Icecats get split against Towson St.

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Icecat center, Hunter Cherenack (8), protects the puck from a Towson State defender Friday night at the Tucson Convention Center. The Icecats beat the Tigers Friday, 10-7, but lost Saturday, 6-5.

The No. 5-ranked Icecats (12-3-1) split the two-game series with No. 6 Towson State at the Tucson Convention Center, with both games lacking in finesse.

"That's the ugliest hockey game I've ever been a part of," Golembiewski said, referring to Friday night's 10-7 win.

The Icecats dropped Saturday's game, 6-5, with a late Tiger goal cementing a win.

Friday night's game saw sophomore left-wing Paul Dorn rack up five goals en route to a three-goal Icecat victory. Starting in goal was freshman Jason Morgan, a change from junior Mark Meister, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

"The goaltending was subpar," Golembiewski said. "The defense was horrible, the offense was sluggish, but we won, and I'll take a 'W' any day of the week."

The story was the freshman goalie, Morgan, who, after surrendering six goals through two periods, played far beyond his 18 years in the third period. Five third period goals, a few solid saves and some blue-collar defensive stops helped the Icecats win.

"You can say what you want about Morgan being a freshman or whatever, but he really didn't play that badly," said Dorn, Friday's player of the game. "The coaches thought Jason was the best goalie out there, and they stuck with him."

Saturday night's game wasn't much better. The Icecats reverted back to Meister, but he was eventually lifted for Morgan, who surrendered two goals late in the game as Towson State won 6-5. Junior left-wing Eugene Mesh scored two goals and was named player of the game.

The TCC hasn't been as hospitable as it was in the fall, with the Icecats losing two of their past three games at home.

Next up for the UA is a series at Arizona State next weekend, followed by a five-week long road trip, a test which will prove vital for their national championship hopes.

"We're not playing the style of hockey we need to play right now," Golembiewski said.