Brad Bowes- UCO Hockey
September 17, 2023- Edmond, Oklahoma
FRIDAY GAME RECAP
The University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos demolish the Alabama Crimson
Tide by a final score of 11 to 1. Dallas, TX native Cullen Hogan scored the debut goal for the
Bronchos this season. It was apparent from the intensity early on that the team wanted to show
off for the faithful crowd at Arctic Edge Ice Arena, and by the looks of it, the fans wanted to
show off for their team as well. The Broncho Barn was more than packed for the home opener,
leaving many fans standing along the glass just to get a view of the action.
The Broncho’s also enjoyed the return of Czechia teammate Ondrej Blaha, who missed last
season’s playoffs with a broken wrist. He notched two goals in his return to the ice.
UCO Hockey burst out of the gate with a chip on their shoulder tonight. It did not take long
before Alabama knew they were in for a long night against a rough and intimidating Central
Oklahoma team that made quick work on the scoreboard. Alabama has given the Broncho’s
some trouble in the past with their chippy, pestering style of play. However, this season,
especially tonight, it looked like the Broncho’s just had too much firepower for Alabama to
extinguish.
Four Broncho players had two goal nights, and 11 players made it on the scoresheet. The popular
saying that a team is only as strong as its weakest link is true in hockey too. This roster looks to
be the deepest Broncho roster in recent history, which includes a slew of very deep teams and
talented squads. Of course, time will reveal the solidity of this take, but having returning seniors
Davin Burton, Austin Simpson, and Cooper Krauss back in the fold is a big-time contribution.
This game didn’t feel very close once the Broncho’s opened up the Crimson Tide goalie with
their first goal. Sebastien Doucet earned his first goal in a Broncho uniform only 25 seconds after
Cullen Hogan accomplished the same feat. The Broncho’s enjoyed the two-goal lead for about 7
minutes before Ondrej Blaha and Sam Sykes dumped in two more goals on the Alabama goalie
just a minute and forty seconds apart. This is pretty much how the game continued to go. Shots
were 65 to 21 in favor of the Broncho’s.
In the second period, the Broncho’s did much of the same, following their game plan to put
pucks in deep and applying heavy pressure on the Alabama defense, forcing them into mistake
after mistake. The Crimson Tide were visibly frustrated at their lack of ability to make something
happen and started to let their emotions get the best of them, resulting in a plethora of penalties
that no coach should be proud of. This only allowed the Broncho’s to pull away even further.
Scoring 5 powerplay goals on 13 powerplays.
UCO scored 7 unanswered goals in this game before conceding their only goal on a blundered
mix up behind the Broncho’s net. Goaltender Doug Wakelyn was fantastic in net tonight, when
he was in the net. The error that resulted in a goal saw him tripped by an Alabama player after he
rimmed the puck around in the Bronchos defensive zone, leaving the net unprotected while the
Crimson Tide picked up the loose change and cashed it in. This didn’t stop the pressure from the
Broncho’s as they put four more goals on the board before the final buzzers sounds.
SATURDAY RECAP
The University of Central Oklahoma Broncho’s run the Alabama Crimson Tide
out of Arctic Edge Ice Arena tonight by a final score of 13 – 1. Sam Sykes had a phenomenal
outing with 4 goals and 2 assists. Similar to last night the Broncho’s had four players chip in with
2+ goals.
Tonight, UCO Hockey was looking to bring more of what they had in them last night when they
romped Alabama by a difference of 10 goals. Well, they did just that, and two minutes into the
game the Broncho’s already had a two-goal lead courtesy of Sykes and Guerra. Alabama had no
answers for the Broncho’s high-octane offense tonight, as the Broncho’s just had too much
horsepower in their lineup.
With the Broncho’s winning their last two games by a margin of greater than seven goals. They
will be the beneficiaries when the computer rankings come out, as there are two cumulative
rankings that each team is judged on, one being head-to-head, and the other being margin of
victory, and a seven goal differential is required to maximize your points in that second ranking.
Alabama was chippy tonight and tried to be as physical as possible against a Broncho’s team that
had them outmatched in just about every attribute. However, it was the Broncho’s capitalizing on
five out of 14 powerplays. With Alabama just getting more frustrated each time they took a
penalty.
A nearly perfect start to the season for the Broncho’s, who look to carry their fantastic play on
the road as they will surely be tested a little bit more in their upcoming matches. The Broncho’s
will be on the road for the next three game weekends. First hitting the road to face the #25
ranked Colorado State University Rams at Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins, CO. After
Colorado State they will face a highly competitive Maryville team came in ranked #9 in the most
recent coaches’ poll, a team that they split the season series with last season. Finally, the
Broncho’s will have a weekend off before heading back to Colorado to take on the Colorado
Buffalos before returning home. When the Broncho’s return home they will face University of
Mary. A team that has been a prestigious ACHA men’s division 2 team, winning numerous
championships at the div. 2 level, and is celebrating their inaugural division 1 season by playing
the best of the best.
Scoring Recap Friday
1 – 0
2 – 0
3 – 0
4 – 0: End of First Period.
5 – 0
6 – 0
7 – 0
7 – 1
8 – 1
9 – 1 End of Second Period.
10 – 1
11 – 1 End of Game.
SCORING RECAP SATURDAY
1 – 0
2 – 0
3 – 0
4 – 0
5 – 0
6 – 0: End of First Period
7 – 0
8 – 0
9 – 0: End of Second Period
9 – 1
10 – 1
11 – 1
12 – 1
13 – 1: End of Game