Brad Bowes-UCO Hockey
#2 UCO Hockey takes care of business against the #20 Missouri State Bears at
home. UCO won both games on the weekend, with a 3 – 0 shutout on Friday Night, and an 8 – 4
victory to seal the deal on Saturday. When these two teams face off, the rivalry fueled escapade
never seems to disappoint. In previous years fans and players have fought on the bench at Jordan
Valley Ice Park in Springfield, MO. Saturday’s game didn’t quite get to that level, but it did
include all the hype and antics you expect to see when you go to a hockey game. A couple
ejections are always guaranteed to give the fans a rush as they get to verbally berate them off the
ice and down the tunnel.
The Bronchos deployed sophomore goaltender Artem Lantukh in Friday’s matchup, who clocked
in and shut out Missouri State. Let’s take a moment and admire the Broncho goaltenders. Artem
has already gifted the Bronchos with 2 shutouts this season in the 3 games he’s played and
amassed an absurd save percentage of .984. He’s 7 – 0 in his career at UCO, with 4 SHUTOUTS.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me remind you this isn’t soccer, shutting out your opponent does not
happen over 50% of the time. However, if we’re being realistic, it’s only a matter of time before
these numbers fall back down to Earth. This is an incredibly small sample size. The Bronchos
goalie attack is spearheaded by Doug Wakelyn, who has also been nothing short of amazing
himself, racking up 2 shutouts to his own name, and securing a .973 SV % in his 5 starts. Which
is also otherworldly and likely unsustainable. The Broncho’s are a foolishly deep at goalie right
now, which should serve them well in securing important wins during the regular season and
playoffs. It’s rare to have a goalie who can steal a win for a team any given night, but right now it
seems like the Bronchos have two.
The Bronchos took care of business Friday night, and a lot can be said about the game just by
looking at the shot totals, UCO outshot the Bears by 17 shots on net, nearly doubling them in that
category. Linemates Mikhailov and Regan lead the team with two and three points respectively.
Regan having a point in every Broncho goal. UCO scored all their goals at even strength on
Friday.
Saturday’s contest was an exciting game with back-and-forth action throughout the whole first
frame, the two teams were just trading blows the whole period. Missouri State couldn’t find their
way into leading at any point during the game, and frustration ended up getting the better of
them. They took their first penalty 5 minutes into the second frame, and Davin Burton
capitalized on the powerplay within seconds. This put the Bronchos somewhat comfortably
ahead 5-3, and Davin’s goal ended up being the game winner. Missouri State couldn’t do
anything to bring themselves back in it. The Bronchos have found their groove and their record
currently stands at 13– 1.
Next week the Bronchos will face a top 10 team as #7 University of Jamestown visits Edmond,
OK for a showdown Friday and Saturday. University of Jamestown has secured a win over the
#1 ranked Minot State Beavers, currently the only team sitting above UCO in the standings.
Scoring Recap (Friday)
1 – 0 (Mikhailov. Dubecky, Regan)
2 – 0 (Regan. Mikhailov, Burton) End of Period 1.
3 – 0 (Stalzer. Regan, Sykes) End of Period 2.
End of Game.
Scoring Recap (Saturday)
1 – 0 (Sykes. unassisted)
1 – 1 (Harper. unassisted)
2 – 1 (Ondrej. Eha, Rabroker)
2 – 2 (Babinski. Boothe)
3 – 2 (Sykes. Burton, Williams)
3 – 3 (Boothe. McGowan, Babinski)
4 – 3 (Stalzer. Regan, Shura) End of Period 1.
5 – 3 (Burton. Regan)
6 – 3 (Stalzer. Dubecky, Burton)
6 – 4 (Dawe. Harper, Griffin)
7 – 4 (Guerra. Sykes, Dubecky) End of Period 2.
8 – 4 (Hogan. Blaha, Sykes) End of Game.