This past weekend the Broncos had a back-to-back match-up against Northern Arizona University. Both teams hit the ice on Friday night not knowing what to expect from one another. In the first period the Broncos came out strong and kept the puck down in their offensive zone. As the game went on things were looking good for the team, but some unlucky bounces led to a few NAU goals. This seemed to take some of the wind out of the team’s sails. They wound up losing the game 2-8, even though they had a strong effort throughout the entire contest. After this first game, both teams noticed the physicality of the game. There were some big hits and some punches thrown, but this grit added to the intensity of the game.

Facing some injuries going into the weekend, the Broncos went into game two down four players. Even though the team lost the first game, they felt as though they had a strong chance of winning game two. The team looked fired up as they hit the ice on Saturday. The Broncos threw some huge hits throughout the game, which really added to the team’s energy level. They had a tremendous amount of scoring chances, but the NAU goaltender really kept his team in the game with some great saves. After one period the score was 1-1. At the end of period two the Broncos had a 3-1 lead. The team, although tired from a short bench, went into the third period ready to hold their lead. They worked hard throughout the period, but the Broncos got into some penalty trouble and let NAU back into the game. They ended up losing the game 3-5. This was a tough loss, but the team and the coaching staff were pleased with the effort the players put into each and every shift. Next weekend the Broncos look forward to taking on College of the Canyons and Fresno State.

Friday morning; bright and early, the Broncos boarded their bus and headed down to Valencia for their first game of their three game road trip. First on their schedule was College of the Canyons.  The Broncos knew they had to outperform the reigning national champions. At the end of the first, the Broncos trailed by two goals, but they fought back; eventually taking a 5-3 lead as the buzzer sounded; ending the second period and after capitalizing on a four-minute power play. The team knew this lead would be hard to hold onto through the last twenty minutes of the game. At the end of the third, College of the Canyons came back to take a 7-6 lead. Although the Broncos rallied with some pressure late in the period, they lost 7-8. It was a tough loss, but the team realized that they have the potential for growth this season. 

Saturday night the Broncos faced CSU Northridge, another hard-hitting opponent, who has always managed to out skate SCU. Although the team had a 3-2 lead at one point in the game, they struggled to move their legs in the second and third periods. They would end up with a disappointing loss at the end of the third with a score of 13-5.

Sunday morning the Broncos headed north for a matchup with their next opponent, UC Santa Barbara. Although the team was worn out from their long weekend, they worked hard to come back from an early deficit to end the game with a 5-5 tie. 

This year the team is showing significant improvement. Their match-up against the Southern Californian Teams brought out their competitive side, despite the upsetting outcomes of the various games. 

Come out and show your support as the team faces off against Northern Arizona University this weekend!