By Chris Jackson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 26, 1997

No pep talk needed against Ice Devils

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Defenseman and senior co-captain Chad Dyjak (in white) races for the puck against a St. Louis Billikens player. Dyjak and his mates have a rivalry game of their own this weekend as they travel north to take on the improved Arizona State Ice Devils.

Arizona hates Arizona State. Arizona State hates Arizona. It's what a rivalry is all about.

It's no different for hockey than it is for football or basketball.

Only in hockey, someone from Arizona can legally hit someone from Arizona State really hard.

"Mainly we have to go out hitting, be more physical," Arizona Icecat senior center and co-captain Ben Ruston said. "We need to go out there and intimidate them early and get a lot of good shots on goal."

The "them" that Ruston is referring to is the Arizona State Ice Devils, whom the Icecats will take on this Friday at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix at 8 p.m.

The hockey game will act as part two of a UA-ASU twin bill, the first game being the showdown between the two schools' football teams.

"We're not worried at all," Arizona Icecat senior defenseman and co-captain Chad Dyjak said. "They're not a threat to us this year."

Over the years the Icecats have an 82-6 record against the Ice Devils, but one of those losses came last year.

"They've been a lot better recently," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "They've gone to the national tournament the last two years."

Ruston said that no matter the level of talent that the Ice Devils have, "they always play us tough."

"We don't like them, period," Ruston said. "The level of the game for us goes up every time we play them."

Dyjak said that because of the rivalry, the Ice Devils are prone to some questionable tactics.

"I expect them to be cheap," he said. "They always are. You have a lot of emotion going into the game."

The Ice Devils are coming off two tough losses at home to 6th-ranked Minot State, 5-2 and 4-1. The Beavers split their two-game series with the Icecats, winning 8-7 and losing 8-6.

As for the football game, where Arizona is the underdog, Dyjak said that the Icecats will make up for a UA loss if the team should fall.

"We're all part of the UA," he said. "We have to uphold the pride of the Wildcats and the Icecats."

Icecat Scoring Leaders

Player,   Pos.   G	A	Pts.

Harris,   RW	14	20	34
Ruston,   C	16	13	29
Carfora,  LW	 8	20	28
Dorn,     LW	15	11	26
Graves,   RW	 6	13	19
Dyjak,     D	 3	 7	10
Thompson,  C	 5	 4	 9
McCaffrey, D	 4	 5	 9
Majka,     D	 2	 5	 7
Wilkey,   LW	 4	 2	 6
McCarty,  RW	 2	 4	 6
Brush,     D	 1	 5	 6
Meehan,    C	 2	 2	 4
Wilke,    LW	 1	 3	 4
Glassman,  D	 1	 2	 3
*Wagstaff, C	 1	 2	 3
Baskel,    D	 0	 1	 1
Pascual,   D	 0	 1	 1

* Injured