EULESS, Texas - After a delayed start of the season due to COVID-19, the East Texas Baptist University hockey team finally took to the ice and swept Texas Christian University in two games over the weekend. ETBU won, 7-1, on Friday night and then came back for a 6-3 win on Saturday at the Stars Center in Euless, Texas.

Opening the season on Friday, ETBU recorded a 7-1 win against the Horned Frogs. Leading the Tigers was a hat-trick performance by Davis VanGemerden while Tyler Fitzgerald would record 15 saves in net. ETBU would finish the contest outshooting TCU 50-16.

Game two on Saturday would be a different contest as the Tigers had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win, 6-3. Knott, Gruszka, Brendan Laing, and Matt Duncan would each score for ETBU while newcomers Brandon Border and Caleb Goudreau would record their first career goals to contribute to the win. Fitzgerald would finish with 26 saves in net.
 

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Game 1 - ETBU 7, TCU 1

It took just 41 seconds before ETBU would get their season off on the right note with Gruszka (19:19) scoring the first goal of the game. After nearly nine minutes of keeping the one-goal lead, the Tigers would make it, 2-0, when VanGemerden (10:34) scored his first goal of the year. Although TCU would get on the board (8:01) to trail 2-1, VanGemerden would respond with his second goal of the game (4:02) for a 3-1 lead.

Filip Soderstrom (2:45) would make it a three-goal game, 4-1, to end the first period. In the second period, Knott (9:28) and VanGemerden (5:32) pushed the lead to 6-1 with the latter picking up a hat-trick. The third period was primarily defensive until Timothy Zittel (1:18) netted the seventh goal of the game to preserve the six-goal win, 7-1.

1st Period
ETBU - Gruszka (19:19) 1-0 ETBU
ETBU - VanGemerden (10:34) 2-0 ETBU
TCU - #13 (8:01) 2-1 ETBU
ETBU - VanGemerden (4:02) 3-1 ETBU
ETBU - Soderstrom (2:45) 4-1 ETBU

2nd Period
ETBU - Knott (9:28) (SH) 5-1 ETBU
ETBU - VanGemerden (5:32) 6-1 ETBU


3rd Period
ETBU - Zittel (1:18) 7-1 ETBU

 

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Game 2 - ETBU 6, TCU 3

It was a rough start for the Tigers in game two as they were faced with penalties, a flurry of TCU shots and incredible goaltending play. The Horned Frogs would capitalize with two goals (13:20, 9:25), early, to take the lead, 2-0. ETBU would get one back with 2:25 to go in the first period as Knott scored off a rebound. TCU started the second period with a 5-on-3 power-play. ETBU did kill off both penalties, but couldn't keep the Horned Frogs scoreless as they trailed 3-1 (12:25).

Then, the Tigers would score two unanswered goals as Border (11:50) and Laing (2:30, power play) would tie the game at three going into the third period. Momentum carried on as ETBU would receive goals from Duncan (17:14), Goudreau (16:18), and Gruszka (6:59) to complete the comeback.


1st Period
TCU - #23 (13:20) (PP) 1-0 TCU
TCU - #12 (9:25) 2-0 TCU
ETBU - Knott (2:25) 2-1 TCU

2nd Period
TCU - #23 (12:25) 3-1 TCU
ETBU - Border (11:50) 3-2 TCU
ETBU - Laing (2:30) (PP) 3-3

3rd Period
ETBU - Duncan (17:14) 4-3 ETBU
ETBU - Goudreau (16:18) 5-3 ETBU
ETBU - Gruszka (6:59) 6-3 ETBU