Aggie club hockey survives late Longhorn rally to secure a 5-4 rivalry win

It's not how you start, and sometimes it's not how you finish.

The middle part can be just as important.

That was the case on Saturday night as four 2nd period goals lifted Texas A&M club hockey to a 5-4 Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference (TCHC) victory over the archrival Texas Longhorns on Saturday night at Spirit Ice Arena.

After trailing 2-1 at the first intermission, the Aggies refocused and played a more disciplined brand of hockey in the middle frame. Penalties killed Texas A&M throughout the contest, but especially in the opening period as the Longhorns capitalized on a 5-on-3 powerplay to jump out to an early lead, silencing a raucous Spirit Ice Arena crowd.

"Staying 5-on-5, they can't play with us," said A&M head coach Derrick Harper of his message to his team between the 1st and 2nd periods. "We just need to be a lot more disciplined. I think the hype from the crowd – it's tough not to get caught up in that. We just had to calm down and get back to our jobs."

Texas A&M followed Harper's message to near perfection.

"We just came out buzzin'," said captain Gary Russell. "I think our forecheck really ramped up in the 2nd. That created a lot of havoc for their defensemen."

Laura McDonald

The Aggies’ five goals were enough to hold onto a close victory over the Longhorns.

At 3:13 in the 2nd period, Huston Svondrk - A&M’s all-time leading scorer - pulled Texas A&M even. Six minutes later, Adam Doucette gave the Aggies the lead.

A&M was not done scoring in the middle frame. Russell scored from the point at 14:45 to give A&M a 4-2 lead. 

"That was emotional," said Russell, who was honored during senior night festivities. "I cried twice out there. I was only planning on crying once."

Harper agreed it was a special moment for his captain.

"I think it was huge," said Harper. "He scored a goal earlier, and they disallowed it. To ring the water bottle on the second one, that was a nice touch."

With time winding down in the 2nd, Ethan McDonald found the net after Texas’ goalie Sean Kuehn served up a juicy rebound. His marker with just 58 seconds before the second break solidified a 5-2 lead for Texas A&M.

In the final stanza, Texas refused to go away.

Nearly halfway through the 3rd, Kenneth Meyer scored his second of the night to make it 5-3.

With just 94 seconds remaining and the teams playing 4-on-4, Texas would score again as Cole Mensch quieted the Spirit crowd, making it 5-4.

"I thought we were fine," said Harper, refusing to say he was nervous in the closing moments. "Even strength, they can't play with us."

However, even with a goalie pull and the extra attacker, Texas A&M was able to survive and complete a regular-season sweep of the Longhorns and clinched the 2019-2020 Texas Cup victory. The Aggies have won their last five regular-season contests against Texas. The only loss came in an exhibition at the Cotton Bowl, 4-1, on January 5.

"It's about the team here," said Russell. "As much as it's great that the seniors go out with a win, that was big for the entire team and this program."

The Aggies cannot celebrate for long, though. TCHC playoffs begin on Thursday, and the Aggies and Longhorns are matched up in an opening-round contest.

"It's do-or-die Thursday and for the rest of the season," said Russell. "Key for that game is just like what we went into the 2nd period with: limit their powerplays, forecheck hard and take big hits when we get the chance."

Puck drop in the TCHC Playoff game between the Aggies and Longhorns is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, and will take place at the Mansfield Children's Health Starscenter. For more information and news on Texas A&M hockey, fans can follow @tamuicehockey on Twitter or visit www.tamuicehockey.com.