Fresh off the PAC-8 Showcase, the Cougs made their way back to the Palouse and shutout the Idaho Vandals 9-0 on home ice.
The night began with a historic goal from freshman defenseman Ethan Mauer. The rookie picked up a puck at the blue-line and fired it through a bevy of humanity to sneak it past the Idaho goal tender.
Although Mauer secured his first career point as a Coug, he stayed humble.
Cole Carlson (24), Van Rayner (17), Lucas Robinson (9) and Max Lazarro (12) skate to the bench after a goal for the WSU hockey team against the University of Idaho on Nov. 14 2025.
“I’ve been scratched for [most of] last month,” he said. “I knew it was an important weekend. I’m glad it happened, but you still need to play this game tomorrow.”
Following him up was team captain Cole Carlson, who tucked a shot over the shoulder of Idaho goaltender David Wilson. He was not the only captain to get on the score sheet, as senior captain Van Rayner cleaned up a rebound in front and got a power play goal.
A 3-0 lead was not enough for the Cougs as freshman Landon Holtman slipped a shot past Wilson and got his first career point as a Coug.
“Means a lot,” Holtman said. “Means I can stay with everyone else. Very shocked when I got it. It was pretty awesome.”
Coming out of the locker room, Idaho sat Wilson on the bench and subbed in Colin Crecelius between the pipes. The goalie change did little to slow down the Cougs, as both Samuli Sihovnen and Max Lazarro tallied goals to make it 5-0 after 40 minutes.
In the final frame, the Cougs served up more of the same. Both Carlson and Lazarro got their second tucks of the night along with Kaydence Kelley getting his first, making the final score 9-0.
The flawless performance between the pipes marked Drew Ramsay’s second shutout of the season. Even with the incredible performance, the 6-foot-7 gentle giant was focused on the next game.
The WSU hockey team celebrates a shutout from sophmore goaltender Drew Ramsay on Nov. 14 2025.
“It definitely feels good,” Ramsay said. “I talked about it last time, wanting this team to be kind of consistent… Hopefully [we] run it back tomorrow.”
For head coach John Lupinacci, Ramsay’s performance was critical.
“Solid,” he said. “He bailed the boys out when the momentum started to shift and then that helps us get our momentum back.”
Although the Cougs dominated in night one, Lupinacci admitted to the team’s lack of consistency.
“We [have] to break that pattern of good Friday night, bad Saturday,” he said. “So, we have a good task ahead of us to do what we did tonight again tomorrow.”
The Cougs will drop the puck against the Vandals once again on Saturday Nov. 15 at the Palouse Ice Rink in Moscow, Idaho.
