WSU hockey suffered a loss to the Northern Arizona University IceJacks 5-4 Saturday night, bringing their Beehive Classic standing to one win and two losses before Sunday’s final game.

“We lost because of a lack of effort, but tonight, the team is together and ready to win,” Dax Hobbs, co-captain of the team, said after the loss to ASU.

At the start of the first period, the game grew in intensity with both teams playing smart hockey.  The pressure grew, and for 15 minutes, both teams were looking for that break. With six minutes left in the first period, NAU scored the first goal, and one minute later, WSU answered back with their first goal to tie the game. The first period ended with WSU on the offense but no goals, leaving the game tied 1-1.

The second period followed the tempo of the first period, but WSU flinched first when NAU scored their second goal two and half minutes in to the second. The Wildcats attempted to rally but for seven minutes could not break the IceJacks’ defense.

With a crowded net, NAU scored their third goal, which the Wildcats answered right back 15 seconds later, scoring their second goal to set the score 2-3 NAU. The final eight minutes saw the bulk of the penalties for the game as the pressure on the teams to win increased, and with three minutes remaining, the Wildcats score a third goal and tied the game to end the second period.

The third period found the wildcats fighting hard to take the lead with six goal attempts in three minutes but saw NAU scoring their fourth goal instead. The Wildcats’ offense remained on the attack for the next eight minutes of gameplay to finally pay off with two minutes and 12 seconds remaining, tying the game with their fourth goal.

The Weber defense held strong until 54.9 seconds on the clock saw NAU score a fifth goal. Weber called a timeout and pulled their goalie and attempted to tie the game with 3 more goal attempts, bringing the game total to 51 to NAU’s 30 shots, but could not break the NAU defense. The final score for the game was 4-5, favoring NAU’s IceJacks.

Santa Claus was at the Ice Sheet for the weekend in order to help bolster the team’s fundraising efforts. For a fee, the public could take pictures with Santa and relive their childhood.

“Santa is here to help the team with fundraising,” Sierra Hellstrom, one of the assistants to Santa, said during the game. “The kids are loving to see Santa, but it seems the adults are having more fun than the kids getting their photo with Santa.”