In the first game after the holiday break, the San Diego State Aztecs lost to the 17th-ranked University of Oklahoma Sooners by 4-1.
While the start of the first period was largely back and forth, the Sooners outshot the Aztecs and had more grade-A scoring chances forcing goalie Liam Dee to make strong saves.
After a shot from the point, forward and co-leading goal scorer Tristan Glass put the rebound home to give the Sooners the lead 11:21 into the first period.
Oklahoma kept their momentum going, but Dee showed exactly why he is San Diego’s number one goalie by keeping the game to one goal.
Following a too-many-men penalty for the Aztecs, the Sooners scored on a one-time shot from the left dot by forward Jackson Foddrill that went under Dee’s pads to make it a 2-0 game.
Not much happened in the rest of the first, but the Aztecs found themselves facing a two-goal deficit after 20 minutes of play.
The Aztecs had their best scoring opportunity of the night on a breakaway forward Patrick Morris but his backhand shot was saved by Sooner goalie Brendan Forden.
Oklahoma extended their lead to three goals 4:41 into the second period following a shot by forward and other co-leading scorer Aaron Best. A defensive breakdown for the Aztecs left Best open in the slot and he put the puck past Dee.
After the goal, the Aztecs battled hard with their best offensive zone time and scoring chances of the game but were unable to convert.
In the span of 20 seconds, Dee not only made a sliding save, but he made his best save of the night as his back turned to the shooter and still made the stop.
“Bottom line, that kid competes more than any goalie I’ve had in my life,” head coach Dean Wilson said. “He’s great, works hard, doesn’t complain, and gives us a chance to win.”
The second period ended not long after with the Sooners maintaining a 3-0 lead and the Aztecs needing a strong comeback. It was a better period for the Aztecs, but they still faced a large deficit.
Aztecs continued playing strong in the third and their chances paid off as they got on the board. Forward Max Kathol deflected a shot by defenseman Connor Hennigan on the power play to make it a 3-1 game.
Foddril scored his second goal of the game on a pass from the corner as he was wide open in front of the net to put the Sooners in front by three goals.
The rest of the third was largely uneventful as both teams did not get anything going and the game ended in a 4-1 loss for the Aztecs.
“I think [the loss] is something to build on,” Wilson said. “We just need to get better and have stronger starts at our home rink and I feel we started to get better, especially in the third.”
San Diego State falls to 4-16-0-1 while Oklahoma moves to 14-5-2-1. These two teams face each other again on Jan. 18 at 8:30 p.m. at KROC Center Ice.
