By Chris Jackson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 23, 1998

Icecats lose season finale

The 1997-98 season series between the Arizona Icecats and Arizona State Ice Devils will go into the books with each team having won three games.

It's too bad for the Icecats that none of those wins came on the scoreboard.

Eighth-ranked Arizona (15-10-1) dropped both games against ASU at the Tucson Convention Center this weekend 4-3 Friday and 6-5 Saturday to close out the regular season.

Arizona never beat ASU, but an ineligible player forced the Ice Devils to forfeit their first three wins from last semester.

"We haven't lost a bit of momentum for nationals and that's what I was most worried about," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "It was one of those years. We beat ASU 66 times in a row over a 14-year period. Those days are gone. ASU's had a good hockey team for five years now."

Icecat senior defenseman Chad Dyjak said just one thing stood between Arizona winning both games.

"One player made all the difference," Dyjak said. "Their goaltender was outstanding again."

Ice Devil goalie Mike Powers turned away 31 of the Icecats' 36 shots Saturday, once again stopping the Icecats' speed-oriented attack.

"He's an excellent goaltender," Icecat senior center Ben Ruston said. "I think our team is more talented, there's no question in my mind about that, but they've just got boys who work their asses off. They're an older and more experienced team."

The teams totaled 28 penalties in each game, with three brutal fights breaking out in the third period of Saturday's game.

As the two teams prepared to face off in the Icecats' zone, ASU wing Matt Barclay threw down his gloves and helmet and charged Icecat defenseman Kevin Baskel, who responded in kind. While the two of them began fighting, Dyjak and ASU's Keith McElroy also decided to go at it.

After the four players were tossed from the game, Icecat center Hunter Cherenack and ASU wing Jason Sternberg started pounding on one another. They were also promptly ejected upon being separated, but not before a victorious Cherenack waved Sternberg's jersey, which he had torn off, in the air for all to see.

Despite the violence and the loss, Golembiewski was upbeat about his team's chances at nationals in two weeks.

"We can't help but be proud of this team," he said. "We played great with two of our best defenseman at less than 50 percent."

Dyjak and freshman Tyler Brush both played hurt.

After the game Dyjak said "I can barely lift my right arm" but that he would be 100 percent in time for nationals.

Golembiewski said the Icecats are "peaking and we're playing our best hockey of the year right now."