After playing in Boise the weekend prior, the Cougs were back on the road in Spokane to kick off a two-game series against a familiar foe. Last season, the Cougs put up a combined 33 goals against Gonzaga, but this Saturday started off on the other foot.

Gonzaga came out swinging in the first period, keeping WSU off the puck and tilting the ice towards sophomore goaltender Drew Ramsay for the Cougs. Defenseman Jonas Nelson got the ball rolling, sneaking a shot past Ramsay to break the ice.

A one goal lead was not enough for the Bulldogs, as forward Miles Dineen got on the board before the end of the first period, making it 2-0 Gonzaga after 20 minutes. For freshman forward David Bushkin, the Bulldogs took this team by surprise.

“We came in and took this team for granted,” Bushkin said. “I think we started slow.”

Buskin was a healthy scratch for the matchup after claiming the team’s goal lead in the series down in Boise. For head coach John Lupinacci, he admitted that Gonzaga was a tough matchup.

“They just never quit,” Lupinacci said. “They’re a much better team than they were last year. I think our boys underestimated them tonight and they ended up digging themselves out of a hole.”

Coming out of the locker room, WSU gave the Bulldogs a run for their money. Team captain and junior forward Cole Carlson broke the ice for the Cougs, winding up a slapshot from the blue line that connected on the top shelf. Carlson got back on the score sheet again, feeding a backhand pass to sophomore forward Max Lazzaro who scored on the yawning cage.

To close out the second frame, Carlson picked up his second goal of the evening, toe dragging on the Gonzaga goaltender and slipping it past the outstretched pad. Even with the 3-2 lead, Carlson was not content.

“I’m trying to take it upon myself to keep the team a little bit accountable, myself included,” Carlson said. “Last weekend against Boise we kept it close against a top team in the country. So then, to come out pretty slow against a team that’s historically weaker, none of the team was happy with it.”

With 20 minutes left in the game, Gonzaga came out of the locker room hungry to tie it up. The first five minutes of action featured Ramsay saving a flurry of shots from the Bulldogs.  

Nonetheless, the Cougs managed to tilt the ice and allowed sophomore two-way player Wyatt Perry to pick up a goal from the blue line, trickling off bodies out in front and fooling the Gonzaga goalie. Even with the fourth-liner Perry getting on the board, WSU leaned heavily on their first line all game, much to Lupinacci’s disappointment.  

“I hate when the goals aren’t spread across the lines,” Lupinacci said. “I like when all lines are scoring and that just didn’t happen tonight. I always say you need five goals to win in the ACHA. It wasn’t pretty but it’s a win.”

The Bulldogs did not go quietly, as forward Colton Bowers fed a backhand shot past Ramsay to make the game 4-3 in favor of the Cougs.

With only a one-goal lead, the Cougs held on for the rest of the game, allowing Carlson to complete his hat trick with a buzzer-beating empty netter. After the 5-3 win, Carlson gave credit to his linemate Lazzaro.

“He’s really stepped up into that role,” Carlson said. “With the absence of Miles [Seguin] and Ian [Gould] he’s really stepped up. We’ve been connecting really well.”

Even from behind the bench, Bushkin recognized the importance of the first line.

“They are the first line for a reason,” he said. “Every one of them, every shift, they grind and they hustle.”

Although Lupinacci admitted to wanting production from different names, he could not complain about his first line’s contribution.

“It’s always good when the captain puts the team on his back and the boys needed that,” Lupinacci said. “We came out flat tonight… in the first period we lost in every way to them.”  

With his hat trick, Carlson reclaims the goal lead on this team with five on the year, dethroning Bushkin. Even though they are teammates, the stat sheet is providing competition between the two star forwards.

“You could call it a rivalry. I love seeing the younger guys get on the goal sheet,” Carlson said. “He’s had a really good start to the season and really impressed us overall. It’s just fun to be competitive with your teammates and push each other to play the best you can.”

With yesterday’s win the Coug’s record moves to 2-0 on the year. They take on Gonzaga for the second time on Saturday Oct. 4 at Eagles Ice Arena in Spokane.