Alabama men’s hockey lost two more games to the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday and Saturday, leaving the Frozen Tide 0-4 after returning from a two-month break.
Despite initially matching Oklahoma’s pace and even taking the lead at times, the team ultimately faltered, allowing Oklahoma to secure two consecutive wins.
Friday night: 2-3
Friday night, despite the game being close the whole time, the Frozen Tide failed to run away with its first win since returning from break.
Oklahoma forward Andrew Low started scoring for the night halfway through the first period, but goalie Joe Hughes, with 10 saves, kept the Sooners at bay for the rest of the period.
In the second period, right wing Max Sextro tied up the score at 1-1 and put Alabama back in the fight only 31 seconds before the buzzer rang for the end of the period.
The Frozen Tide took only four penalties this game, a massive improvement from getting as many as 12 in other recent games. Oklahoma wasn’t as controlled, as it racked in nine penalties, including a 10-minute major on Hunter Howe for misconduct, which totaled 26 minutes for the Sooners.
“At the beginning of the season, we were taking maybe 20 penalties a game, and that’s something we’ve really been working on as a team in practice,” Hughes said. “And I think the second half of the season, we’ve really learned to bear down and have self-discipline and everything like that. So, it’s been real good.”
Going into the third period, the team was energized, but so was Oklahoma. Eleven minutes into the final period, the Sooners made two goals from forwards Logan Cavalcanti and Tristan Glass. Despite Alabama forward Jenson Lopez’s best efforts to match 12 minutes into the final period, Oklahoma defended its goal for the remaining eight minutes and keep the Frozen Tide from tying the game.
“Last night [Friday], we had a lot more energy in the O-zone,” Alabama left wing Calvin Mansfield said. “I thought all the lines were kind of quickened. We had all four lines running, so everybody had a lot of energy. Last night was really good, but we just couldn’t find them.”
Saturday afternoon: 4-5
Saturday afternoon, the game ended similarly for the Frozen Tide but only after a third-period pickup by Oklahoma, when the Sooners scored four consecutive goals and demolished Alabama’s lead.
“It was just a lot of mental errors on us. I had a few myself,” Mansfield said. “Everybody was just kind of out to lunch in the third.”
Alabama had only two penalties in this game. Meanwhile, Oklahoma received four, including another 10-minute major on Howe for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The game started similarly to its ending, with the Frozen Tide unable to take control of the puck until later in the first period.
Alabama could barely get the puck down the ice toward Oklahoma’s goalie, keeping Alabama goalie Hughes permanently on edge. Hughes took 16 shots in the first period, three of which were deflected with his helmet, compared with Oklahoma’s goalie, Brendan Culbertson-Bond, who recorded six saves.
But despite the pressure Hughes faced, Alabama was able to start scoring for the afternoon with an unassisted goal by center Evan Brown 16 minutes into the game. This goal and a locker room pep talk from head coaches Mike Fairbanks and Ian Hebert got the ball rolling for the Frozen Tide.
“In the locker room, our coach kind of got some people going, and we got our four leaders,” Mansfield said. “But Greg [Simmons] went out, and he put two goals in for us. So that was huge to have him come out and really lead us with a couple of goals in the second.”
The Sooners came out of their locker room charged up, taking a goal only 21 seconds into the game. However, Simmons returned it in full less than 20 seconds later, retaking the lead for the Frozen Tide. The forward scored another goal six minutes into the second period, giving the Frozen Tide a one-point buffer.
Hughes also managed a break this period, saving only six shots compared with Oklahoma’s goalie, who saved 10.
But the game quickly went south for Alabama in the third period, when Oklahoma went on a 4-point run to overtake the Frozen Tide; Hughes again was put to work with a game-high 16 saves. This period was challenging as Hughes found himself sharing the net with Oklahoma players who kept tripping him.
“Sometimes I wish they would call a penalty, get a power play for the team, but it happens,” Hughes said. “You know, it’s a rough game. Oklahoma is like a rival of ours, so you got to expect that roughness out of them.”
But even when the team loses, the children who know the team as role models line up in droves around the locker room doors waiting to have their favorite player sign their pucks, sticks and shirts. One even went as far as to come up and take Hughes’ hand for emotional support while answering questions about the game.
“It’s the best thing I’ve had in my hockey experience,” Mansfield said, “We are out there; we have a 5-4 loss. It’s brutal. Everybody’s pretty pissed off. And then we get out here, and it’s just little kids with pucks and shirts. So it really brings you back down to earth and kind of shows you that this is real life, and we’re all just humans, and it’s just a really cool thing to be a part of.”
The Frozen Tide will travel to face Concordia University Ann Arbor on Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT and Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. Both matchups can be streamed on Black Dog Hockey.
