Icecats slick on the ice

Dan Kampner Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior defenseman Bob Majka (16) skates down the ice against Rhode Island Friday night at the Tucson Convention Center. The Icecats swept the weekend series, winning 4-0 on Friday and 10-3 on Saturday.

The Icecats' amazing weekend officially started Thursday night when they found out they were ranked sixth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association poll.

"We're pretty happy with a number six ranking," Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski said, "but we'll be a lot happier when we start moving up."

Friday night saw the UA, led by center Andrew Edwards, rout the Rams 4-0 in front of 2,518 fans.

The Icecats' brand of defensive hockey paid off once again, holding the Rams scoreless for Arizona's third shutout of the season. Goalie Mark Meister seemed to be unstoppable in the crease as the Icecats dominated nearly all facets of the game.

The scoring started early as sophomore center Marc Harris took a pass from sophomore left wing Paul Dorn and blasted it into the net only 24 seconds into the first period.

"We played two strong periods," Golembiewski said. "We played with two offensive lines. Harris and (Mike) Graves played great. Edwards really stepped it up tonight." Edwards netted two second period goals and earned player of the game honors.

Rhode Island was a welcome respite from the intense, competitive hockey that Colorado brought to town last weekend.

A 10-3 beating Saturday night saw the Rams roll over, not playing the kind of physical hockey that the Icecats have come to expect from teams like Southern Cal and Colorado. For a team that was expected to be physical and, for lack of a better word, competitive, Rhode Island was a disappointment.

Next on the docket is a bye-week, followed by perennial rival Wisconsin-Whitewater, which, Golembiewski said, "Should be a great test. They're always very, very competitive."

Ryan Finley can be reached via e-mail at Ryan.Finley@wildcat.arizona.edu.