Icecats go to Tempe for pivotal series

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore center Marc Harris (18) fights for the puck against a Towson State player last weekend. The No. 5-ranked Arizona Icecats face off with No. 14 Arizona State tomorrow and Sunday in Phoenix.

aGame-time is set for 2 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

The pair of games against the Sun Devils starts a five-week long road trip for the Icecats, a trip which will prove instrumental in their quest for another national title.

All is not well for this year's Icecat club. A disappointing split last weekend against No. 6 Towson State has left both players and fans with a sense of uncertainty. A team that went undefeated for the first half of the season has suddenly lost three of its last four games, getting swept at the Tucson Convention Center by Penn State Jan. 8-9 and splitting games against the Tigers last weekend.

"This series of games on the road will help define just how good of a hockey team we have this year," UA head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "It's a challenge that we need to rise up to and conquer, so we can ride a positive wave to nationals."

The main question for the Icecats this weekend will be a possible emerging goaltending controversy. Junior Mark Meister led the Icecats to a perfect (11-0-1) first half, but poor goaltending coupled with a nagging shoulder injury has left his job in jeopardy. Freshman Jason Morgan was tapped as the starter last Friday night, but his poor play allowed Meister to get the nod for Saturday's game. But the tables turned again when Meister performed poorly, getting pulled midway through Saturday's loss to TSU for Morgan.

"It (poor goaltending) has nothing to do with the fact that Jason's a freshman," sophomore captain and left-wing Paul Dorn said. "The bottom line is that we need to get the win."

The series will bring the conflict and personal drama of the past series to a head.

When the Sun Devils came to the Tucson Convention Center last month, a UA sweep was tarnished by a personal confrontation after the game between Golembiewski and an unidentified Arizona State player. Although no punches were thrown, a heated verbal confrontation acted as a living testament to the past feuds between the two teams. Golembiewski, however, was surprised at the overall civility of what has been traditionally known as the "Uncivil War."

"With the exception of what happened at the end of the game," he said, "Arizona State acted with the utmost class and poise."

Ryan Finley can be reached at Ryan.Finley@wildcat.arizona.edu.