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Viking hockey wins openers

The Western men’s hockey team won its second of two games against the Eastern Washington University Eagles Saturday, Oct. 10, 5-3.

Friday, Oct. 9, was the season opener for the Vikings, playing the Eagles in their first of two games for the weekend.

“After [the first game], we knew they were going to get pretty physical,” junior Logan Anderson said. “We have a pretty new goalie, so we knew we would have to step up on defense, protect the net and keep the puck out of our end.”.

On Saturday, Western started off with the lead, 3-1, but Eastern mounted a comeback, making it 3-2 by the end of the second period.

On Friday night’s season opener, the first of the two games against Eastern, the Eagles led by 3-1, until the Vikings scored four unanswered points in the second half of the game.

“Whenever you get down in a game, your first reaction is to start hitting more,” senior team captain Joe Glithero said. “So when you’re losing, and you lost a heartbreaker the night before, that’s when bodies start flying.”

Late in the third period of Saturday’s game, Eastern made a last offensive push with Western leading 5-3. The Eagles made a late period goal with two seconds left and with a face-off in Viking territory, Eastern was not able to tie the game.

We knew, after last night’s game, with us coming from behind to beat them, they would get pretty aggressive, head coach Adam Moon said. “We just didn’t realize how aggressive they would get. Our boys fought back pretty hard, though.”

Eastern’s aggressiveness probably was a benefit for Western in the end, Moon said.

“They make more mistakes and it’s easier for our guys to get by, especially with their goalie playing so far out,” he said.

Moon and his team are looking ahead to the two games at Gonzaga University, which are next Friday and Saturday, at 9:15 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively.

“I haven’t heard much about [Gonzaga] in particular this season, but they’ve been a pretty good team in the past,” Moon said. “It should be a good challenge for us.”

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Ryan Zukowski, left, skates toward the EWU goal, Saturday, Oct. 10, Bellingham Sportsplex. // Photo by Daisey James

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