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Saturday, October 24, 2009

University of Texas Longhorns (1) VS. Texas A&M University Aggies (4)

After a successful trip to Austin, the Aggies returned to their home ice for the second of a five-game series against their major rival, the Texas Longhorns. The stands were filled to capacity, and the home team did not disappoint.

Both teams were focused and determined; the Aggies and Longhorns fought for the puck and the first period went by, tense and scoreless.

The Aggies kicked into a higher gear at the beginning of the second period. Nick Xenakis made a pass to Justin Cooley, who took the puck down the ice on a breakaway. He deked out the goalie, shot low glove side, and scored just 2:18 into the second period, 1-0. The rest of the period ticked away without another goal from either team.

The Longhorns did not take Cooley’s goal lightly and responded with one of their own and tied the game 1-1 with 9:56 remaining in the third period.

Another six nail-biting minutes went by until Eric Engelking made a breakaway after a pass from Patrick Madigan. With a high glove-side shot, Engelking buried the puck at 3:29 and put the Aggies in the lead once again, 2-1.

Engelking wasn’t finished; on a power play opportunity, he captured a rebound and slipped the puck through the goalie’s five-hole at 1:28. The crowd went wild, and rightly so—the goal was spectacular and gave the Aggies a two-goal lead, 3-1.

With about a minute remaining, the Longhorns pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker. After a serious battle for the puck, Matt Moreno skated into the Longhorn zone and shot the puck into the empty net from the circle with just 40 seconds left in the game, giving the Aggies a final lead of three goals. The game ended 4-1, and the cheering, maroon-clad crowd celebrated the win.

Team Statistics:

                 Shots    Goals    PP    Minors    Majors

Aggies          32          4        1          9            1
Longhorns     23          1        0          9            0

Next weekend, the Aggies host the University of Texas - San Antonio Road Runners:

Friday October 30, 2009 Arctic Wolf Ice Center 8:00 PM
Saturday October 31, 2009 Arctic Wolf Ice Center 5:45 PM