WILL SEBERGER/Arizona Daily Wildcat Icecat freshman Dave Cwik gets mobbed by teammates after scoring the decisive goal in the UA's 2-1 overtime win against Arizona State Saturday night in the Tucson Convention Center arena. The Icecats won their first game in almost a month to improve to 6-6-1.

It didn't take long for UA freshman center Dave Cwik to go from scapegoat to hero during the No. 14 Icecats' home contest against Arizona State Saturday night at the Tucson Convention Center arena.

In fact, it took just seven seconds.

With just under three minutes to go in overtime and the score tied 1-1, Cwik was called for cross-checking near center ice, sending him to the penalty box.

The Icecats looked like they might extend their winless streak to six games when Cwik raced out of the box with 58 seconds to play. But the first-year forward took a pass from junior captain Mickey Meehan near the Sun Devil blue line and buried the game winner past ASU goaltender Adam Schoenfeld as the UA bench poured onto the ice in celebration.

"This is huge for our guys," UA head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "It makes practice Tuesday a little easier for them."

The 2-1 victory was the team's first in nearly a month, the last win coming when the Icecats (6-6-1) shut out Navy 2-0 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Cwik's goal may have been the difference between a win and a tie, but UA junior goaltender Bryan Aronchick was easily the difference between a tie and a loss.

After Arizona State shut out the Icecats 3-0 Friday night behind Schoenfeld's 18-save outing, Aronchick countered by stopping 58 of 59 Sun Devil shots to close out the two-game set.

ASU jumped on top early off a power play goal from Ray Corey six minutes into Saturday's game, but UA sophomore forward Cole Dunlop evened the score at 1 with a second period goal. Banks Concepcion had the assist.

"This was totally their victory. I had nothing to do with it," said Golembiewski, noting the team's efforts to work through setbacks and pull out the victory.

The team benefited over the weekend from the play of senior defenseman Keith Mitchell, playing in his first game of the season after suffering from back injuries prior to the season opener.

But after losing freshman forward Jeff Merritt for the next two months with a broken leg he suffered during practice last week, the Icecats took another blow in Friday's loss.

Sophomore Don Holtz, the Arizona leader in both points and goals entering the weekend set, had to be helped off the ice Friday night after suffering from a hyper-extended knee.

Holtz was on crutches at the TCC arena Saturday. The extent of his injury is unknown.