WSU hockey honored four graduating seniors this Saturday, and they did not disappoint them. A 14-2 Cougar win capped off the collegiate careers of Luke Juergensen, Colin Keenan, Samuli Sihovnen and Sam Hembree. 

After taking down Gonzaga 7-5 in game one of the series, WSU proceeded to tally 14 goals off seven separate scorers in game two. While only one senior got on the board, the blowout win was a perfect way to send off the graduating Cougs. 

WSU struck first in the game, with junior Lucas Robinson threading a wrister through traffic to break the ice. The Cougs followed it up quickly when Juergensen fed a wrap-around no-look pass to junior Cole Carlson who stuffed it for a goal. 

Gonzaga did not end the period emptyhanded. With two minutes left in the frame, Chen-Yu Sun found a loose puck and tapped it in to cut the lead to only one.

However, coming into the second period, WSU was shot out of a cannon. Juergensen started the party for the Cougs after a feed from Carlson allowed him to snipe a shot from the wing. 

With the fire lit, WSU went on to tuck seven unanswered goals. 

Freshman David Bushkin was next up with a short-handed five-hole shot. 10 seconds later it was sophomore Max Lazarro forcing a turnover and tucking a shot over the shoulder. 

Despite the highlight reel goal, Lazarro credited much of it to senior Samuli Sihovnen on the assist. 

“It was all [Sihovnen],” Lazarro said. “He pretty much did all the work on that play… somehow gets it to me and I just no-look ripped it.”

Even with the pair of short-handed goals, WSU was not satisfied. Carlson went on to rattle off three straight, securing the hat trick with a cherry on top. 

After him it was freshman Evan King and then Lazarro getting his second of the evening. That capped off an eight-goal second period, giving WSU a 10-1 lead after 40 minutes. 

“It’s always fun to go pump in a whole bunch of goals and especially on a night like tonight,” Juergensen said. “It’s been a great sendoff for all the seniors.”

With the game all but over, they still had 20 minutes left to play. Senior Van Rayner picked it up right where the Cougs left it in the second by sweeping in a puck from the slot to make it 11-1. 

A few minutes later it was freshman Matthew Taylor who stole a puck behind the cage and wrapped it around for the 12th goal of the evening. Then, Robinson secured his second goal with a wrist shot blast from the wing to make it 13-1 late in the third. 

Finally, Rayner threw salt in the wound by tucking goal No. 14 off the right post. Gonzaga did manage to tally their second goal, making it 14-2, but it was too little too late as the Cougs blew the Bulldogs out of the water with a 12-goal victory. 

Throughout the matchup Keenan, Sihovnen, Juergensen and Hembree rarely came off the ice. In their last college game, head coach John Lupinacci wanted the quartet of Cougs to soak up every moment. 

“Just as much time as they could spend,” he said. “Seniors are going to play most of the third period and everyone’s going to get to eat a lot and it’s their last time to the buffet.” 

For returning players, the four departing Cougs leave a gaping hole on the bench. With Juergensen specifically, Carlson is losing a glue-guy on the first line. 

“It’s a huge loss,” Carlson said. “He’s obviously a great player. He plays really well with me. But honestly, the loss is just bigger in the locker room. The presence he brings. He’s a super calm demeanored guy. Everyone loves him.” 

While Juergensen will not be suiting up next year, his presence may be returning behind the bench. 

“He’s planning to, fingers crossed, come back and assistant coach for us. So, that’ll be huge,” Carlson said. 

After phenomenal Cougar careers, Lupinacci had nothing but praise for the seniors. 

“All of them are hard workers,” he said. “Setting that example that hard work will get you there…They all lead by example. They encourage those guys to do that.”

After the game, WSU stayed in their locker room longer than usual. The four departing veterans shared words of wisdom with the underclassmen Cougs, leaving a lasting impact on the next generation of WSU hockey. 

For some of the seniors, that advice includes cherishing every moment on the ice. 

“Being able to enjoy the sucky moments,” Juergensen said. “Waking up early for practice and the rough skates. Just, really trying to understand that it’s a privilege to be able to play college hockey at the level that we do.” 

With the 14-2 win on senior night, WSU’s season officially comes to a close. They have no remaining spring games on the schedule and next year’s slate has not been released. 

However, the team will be holding their prospect camp on April 10 and 11 at the Palouse Ice Rink in order to welcome new players and sort out the roster for the 2026-2027 season. Who returns to the Palouse and who they recruit in the offseason is still in the air. 

But, what is known is that WSU sent off their seniors this year with the best game of the season to cap off an exciting 2025-2026 campaign.