FLAGSTAFF, AZ - Over 300 loud and lively fans were on hand to watch the Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Northern Arizona Ice Jackets Friday night and the home team did not disappoint as they walked away with a 6-0 victory.

            The game took on a very physical and intense feel, with over eight penalties in the first period alone. The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on their power play chances going 0-for-7 for the night, while NAU was able to score twice in the first with the man advantage.

            Two goals by Ben Jordan in the second period would give NAU a strong lead heading into the third. A power play goal by NAU’s Rocky DeAngelo, and another by Taylor Sopp against Fresno’s replacement goalie Nathan Lamberty in the third would finalize the Ice Jacket’s win.

            “For some reason we get scored on shorthanded a lot, or we get nervous on the power play,” said forward Tyler Esswein. “This year we got a few shots, the breakout went well, and I thought it was good actually.”

            The third period also saw the injury of Bulldogs forward Eric McLaughlin who was carried off the ice and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was released early Saturday morning, but will not be playing in the next game.  

            With the puck in their zone most of the night starting goalie Joe Ricupero was kept active stopping 56 shots and relying on his defense to help clear rebounds.

            “We got a pretty good goalie in Joe Ricupero, and he’s good at making the first save, and we did a much better job of taking away rebounds, tying up sticks, getting in guys way and that’s something that’s encouraging,” said head coach Marcel Bourdase.

            “We were facing an uphill battle all night,” said Ricupero, “but I just felt good, got some saves early on and kept going.”

            Even thought it was just their first game of the season, Friday night allowed the Bulldogs a chance to overcome any nerves they may have had, and gave them a chance to evaluate themselves and their play for the upcoming season.

            “They were a good team and they made some nice plays,” said defenseman Travis Bybee. “We haven’t seen this competition in a long time, and we probably won’t for the rest of the year, so it’s a good way to step into it.”

            Bybee also added these games against NAU will help determine what type of team the Bulldogs will be the rest of the season. “It’s going to help define who we are, whether we’re going to be a physical team or a fast team.”

            With their first game out of the way, the Bulldogs are looking to return Saturday night and face the Ice Jackets with renewed confidence and a different outcome.

            “[We] definitely need to pick up our feet a little more, skate a little harder, get to those pucks first, and with the guys who are going to play tomorrow that were sat tonight, I think they’re going to under estimate us again tomorrow thinking they got this game and we’re going to come out swinging,” said Esswein.

            Ricupero and Bybee agreed stating Friday’s game was a good chance for the team to just get the nerves out, and after facing a good team like NAU for their opener they would be more prepared not just for their second game against them, but for the rest of their season.

            “Our guys got a quick lesson tonight about what this level of hockey is all about, and now we can hopefully take this and transfer it over into tomorrow night’s game and build on it and come back with a better performance,” said Bourdase.  

            “We did very well, Joe [Ricupero] played well in the net, we just need to get the puck out of our zone and into their zone tomorrow and things will be better from there,” said Bybee.

            Fresno State will once again face off against Northern Arizona 8:15 Saturday and fans can listen in live via the Bulldogs website at http://bulldogicehockey.com.