By
Chris Suffecool
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA remains unbeaten at home
The Icecats hockey team took two games against the U.S. Naval Academy this past weekend at the Tucson Convention Center by a combined score of 15-2.
The two games could not have been more different for the Icecats though.
UA junior goalie Jason Morgan recorded his first shutout of the season Friday night, stopping 17 shots by the Midshipmen en route to a 1-0 Arizona victory in what was a defensively dominant game.
The Icecats had 39 shots on goal Friday, but the only score came on a shot by senior forward Ed Carfora at 5:27 in the first period.
Icecats junior defenseman John Saunders was concerned with his team's performance Friday night, but gave credit to Navy goaltender Jay Bijeau, who stopped 38 of the Icecats 39 shots.
"We didn't execute," Saunders said. "Once you start giving a goalie a little bit of confidence, he'll start playing a lot better than he can be."
Bijeau did not have the same luck on Saturday night.
Head coach Leo Golembiewski moved some players around in his lineup and the Icecats came out hot, scoring 14 goals.
Navy managed to score two goals during the game, but did not tally its first until the Icecats already had a comfortable 5-0 lead.
After Saturday's game, Golembiewski said the changes he made helped make the difference for his team.
"We changed the lines up and the kids responded," he said. "You can't be shut down by anybody 1-0. We're very pleased with the way they responded."
Eleven different Icecats scored goals on Saturday night.
Among the scoring leaders for the Icecats were freshman forward Joe Boysen, senior forward Kyle McNeilance and senior forward Paul Dorn. Each player notched two goals for Arizona.
Senior forward Ed Carfora had a goal and four assists, and junior defenseman Pavel Jandura added three assists for the Icecats.
The Icecats have now won six in a row at home and have not lost since Oct. 22, when UA dropped a 2-1 game to Saint Louis University.
Freshman forward Billy Veasey said the Icecats are capable of winning all of their home games if they continue their strong play.
"We win every game here," he said. "We should win every game here if we play our game."
