Both the Cougs, who sit at 11-12 on the season, and the Eastern Washington Eagles, who sit at 9-14, are hoping to end the season on a positive note. The Cougs are coming home off a two-game series against the University of Southern California in Anaheim, where they were unable to pick up a win.
Similarly, the Eagles are coming off two losses against Montana State University, where they were shut out both nights and gave up a combined 25 goals. To put it plainly, both squads are looking banged up heading into this weekend’s series.
While neither team has played up to par the past few games, they still boast some strong contributors. The Eagles have former PAC-8 points leader Peyton Lund, who now sits in third place in the division with 40 points. The 5-foot-10 sophomore forward has put up 18 goals and 22 assists on the season. The last time the Cougs faced off against the Eagles, Lund put on a show, picking up a few goals and dazzling the Eagles’ crowd.
Additionally, EWU has Dominick Didzerekis, the team’s goal leader, who sits in fourth place in terms of goals in the entire division. The 6-foot-3 freshman forward has 20 goals on the season and leads the division in power-play goals. Similar to Peyton Lund, Didzerekis put together two quality games against the Cougs earlier this season and was also able to pick up a couple of points on the score sheet.
Finally, the Eagles have sophomore forward Robby Arver. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, he is both the tallest and heaviest member of this EWU squad. While Arver has only been able to clock in 14 points on the season, his presence is still felt on the ice. By using his superior size and power, Arver serves as the primary enforcer of this Eagles team and helps keep the game aggressive.
On the Cougs’ side of the ice, they have Cole Carlson, the 5-foot-10 sophomore forward who leads the team in assists with 20 and co-leads the team in goals with 17. He sits in fifth place in the division in terms of points, just two spots shy of Peyton Lund on EWU. While the Calgary native struggled in the team’s previous series against EWU, he has heated up in 2025, picking up numerous assists and goals in the games against Gonzaga University and USC. After being promoted from the second line, Carlson has found a solid home on the team’s first line.
To complement Carlson on this new line is 5-foot-10 junior forward and team captain Miles Seguin. The talented captain co-leads in goals alongside Carlson with 17 on the season. This ranks the two Cougs at seventh and eighth place in the division for goals. Seguin started 2025 off strong with a hat trick in the first game back against Gonzaga. He has been a staple of the first line for WSU and has developed phenomenal chemistry with his linemates Cole Carlson and Ian Gould.
While the first line has been productive for this Cougars team, the third line has also shined. Head coach John Lupinacci said he was impressed he was with third-liner Van Rayner both coming into 2025 and after the Gonzaga series. He said the young forward would be a name to watch out for in the coming games, and he has proved his point with Rayner picking up two goals in the series against Gonzaga. Forwards Kam Fredrick, Jack Morrell and Van Rayner make up a solid third line that adds invaluable depth to the team.
With both teams having clinched a playoff spot, this weekend’s games are for pride. The Eagles were able to sweep the previous series, putting up 11 combined goals, but the Cougs’ offense is looking sharper than ever. Both these teams will meet again in the PAC-8 playoffs hosted by EWU in early February. The first game of this weekend’s series will be on Jan. 31 in Cheney, Washington, while the second matchup will be brought back to Moscow, Idaho, on Feb. 1 at the Palouse Ice Rink.
