JON HELGASON/Arizona Daily Wildcat

UA sophomore right winger Wes Krisay battles for the puck with a Weber State player during Friday's game at the Tucson Convention Center.

Leave it to the American Collegiate Hockey Association pollsters to light a fire under the Icecats.

Unhappy with their No. 14 ranking in the ACHA, the Icecats took out some severe frustration on their competition from Utah this weekend.

UA knocked off Weber State 9-2 Friday night before dominating Utah 11-1 on Saturday, extending its winning streak to five games.

UA head coach Leo Golembiewski said it was no secret that his Icecats had something to prove this weekend.

"We were trying to make a statement," Golembiewski said. "Those two teams came in to beat us, and they talked a lot of smack.

"We had to spank them, we couldn't just beat them."

The Icecats (7-1) had no problem doing just that during their most productive series of the season.

With explosive second periods during both contests, UA overwhelmed its competition and put on a show for the Tucson Convention Center crowd.

After grabbing a 2-1 lead after the first period Friday night on goals by junior Matt Naylor and freshman Mickey Meehan, the Icecats buried Weber State with a five-goal barrage in the second.

Five different Icecats found the net for Arizona, including the second goals of the game for Meehan and Naylor.

Putting an exclamation point on what has already been a tremendous UA career, senior Pavel Jandura added a shorthanded goal in the third period to become the Icecats' all-time leading scorer among defensemen with 123 career points.

Both Naylor and Meehan finished the game with two goals and an assist, while junior Dave Loftus added a goal and two assists.

Freshman goalie Bryan Aronchick continued his consistent play, making 29 saves to earn the victory.

Unfortunately for the Icecats, the victory came at a costly price. Already without freshman Shawn Brooks due to a shoulder injury, senior defenseman John Saunders went down to the same injury against Weber State and will likely be sidelined for a few weeks.

An even more determined Icecat squad skated to a scoreless first period Saturday until a Utah goal woke the Arizona offense.

UA caught fire in the second period with a string of seven straight goals. After assisting on Meehan's power-play goal to open the scoring, senior co-captain Kyle Neary single-handedly took over the game for the UA.

Neary displayed most of the weapons in his offensive arsenal, stick-handling through and around the majority of Utah's defensemen in scoring four straight highlight-reel quality goals. After Naylor added his third goal of the weekend, Neary closed out the second period with his fifth goal in 20 minutes - perhaps the most complete period of hockey the Icecats have put together this season.

Loftus and Meehan sandwiched third-period goals around Neary's sixth tally of the night, and the Icecats found themselves with their most dominating victory to date.

After scoring hat tricks in his last three Saturday night contests, Neary doubled that offensive production against Utah and boosted his team-leading total to 17 goals.

"I don't think I have ever scored six goals in a game before," Neary said of his offensive outburst. "We had a really good transition game going. Our defensemen were letting us catch the puck up ice with a lot of speed.

"We were kind of upset after we lost Saunders, but I'm glad (with) the way (the) guys have filled in. We've shown that we have at least three capable lines."

While the Icecats' offense exploded this weekend, Golembiewski said he was more impressed with Aronchick's play in the net.

"I think our team is emanating out of our goaltender," Golembiewski said. "What you have with Aronchick is someone that loves to practice and loves to compete.

"The key right now is that our team really enjoys each other's company on and off the ice. The attitude as a whole is really refreshing."

The Icecats return after the Thanksgiving holiday to face St. Louis on Nov. 30, the first time the Icecats will face a higher-ranked opponent this season.

UA showed this weekend, though, that rankings have little effect on the outcomes of their games.

"We had to make adjustments, and while it takes effort, the bottom line is your execution," Golembiewski said. "The response this weekend was great, the guys really stepped it up."