The Utah Utes (23-12-1) erased a three-goal third-period deficit to skate away from Cheney hoisting the Pac-8 championship trophy following a dramatic 7-6 overtime victory over the San Jose State Spartans Sunday.

The Spartans (13-11) entered the third period with a 5-2 lead and led 6-3 at the halfway mark of the final stanza, only to surrender three goals in the final 10 minutes as the Utes tied the game 6-6 with 3:30 left in regulation.

Utah’s Garrett Jackson scored the overtime winner just over four minutes into the extra frame. Jackson worked a give-and-go with Maxwell Hove, receiving a pass from below the goal line before beating San Jose State netminder Nicholas Checklenis high over the glove from the left hash mark on the Utes’ 58th shot of the game to end the contest and send his team scrambling onto the ice in celebration.

Three separate hat tricks highlighted the championship game. Senior standout Donovan Garcia scored a powerplay goal and two shorthanded goals while Philippe Moffett provided the rest of the offense for the underdog Spartans. Maximillian Fenne answered back for the Utes with his own three-goal effort, tallying Utah’s fifth and sixth goals just over three minutes apart late in the third period to bring his team even.  

Checklenis made 51 saves in the loss as the Utes more than doubled up the Spartans, outshooting them 58-27. Utah goaltender Jack Nowicki gave up six goals on 26 shots through regulation but came up big late, allowing his team to kill off a penalty with three minutes remaining to send the game to overtime and smothering a partial breakaway by SJSU’s Felipe Castellanos in the extra frame to bring home the win. 

The championship is Utah’s first since 2016 and their fourth overall at the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division II level. The championship victory means the Utes will represent the Pac-8 with an automatic bid in the ACHA Division II West Regional Tournament in Logan, Utah later this month.

The Utes entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the conference and dominated their first two matchups, winning 10-3 over Western Washington and 6-0 over USC in the semi-finals to earn their way to the Pac-8 title game on Sunday. SJSU beat the host Eastern Washington Eagles 5-3 in their opening match Friday and defeated their Bay Area rivals from Berkeley, beating California 7-3 in the semi-finals to earn their championship berth. 

The first day of the tournament saw all four Washington schools lose to their out-of-state opponents, with the last team in No. 8 USC highlighting the opening day by upsetting the top-ranked Washington Huskies by a score of 4-3 in the tournament’s opening match. 

WSU lost its opening game against Cal 9-3 Friday night to close out the season. The Cougars’ starting goaltender Kane Paxton took home Second Team Pac-8 All-Conference honors and WSU head coach Johnny Lupinacci was recognized as the conference’s Coach of the Year at the Pac-8’s annual award ceremony Thursday night.