MSU Splits Road Series With EWU
By Merrick Parnell
Montana State University resumed their season after the Thanksgiving break with a two-game series against Eastern Washington University, another top-10 ranked team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association West region.
On Friday in Cheney, Washington, the Bobcats clipped the Eagles 4-2, with four different Bobcat skaters netting goals. Ryan Padden, Ross Hanson, Gavin Gary, and Luke Bing would all light the lamp for Montana State. Christian Butler would have another solid start in goal for Montana State, as he made 31 saves.
“We battled through a rough stretch in the second period and found a way to close the game out in the third,” said Butler. “I was happy I made some timely saves and gave our team the opportunity to get an important win on the road.”
On Saturday, the Bobcats fell 4-3 to the Eagles, splitting the series.
“Eastern Washington is a team we are dead even with in the rankings, so we knew coming that these were important games,” said Assistant Coach Brian Engh. “We did what we had to do on Friday night to get a hard fought win, but tonight we just fell short. I’m proud of the way the guys competed. Both games turned into dogfights and the guys stayed in it and battled until the end in two physical games.”