Rivalry week is just getting started for the U’s hockey club.
Starting tonight, the Skatin’ Utes will take to the ice in Provo against BYU at 9 p.m. The two will conclude a back-to-back set Saturday night at the U’s Steiner Ice Arena at 7:30 p.m.
“They’re our biggest rivals, and obviously, we wanna beat them,” said U goalie Jason Petho, who had no trouble hiding his feelings about the Cougars. “We hate BYU.”
The Utes took on BYU for the first time this season on Nov. 23. They kept things close — the score was 4-2 with five minutes remaining — until BYU broke the game open with three quick goals to close out a 7-2 victory.
Petho expects his club to be far more competitive in the next two rematches, he said.
“We’ve been practicing really hard all week and working on our defensive aggressiveness,” Petho said. “We’re not gonna shy away from hits. We’ve got to play a full 60 minutes and do whatever it takes to win.”
In a sport where brawls are common, Petho knows that the intensity and the emotions of playing against a rival will make for a physical weekend, to say the least.
“Last time (against BYU), there were some frustrations, some heated moments,” he said. “We have some players who grew up here and played against some of their guys in high school. So, we know a lot of their players. There’s a real rivalry within the teams.”
Utah’s season, at 4-17, has been mostly down with a few ups. Those who have observed the team from the beginning say the improvements of the past two months are startling, especially defensively. On Oct. 6, Weber State beat the Utes by 15 points. Two weeks later, the Utes returned the favor and beat the Wildcats 2-1.
“Ever since we changed the lines in October, it’s worked out well for us,” Petho said. “Mike (Vrtis) and Greg (Swenson) work well together, and there’s a lot more chemistry.”
Vrtis is leading the Utes in scoring while Swenson is tops in assists. Ian McKelvie, Eric Rees and Ben Wilner contribute to the team’s versatility. Wilner, for example, is Utah’s second leading scorer, and he’s a defender.
Petho helped to spearhead the U’s return to ice hockey two years ago after a three-year layoff because of league violations. He is confident that Ute hockey can return to the prominence it once enjoyed.
“We want this to become a hockey school,” Petho said. “We love football and basketball, but this could be a hockey town. We’re going to have some tailgating parties on Saturday, so hopefully we can get a packed house for BYU.”