. With 3:04 left in the one-goal game, Boise got another break as WWU got two penalties to their one. WWU killing yet another and only up 3-2, had to to bear down. BSU got their chances, but Turpin was not letting this one get away. As Turpin turned away shot after shot making one crucial save on a sure tip-in goal with 1:35 left on the clock. With 30 seconds to go, WWU received another penalty and would have to kill for the rest of the game. The defense came up strong and W ended the game with a 3-2 victory. This win brings their record to 9-1-0 on the season.
Western will take on Walla Walla this upcoming weekend at home. The game times for the weekend are 8:00pm Saturday (01/14) and 1:00pm Sunday (01/15). The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook
Thank you for your continuous support and look forward to seeing you all out this weekend Saturday 8:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm.
WWU wraps up the first half of the season with an 8-1-0 record
(11/28/11)
WWU took on Walla Walla on the road to finish up the first half of the season. Friday night was a hard fought back and forth battle that couldn't be decided in regulation. Both teams had their chances in overtime, but rookie goaltender Evan Turpin turned away everything that Walla Walla through at him. With less than a minute to go, Viking defenseman through a wrist shot at the net, which found its way past the Walla Walla goaltender to give Western the 7-6 win.
Saturday's game turned into a showdown of the defenses. Both teams had their chances but the goaltenders and defense continued to turn pucks away. Walla Walla got on the board first with a second period goal. Minutes later, veteran Cam Bulger drew a crucial penalty to put your Vikings on the power play. Western's power play unit was not going to be denied; less than a minute into the power play, the Vikings got on the board to tie up the game. Later in the second, Bulger drew another penalty once again putting WWU up a man. The potent WWU power play moved the puck well until a lane opened up for captain Kellen Charpentier to bury the go-ahead goal. This goal was all that was needed as neither team could score the rest of the game. Western battled their way to their second win of the weekend, extending the winning streak to four.
Your Vikings have a chunk of time off for Winter Vacation and will open the second half of the season with a day-game on Sunday January 8th at the Sportsplex versus Boise State. The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook
Thank you for your continuous support and look forward to seeing you all in the second half of the season!
Saturday's game turned into a showdown of the defenses. Both teams had their chances but the goaltenders and defense continued to turn pucks away. Walla Walla got on the board first with a second period goal. Minutes later, veteran Cam Bulger drew a crucial penalty to put your Vikings on the power play. Western's power play unit was not going to be denied; less than a minute into the power play, the Vikings got on the board to tie up the game. Later in the second, Bulger drew another penalty once again putting WWU up a man. The potent WWU power play moved the puck well until a lane opened up for captain Kellen Charpentier to bury the go-ahead goal. This goal was all that was needed as neither team could score the rest of the game. Western battled their way to their second win of the weekend, extending the winning streak to four.
Your Vikings have a chunk of time off for Winter Vacation and will open the second half of the season with a day-game on Sunday January 8th at the Sportsplex versus Boise State. The best way to stay up-to-date on your WWU Vikings is to follow us on Facebook
Thank you for your continuous support and look forward to seeing you all in the second half of the season!
WWU gets bailed on again for the second time this season/div>
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(11/09/11)
To all of our loyal WWU Hockey fans out there, we are sorry to inform you that once again our home games have been cancelled. We received a phone call late last night informing us that Eastern Washington was bailing on the games this weekend less than 48 hours after we returned from driving across the state to play two games against them.
We are looking into rescheduling, so keep checking back here to stay up-to-date. Also if you haven't done so already, find us on Facebook to stay fully caught up on WWU Hockey news!
Thank you for your continuous support. We have THE BEST fans in the entire northwest, hands down! Now if only we can find a few teams who aren't scared to play us, so that you have some hockey to watch!!
We are looking into rescheduling, so keep checking back here to stay up-to-date. Also if you haven't done so already, find us on Facebook to stay fully caught up on WWU Hockey news!
Thank you for your continuous support. We have THE BEST fans in the entire northwest, hands down! Now if only we can find a few teams who aren't scared to play us, so that you have some hockey to watch!!
WWU gets back on track in first games in three weeks
(11/06/11)
Your Vikings hit the ice hard after an unfortunate three week break from games. "It took us a little while to get our legs back after the big break. There's nothing like playing in a game," said one WWU player. Eastern got on the board first with the only first period goal. The Vikings struck next, on a power play marker by the big-body-in-front, Todd Coates. Minutes later, EWU scored to take the lead once again. The WWU power play again found an answer to tie the game up late in the second on a top-shelf snipe by JT Burris. Early in the third period WWU took it's first lead of the game on a tic-tac-toe play that ended with a Kellen Charpentier slap shot past the EWU netminder. A late game power play gave Eastern the chance they needed and they took full advantage of the situation, tying the game at 3-3. With 30 seconds left on the clock, the arena shook with a earth rattling hit by Western captain Kellen Charpentier. Charpentier grabbed the puck and headed up the ice on a 2-on-1. As the EWU defense protected the pass, Charpentier cut across the top of the crease and ripped a shot EWU goaltender. The initial shot was turned away, but Charpentier picked up his own rebound and flipped it up over the sprawled out goalie into the back of the net with a mere 23.4 seconds left on the clock. Following the goal, WWU coach John Dougan called a timeout to discuss the last 20 seconds of the game. The Eagles couldn't get through the wall of defense that WWU put up, and your Vikings improved their record to 5-1.
With their legs under them, Saturday Night's game, WWU came out strong from the get-go and didn't let up. Netting three first period goals, WWU headed into the first intermission up 3-0. The scoring continued in the second with two more Viking goals. Two WWU goals later, with 3:33 left on the clock, EWU was able to slip one past WWU netminder Tyler Zetting to steal the shutout. By the end of the third, Western skated to a 7-1 victory.
Eastern will be in town this weekend to try and get some revenge. We have two promotions going on this weekend, so be sure to check out our Web Specials page!
With their legs under them, Saturday Night's game, WWU came out strong from the get-go and didn't let up. Netting three first period goals, WWU headed into the first intermission up 3-0. The scoring continued in the second with two more Viking goals. Two WWU goals later, with 3:33 left on the clock, EWU was able to slip one past WWU netminder Tyler Zetting to steal the shutout. By the end of the third, Western skated to a 7-1 victory.
Eastern will be in town this weekend to try and get some revenge. We have two promotions going on this weekend, so be sure to check out our Web Specials page!
Home games versus Montana for this weekend have been cancelled
(10/19/11)
WWU Hockey fans. We are sorry to inform you that the games versus Montana have been cancelled. We were informed yesterday that they have double-booked on their end and cannot make it over to Bellingham this weekend.
Our apologies to everyone who had made plans to make it out this weekend especially the parents who had made plans coming in from out of town.
We are in the process of rescheduling the games with U of M, so stay tuned to find out when these games will be! Thank you all for the understanding!
Our apologies to everyone who had made plans to make it out this weekend especially the parents who had made plans coming in from out of town.
We are in the process of rescheduling the games with U of M, so stay tuned to find out when these games will be! Thank you all for the understanding!
Viking Cup, Live Band, and $1 Tickets
(09/30/11)
Attention WWU Hockey Fans: It has just been announced that local Bellingham band, OL!O will be performing at Friday Night's game versus Portland State. Come out, get rowdy, and support your Western Vikings as they take on the Portland State Vikings in game one of this years Viking Cup Series.
Also head over to our Web Specials page to view this weekends promotion. All WWU Hockey fans who wear a white top layer shirt or sweatshirt will receive admission into the game for only $1. Be a part of the WWU Hockey White Out.
We look forward to seeing everyone out at the games this weekend.
Also head over to our Web Specials page to view this weekends promotion. All WWU Hockey fans who wear a white top layer shirt or sweatshirt will receive admission into the game for only $1. Be a part of the WWU Hockey White Out.
We look forward to seeing everyone out at the games this weekend.
WWU takes their home-opener versus rival UW
(09/24/11)
Friday night's game was a battle from the first drop of the puck. The action-packed game was filled with bone-crushing hits, pretty passes, sick snipes, big fights, and jacked up fans. Backed by some stellar goaltending and some solid defensive plays, WWU fought through a handful of borderline penalty calls to keep the puck out of their own net. With the continuous stream of penalties, both teams struggled to get any offensive flow. The fans were on their feet early and often with a handful of earth-rattling hits by Western defenseman Kellen Charpentier along with many others. With two minutes to go in the 1st, WWU forward Jeff Bulger got into a little scrap with one of the UW players. After getting the first fighting major of the season out of the way early in the season, the buzzer soon sounded to mark the end of the scoreless 1st period. The second period was even more action-packed than the first. Both teams continued to grind away and with some shaky turnovers, huge hits and quality scoring chances, it was only a matter of time before one of the teams buried a goal. Halfway through the 2nd period, WWU drew first blood; The crowd erupted as Kyle Palmblad found a streaking JT Burris who snuck one through the Dougan's five-hole to notch the first goal of the game. Each team continued to get their chances, but could not seem to put one in. Late in the 2nd period, UW was able to even the score at 1-1. The rowdy WWU fans were getting exactly what they came to see: big hits, big goals, and an all around great hockey game. As the teams took the ice for the 3rd period, you could feel the energy and excitement still buzzing around the rink. The chances kept coming and the goalies kept turning them away. "Zetts really kept us in the game tonight! He made some unreal saves and gave us the best chance to win this game!," stated Western forward Jeff Bulger. The first eight minutes of the 3rd went scoreless, when UW took a crucial penalty to put Western back on the powerplay. After working the puck around WWU defenseman Kellen Charpentier found JT Burris in the slot, who then returned the earlier favor and found Kyle Palmblad back door to put the Vikings up 2-1. "Charpy (Charpentier) had such a great game. He had a ton of huge hits and just seemed to be in the right place at the right time. It was great to see." WWU kept the pressure up despite the one goal lead. With 4:46 left in the 3rd, Burris found Palmblad for another Viking goal to put Western up two goals. The Huskies had a couple more scoring chances, but the Viking defense was too much for them. When the dust settled, WWU came away with a huge 3-1 W.
WWU takes one Portland State next weekend at the Sportsplex. Game times are Friday 10:15pm and Saturday 8:00pm. Get there early to guarantee you get a good seat as the battle for the I-5 Viking Cup kicks off on Friday night!
WWU takes one Portland State next weekend at the Sportsplex. Game times are Friday 10:15pm and Saturday 8:00pm. Get there early to guarantee you get a good seat as the battle for the I-5 Viking Cup kicks off on Friday night!
Follow Tonight's Game on Twitter
(09/23/11)
WWU takes on UW tonight, Friday Sept 23rd to kick off the 2011-2012 season. The game starts at 10:15pm at the Bellingham Sportsplex. Click Here to get your Buy One Get One Free ticket voucher for the Friday night game! Come out, get rowdy, and let's Pack The Plex™!
If you cannot make it out tonight, be sure to follow WWU Hockey on Twitter to stay updated on the progress of tonight's game and all WWU Hockey games this season!
See you all tonight! Be sure to get to the rink early, so that you can lock up the best seat.
If you cannot make it out tonight, be sure to follow WWU Hockey on Twitter to stay updated on the progress of tonight's game and all WWU Hockey games this season!
See you all tonight! Be sure to get to the rink early, so that you can lock up the best seat.
Western joins the NAIH
(09/23/11)
The Western Vikings Hockey team is proud to announce that they are
the newest member of the National Association of Intercollegiate
Hockey. The NAIH is in its first year of competition and WWU makes the
twentieth member of the new league.
"We are all excited to be part of a newly formed league and look forward to being part of the NAIH for years to come," says Western Hockey head coach John Dougan. "I think it was important for us to explore all options and this was a great opportunity."
The twenty teams to date are located in Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Western is the first team in Washington to be inducted into the league, as well as being the furthest school out west.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Hockey's website can be found here: http://www.naihockey.com/.
"We are all excited to be part of a newly formed league and look forward to being part of the NAIH for years to come," says Western Hockey head coach John Dougan. "I think it was important for us to explore all options and this was a great opportunity."
The twenty teams to date are located in Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Western is the first team in Washington to be inducted into the league, as well as being the furthest school out west.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Hockey's website can be found here: http://www.naihockey.com/.
Buy One Get One Free Offer For WWU Home Opener
(09/19/11)
WWU takes on UW this Friday night to kick off the 2011-2012 season. The game starts at 10:15pm at the Bellingham Sportsplex. Click Here to download the Buy One Get One Free flyer for the Friday night game! Come out, get rowdy, and let's Pack The Plex™!
Welcome Back Hockey Fans
(09/14/11)
Welcome back WWU hockey fans. Your Vikings are finishing up their training camp and try-outs this week before selecting the final roster. Western is looking to continue where they left and build on last year's successful season. With the majority of last year's team returning and a solid group of rookies, it should be a fun-filled action-packed season, full of gorgeous goals, big hits, and huge saves. WWU kicks off the year with their home opener versus the rival University of Washington Huskies Hockey Team. Game time is 10:15pm on Friday September
WWU finishes up their five game road stand with two big
wins at Eastern
(01/31/11)
Your Vikings took two games from the EWU JV team this weekend in a two game series Friday and Saturday night. WWU came out a little slow after the same-day bus ride over to Cheney, WA. Despite the slow start, WWU was able to sneak a couple goals past the EWU goaltender to take a 2-0 lead going into the second period. Western continued to shoot the puck and crash the net throughout the entire game and was able to skate away to a 4-0 win. "We were able to find a couple things we need to work on from this game and hope to come out with these problems all fixed up." WWU seemed to fix the issues as they came out firing, scoring the third shift into the game. From there WWU put away two more, compared to EWU's one goal, heading into the dressing room up 3-1. The second period was a push until the 19:19 mark, when Kyle Keller was able to sneak one up and over the sprawled out EWU goaltender. WWU took the third period as well, ending the game with a 6-2 win.
WWU wraps up the season with a home and home versus the University of Washington Huskies. Friday night will be the LAST home game of the season, so get all your friends together to come out and cheer your Vikings on! Game starts at 10:15pm at the Sportsplex. For those located in the Seattle area, we would love to see you out to cheer us on Saturday night at 8:00pm at Olympic View Ice Arena. SEE YOU ALL THERE! Remember to become a fan of WWU hockey on facebook so that you can receive any and all updates, should game times or anything else change this weekend.
Western arrives back home after a very successful weekend
in The Golden State
(01/24/11)
WWU hit the road for a three game weekends down in California
once again extremely shorthanded bringing down only 12 players and 3 goalies.
After the 15 hour car ride down, Western came out a little sluggish against the
#3 ranked San Jose State University Spartans, but that did not last long. With
the exception of a lucky bounce off of a Spartan shin pad, your Vikings, lead by
goaltender Tyler Zetting, played some stellar defense heading into the locker
room down 1-0. Halfway through the second period, WWU forward Kyle Palmblad
sprung free on a pass by JT Burris, and buried the puck to knot the score up at
one goal a piece. SJSU was assessed a penalty on the play, so your Vikings took
to their second and what would be their last powerplay of the evening. WWU took
advantage of the opportunity on a shot from the point by Western forward Kellen
Charpentier. Later in the second period, WWU was once again penalized for the
fifth time of the game. San Jose took advantage and were able to squeeze one by
Tyler Zetting to once again tie the game up. Coming out for the third period,
WWU had San Jose right where they wanted them. The third period was a battle,
but once again the Viking forecheck and all around defensive play was
phenomenal. In a battle for the puck in the WWU defensive zone, the puck was
tipped a couple times right up to Kyle Palmblad's stick and he was off to the
races. Palmblad flew down the ice and buried his second goal of the game. "The
way the goalie slid across, no one could see from our bench if the puck went in
our not. When we saw Palmy's hands go up the bench just erupted," said one of
the Viking forwards. San Jose wasn't going to give up that easy though; SJSU
continued to pressure the Vikings, but the defense continued to turn away
everything the Spartans brought their way. With 1:27 to go in a one goal game,
the ref called WWU forward Kyle Palmblad for a borderline cross-checking penalty
to give the Spartans their eighth power play of the game. With the face-off in
the WWU zone, San Jose State pulled their goalie to make it a 6 on 4 powerplay.
The Spartans continued to shoot the puck towards Zetting, but he was not phased,
turning away shot after shot. The last 30 seconds was a flurry of tipped passes
and blocked shots by the four WWU players on the ice. As the last shot was
blocked and skipped into the corner, the buzzer sounded and the WWU bench
erupted once again as everyone stormed to ice to celebrate with one another.
"We've won some big games as a team, but this one was huge for our program. To
come down with 12 guys and beat the #3 ranked team is real big," said a WWU
player. "Everyone bought into the system that coach drew up tonight and that is
what did it." Zetting turned away 44 of the 46 shots he faced as the Vikings
celebrated their 3-2 victory.
After warm-ups and a 20 minute pre-game jersey ceremony, WWU faced-off against SJSU for game two of the two game series. For the second night in a row, the Spartans were the beneficiaries of lucky bounce to give them a 1-0 lead. A second lucky bounce led to a 2 on 1 in which the Spartans scored giving them a very early two goal lead. WWU would not let that get them down. They continued to pound away and it paid off scoring a breakaway goal to bring them within one. The second and third period would bring an onslaught of WWU penalties. "Having to kill that many penalties kills a team's momentum. We only gave up one power play goal, but that isn't the issue. Killing penalties wears you out and with only 12 guys, it definitely took its toll. Plus when you're on the PK (penalty kill), you're normally not scoring any goals," explained one of the WWU defensemen. WWU killed off 11 of the 12 Spartan power plays including two five minute major penalties. WWU was rewarded with a total of five power plays throughout the game. Western outplayed the Spartans for much of the game, but San Jose was able to capitalize on their opportunities. "The score really didn't represent how good of game it was. They played great, we played great. They just happened to capitalized and we missed a few golden opportunities. No blame can be placed anywhere. We played a solid two games against a very skilled team. It was a great experience for everyone and really shows us where our program is at. I think with another couple guys that second game and it would have been an even better game of hockey. It was a fun couple games." Special thanks to San Jose State for hosting us this last weekend.
Day three brought an early morning game versus Stanford University, who had been enjoying a very successful season. You could sense the tiredness of the Viking squad early on. With injuries holding a few players out of the game, the lack of sleep, and 120 minutes of hard-nosed hockey already being played in the last 36 hours, WWU battled through the first period and was able to manage to head into the locker room with a 2-0 lead. The second period looked a little better as WWU continued to hustle scoring two more by period's end. The third period brought three more goals, two by WWU and a power play marker by Stanford. After a long weekend, Western took two of three and headed back to Washington all smiles and a winning record on the weekend.
WWU hits the road next weekend to take on Eastern Washington over in Cheney, WA. This will the first meeting between the two teams, but should be two very competitive games in which Western is looking to continue their winning ways. Thank you to all of our fans who came out to cheer WWU on down in California. Also if you have not already, become a fan of WWU hockey on facebook. This is the best way to get continues updates on games, schedule changes, and all other WWU hockey related news. Take a couple minutes to become to add us and invite all your friends to join as well. We appreciate all of your continuous support!!
We apologize about any inconveniences you have
experienced
(01/19/11)
Once again due to technical difficulties with the WWU servers, we have been unable to update our website for the week. We are currently looking to switch over to another server to avoid any more complications and to provide you with the most up-to-date information on the team. Remember, if this website does not appear to have been updated for any reason, you can always head on over to our Facebook Page for any and all updates about our games and any last minute schedule change. Please "Like" us on facebook, so that we can keep you up-to-date!
On to the stuff you're really looking for: Last weekend WWU took on Central Washington University for the first time in at least seven years. WWU again short on guys came out ready to play taking the first period 5 goals to 1. After that it continued to be all Vikings, as the Wildcats didn't get another goal. By the end of the game Western skated to a 15-1 victory. WWU took it to Central again Saturday in a 14-4 victory. Both teams were very short-handed both games. We want to send a thank you to Central for showing up, even with the short bench. As all our fans know, there have been several teams who have cancelled last minute with more guys than CWU. We appreciate your showing up.
WWU heads down to California for a 3 game roadtrip versus San Jose State and Stanford. Both teams put out solid squads every year and it will be a great set of games. Anyone in the area is encouraged to come on out and cheer on the Vikings.
WWU starts off the second half with a bang
(01/11/11)
Happy New Year to all our loyal WWU Hockey fans! Western started off the second half of the season on the right foot as they battled the Walla Walla Wolf pack at home. Short on players, WWU took the ice with only ten players and two goalies this last weekend. Your Vikings started off the scoring early on a goal by center JT Burris. The scoring didn't stop there as Western buried two more goals by the end of the first period. In front of solid goaltending by Cam Bulger, both the Viking offense and defense seemed to click ending the game with a 9-3 win over Walla Walla. Highlights from Saturday nights game, was a hat-trick by Matt Parsons, and five-point nights by Kyle Keller and Jeff Bulger. A quick nine hours later, the teams took to the ice for round two. Both teams came out a little sluggish feeling the effects from a short sleep and a hard fought battle the night before. The scoring didn't open up until late in the first period on another Burris goal. The Wolf pack goaltender played well, but continued to face Viking shot after shot. WWU goaltender Tyler Zetting turned away all 20 shots he faced, notching another WWU shutout in a 5-0 victory. Highlights from Sunday's game were a hat trick by JT Burris and a playmaker (3 assists) for Viking defenseman Greg Parsons. We thank all of our fans for coming out and cheering us on Saturday night and special thank you to all of our fans that pulled themselves out of bed Sunday morning to come watch.
WWU will continue the home stand with two games versus Central Washington University Friday and Saturday night at the Sportsplex (01/14 & 01/15). Games will be 10:15pm Friday night and 8:30 Saturday evening. Come out and support WWU Vikings Hockey! Bring the family, bring some friends, it's always a good time with Viking hockey!
Also a goodbye and thank you goes out to Danny Becker, who has decided to take his studies elsewhere. We appreciate the time you have dedicated to this program and this team. You will be missed!
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