Huskies put a leash on Bulldogs in another dominant victory, as Washington celebrates Senior Night
By Charles Hamaker
Northgate, WA – In a night that celebrated their seven seniors, the University of Washington men’s hockey team pulverized Gonzaga in an 11-1 runaway game. Some early power plays had the Bulldogs looking potentially dangerous to start the contest off, but the Huskies penalty kill was strong on the night and washed away any early fears of a massive upset. Washington ends their 2022-23 regular season with an overall record of 22-2. They will face their bitter rivals, the Washington State Cougars, in the PAC-8 playoffs in Cheney.
Super seniors
Prior to puck drop, the Huskies rolled out the red carpet (literally) to celebrate their seven seniors this year. Those seniors are: Alex Dudley, Jack Inabinet, Patrick Costa, Eric Prigodich, Aaron Morris, Michael Shippee, and Matthias Roberts. Once their respective name was called, each senior was given a framed photo of themself and flowers. They were joined by family, friends, or a combination of the two on the carpet at center ice as a photo was taken of them. It was an incredible moment to see so many Huskies that have been critical aspects of this program in their time on the team get honored in front of the packed bleachers on rink three.
Taking the (other) dog for a walk
Similar to last night’s showing against Gonzaga in game one of the back-to-back, the Huskies were able to dominate the Bulldogs with little to no resistance. 10 seconds into the first period, Michael Shippee scored off of a rebound, and we were under the races before I even got to create the first period thread. The Huskies were able to chip away each period, scoring three in the first, two in the second, and then six in the third and final period to really bury Gonzaga and finish out the regular season on a very high note.
Eight different Huskies were able to get on the board, including Matthew Klenk’s monster hat trick. Michael Shippee added two goals to his incredible season totals, as coming into the game he had ranked tied for first in all of the ACHA’s Men’s Division 2 for points at 77. Depending on Concordia's Alexandre Way, Shippee could be the top point get in all of the country for D2.
Ending the season out like they have all year
As was alluded to in the previous paragraph, this Husky team is stacked with talent and it all follows the lead of this senior class. The top three of Shippee, Prigodich, and Morris combine for a hydra-like monster, while players like Maloney, Smith, and Klenk aren’t too far behind. This senior class has led the way and set the standard for this team in addition to their leadership capabilities. Considering that the Huskies only lost two of 24 total games this season, it’s hard to imagine that they’re anything but a PAC-8 title favorite, and could do some damage in the regionals. One step at a time, though, and that begins with the Cougars.
Quick notes
8 different Huskies scored goals in this game
Michael Shippee, Logan Maloney, Aaron Morris, Matthew Klenk, Blake Strand, Eric Prigodich, Michael Zaychikov, and Max Arzumanov
2 Huskies were in double digits in this game
Michael Klenk had a hat trick while Michael Shippee scored two.
8 Huskies total scored a goal in the back-to-back
The Huskies salute their fans postgame (Photo by Bryan Saldana)
What’s next?
The Huskies will head to the PAC-8 playoffs in Cheney, where they will take on the Washington State Cougars on Friday, February 10th with a puck drop of 1PM PST. As the top seed in the conference, if the Huskies were to beat WSU in round one, they would face likely USC or EWU on Saturday, February 11th at 1PM PST. Against EWU and USC combined, the Huskies won all but one of six games, as one of UW’s two losses on the year came to Eastern Washington.
Photos by Bryan Saldana
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