Washington State will head Northeast to take on Montana University for an outdoor game Saturday at 6 p.m. MST in Kalispell.
WSU is coming off a 6-4 win over Utah Valley on Thursday and are looking to be 14-13 after the winter classic. However, the Griz have proven to be a formidable opponent this season in a competitive division, recording a 11-12-1 record this season.
WSU’s David Bushkin registered three straight goals in the contest against UVU and has become one of the most influential rookie players in the Pac-8 this year. With the help of Cole Carlson and Van Rayner also getting on the scoresheet, the Cougar offense is hoping to keep on rolling through the Big Sky Country.
Montana has shown a very similar offense to the Cougars this season. A spread-out offense that provides depth on the score sheet to help with their top scorers in Eitan Geralnik and Ben Cremers who have both recorded 28 points this season. The Griz could give the Cougars fits with a offensive defenseman like Mack Klein coming in with 22 points.
Alexei Kuhl has been providing the Cougars with a good backbone, but it hasn’t been reciprocated in the last couple of contests. The defensive chemistry has costed WSU on multiple occasions and was responsible for allowing grade-A chances in both the UVU and UW games.
Although Kuhl has been effective for the Cougars, the Griz are no stranger to strong goaltending. A strong starting netminder in Jordan Belley has displayed a .908 save percentage on 337 shots faced, averaging 2.9 goals given up per game. Montana also provides a reliable backup goaltender in Nash Wilson who has a .898 save percentage on 451 shots faced.
Special teams has been slow for the Cougars, but will need to be strong against Montana. An effective powerplay could prove to be very useful against a solid squad like the Grizzlies, but WSU would have to up their game in that department, as they have had a lacking powerplay for most of the season. Washington State has been able to kill off powerplays well as of late and if they are able to slow down the man-advantage opportunities of Montana, they will more than likely find themselves in a good spot.
The game will take place at 6 p.m on Jan. 17 at the Woodland Ice Center in the Cougars’ second outdoor game this season.
