Icecats sweep Wisconsin-Whitewater

Jennifer Etsitty Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore left wing Ed Carfora (7) fights to get the puck against a Wisconsin-Whitewater defenseman Saturday night at the Tucson Convention Center. The undefeated Icecats swept both games against the Warhawks - 13-4 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday.

Once again, there was a different hero each night as head coach Leo Golembiewski's "pro-style offense" overwhelmed the Warhawks 13-4 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday.

Friday night saw Hunter Cherenack score a hat trick as the UA won in a blowout by nine goals. It wasn't that easy, though.

"I was very disappointed in the way we played during the first two periods," Golembiewski said. "We weren't checking and we weren't skating our style. I sat them down before the third period and told them that they weren't getting the job done. I was hoping they'd respond."

The team came out and scored six goals in five minutes.

In a situation that looked more like a shooting drill than a hockey game, the Icecats finally showed a killer instinct, something they've been lacking all season. A solid third period and unforgiving defense finally sealed the Warhawks' fate.

"It felt great to finally put someone away in the third," Cherenack said. "It's what we needed after our bye week. It's a real testament to the way the team's been playing."

A solid few weeks of practice has seemed to have brought the team together. A squad that, earlier in the year, appeared to be easily frustrated and hotheaded, seemingly came together to finally play as a single unit this weekend.

"The past few weeks have been unbelievable at practice," Cherenack said. "The passing is starting to click and we're really starting to pull together."

Saturday night saw a closer, more competitive game as sophomore center Marc Harris scored four goals en route to a 7-3 Icecat victory.

Although freshman Jason Morgan started the game between the pipes instead of junior Mark Meister, the Icecats appeared unfazed. Tommy Thompson, Paul Dorn and Cherenack each added a goal as the Icecats outshot the Warhawks 57-22.

Next on the docket for Golembiewski and his Icecats is a bye week, followed by the biggest series of the year against hated rival Arizona State at the TCC on December 4-5. "It's our most fun game of the year," Golembiewski said. "We really get people in the stands for that series, even more so than we do now."

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