COURTNEY CURTIS / Scroll
In a recent meeting with the Provo Icecats, our hometown boys got shellacked 21-0.

Vikings put on ice in Provo, lose 21-0

Courtney Curtis PEL02002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

With summer just around the corner and an ice rink that has melted into a wading pool, the BYU-Idaho hockey season seemed to have already come and gone.

But the rivalry between BYU-I and its sister-school in Provo allowed many BYU-I players to skate for one last game of the year.

The Rexburg Vikings, a team comprised of players from the BYHL, skated against the Provo Icecats in a rivalry game at Peaks Ice Arena in Provo Saturday, April 8. Though the Icecats clearly dominated the game from the start, the 21-0 shutout was a huge upset for Rexburg.

Jared Olsen, a junior from Welling, Alberta, was disappointed at the loss, but was glad to have played.

“We played hard, and we lost to a highly skilled team,” Olsen said.

The Vikings were at a clear disadvantage in handling, skating and checking. The players came from different intramural teams, leaving the players unfamiliar with teammates and lacking in team fundamentals.

“We’re not allowed to check when we play at BYU-I, so no one knew how to check,” said Chris Pew, a junior from Columbus, Ga. “We were playing on an Olympic-sized rink, too, and a lot of us haven’t skated since February.”

Riley Edwards, a player for the Provo Icecats, was aware of his team’s strengths and hoped that Provo would always keep a friendly rivalry with Rexburg.

“We have a pretty good team. We’re used to skating and playing together, and we knew we had the advantage,” Edwards said. “They skated hard and we had a really good time.”

In the future, the Rexburg players hope to play against Provo at the end of each BYHL season.