Utah was checked, hard, back into reality after surrendering two hat tricks and three shorthanded goals when the Utes lost to Utah State at the Eccles Ice Arena, 10-2, Friday Night.

Previous to its trip to Logan, Utah was 5-2 on the season, having squeaked by the likes of Cal State Fullerton, Mesa State University and Boise State University by a combined margin of nine goals over seven games. By comparison, the Aggies played one game against Boise State last weekend. In that one game alone, USU topped the Utes’ margin of victory, outscoring Boise 11-1.

Last year, when USU played Utah, the Ags gored the Utes by more than 15 goals per outing, regardless of the venue. The previous matchup between the two schools left Utah gasping for breath after a 20-1 pounding in North Logan. USU was the heavy pregame favorite, and the Aggies certainly did not disappoint.

With less than five minutes gone in the first period, USU’s assistant captain Billy Gouthro had two goals on the board for the Ags. The first of those came at the 17:59 mark. Gouthro and his team set up their powerplay in Utah’s zone. They swung the puck left, right, back and forth looking for a weakness. Matt Hamilton took a pass from behind the Ute goal and swung it laterally to a cutting Gouthro. He shot and scored. Precisely 1:54 later, with USU still maintaining Utah in the forecheck, captain David Wyman advanced on the goal from the left side. He moved behind the goal, looking for an opportunity, and dished it to Gouthro. Gouthro controlled the puck behind his goal, moved out, saw an opportunity on the slim side of the goal and took it.

Shorthanded situations have proven to be quite fruitful for USU as of late. The Aggies have scored multiple shorthanded goals in each of the last three games they have played, and Friday’s in-state showdown was no exception. As USU took on the penalty kill, Jeremy Martin found himself with possession far behind his own blue line. He sent it up the boards to Gouthro, who outskated one defender, and passed the puck to a streaking Wyman. Utah’s goaltender never saw it coming. The pass connected, Wyman went left and the Utah goaltender went right. A fourth goal scored just previous to Wyman’s made the score 4-0 after the first period.

Gouthro said the shorthanded goal was instrumental in dismantling the Utes.

“It took the wind from their sails right from the get-go,” Gouthro said. “We’ve got a lot of speed on our team, and we use it on the penalty kill with Wyman, myself, Brendan MacDonald and (Tyler) Mistelbacher. We use it well, and when we’re going, we’re going. We get good at penalty killing, so against these weaker teams we’re able to pop a couple.”

Head coach Jon Eccles and Gouthro were pleased with the Aggies’ dominating performance in the first period.

“We came out alive in the first period,” Eccles said. “We had a lot of excitement, enthusiasm, and it showed by how well we played.”

“It’s a team effort,” Gouthro said. “We were definitely working our systems and coming along. You could see it in our game play. It’s progress.”

Gouthro wasn’t done. At the end of the first, USU led 4-0. By the time the clock read 12:00 in the second period, Gouthro had received his hat trick, assisted by David Wyman, and USU led 6-1. Gouthro’s hat-trick goal came with 13:39 remaining in the second period. Wyman had the puck at the blue line and sent a cross-ice pass to Gouthro directly in front of the goal. Gouthro faked left, fooled the goaltender, and flicked the around and into the right-side netting of the goal.

To its credit, Utah did make the second period more difficult for the Ags. The Utes scored twice and skated faster and harder than they did in the first. The Utes’ physicality picked up as well. The Aggies were checked harder, and Utah threw its weight around. It wasn’t nearly enough. The Aggies evened out the second with an unassisted goal from Wyman, who beat two defenders in the forecheck and hit pay dirt before the clock expired.

Mistelbacher, who had been quiet in this game during the first two periods, unleashed a torrential goal storm on the Utes in the third. After five and a half minutes of solid Aggie forecheck, Brendan MacDonald made a great play and it paid off. MacDonald was behind the Ute goal with the puck and a big Ute defenseman was coming. MacDonald spied Mistelbacher hovering in front of the goal just in time and dished it off right before being smashed into the boards. Mistelbacher drove it home for his first goal, and USU led 7-2.

Mistelbacher’s second came after a long shot deflected off the post and into the waiting stick of MacDonald. MacDonald swung it around the back side of the goal and found a streaking “Missile,” who sent it home.

It was only fitting that Mistelbacher’s hat-trick goal should come while USU was on the penalty kill. “The Missile” stole the puck from a Ute at his own blue line with just under five minutes remaining in the match. He went coast to coast and scored USU’s 10th goal, third shorthanded goal and his hat trick goal completely unassisted.

“It’s a start,” Mistelbacher said. “I could always get better. There were a lot more chances I could have buried out there, but I’ll take it.”

-la.hem@aggiemail.usu.edu