BYU NewsNet - BYU Hockey Beats Utah

The BYU hockey team gave head coach Ed Gantt his 50th win this weekend when it beat Utah 13-3 Friday at home, and then duplicating its dominating offensive performance on Saturday with a 11-3 win.

Coach Gantt, a psychology professor and hockey guru, has accumulated forty wins over the past three years as head coach and has also won ten games as an interim head coach during the 2002-2003 season. Gantt has his team off to a 10-2-1-1 start this season and has them looking towards a place in the National Championship tournament. Last year he led his team to an 18-12-1-1 record, the best record in thirteen years for the Cougars.

"It was a special night for me, and especially to get that win against Utah," Gantt said. "I have had some other milestones in my career and it seems like I always get them against the 'U'."

The ninth and tenth wins for the Cougars, and 49th and 50th for coach Gantt, were the third and fourth over the Utes. The offensive power and speed of BYU has resulted in a 42-12 goal difference in the four games played this year.

Coach Gantt's 49th win was a little scarier than his milestone 50th. The Utes came ready to play on Friday and kept it close through the first period and shortly into the second. The downfall for Utah Friday was the same problem they have had with each game against BYU; penalties that turn into powerplay goals for the Cougars.

"One of the problems that Utah had, and they don't run into it until we start playing our game, is that our team speed is a lot better than theirs," Gantt said. "If your team is a lot faster than theirs, then they are going to start tripping, holding and sticking. We told our boys in the locker room, 'Speed boys, they can't handle our speed'."

While coach Gantt sees speed as the reason for so many Utah penalties, the players, who are being high-sticked, tripped and grabbed, see it as plain cheap shots.

"Utah is not a bad team, but they are pretty dirty, get a lot of penalties and end up shooting themselves in the foot," said Derek Battisti. "Both of the games were close for a while, but their penalties killed them."

BYU has punished teams all year that have gotten into penalty trouble. It has scored at least one powerplay goal in every game played this year, and on Saturday the Cougars scored six.

"We just waited for them to go the box," Gantt said. "Our powerplay is clicking very well right now and that is what happens if we can get the other team in the box."

The Cougars will take on Utah State this week in their last game before Christmas break. The second half of BYU's season will play a little tougher than the first half, but the winning tradition that Coach Gantt has established during his tenure as head coach will help the Cougars reach their season goals.