By Kayla Boardman (@kaylarboardman):
San Jose State struggled to find the back of the net during their home opener on Friday against Boise State after drawing multiple penalties throughout the game.
The Spartans (1-1) lost 4-1 to the Broncos (1-0) after spending most of the second and third period on defense following a strong first period.
SJSU freshman defenseman Ryan Ellis scored the first goal of the game late in the first period. However, this was the only goal the team could get past the Broncos goalie.
The second and third period were all downhill for the Spartans.
“We came out flat in the second period,” Ellis said. “We weren’t ready to play that second period and it came in the third period as well and it was a lousy effort for two-thirds of the game.”
Boise State forward Zachary Biebuyck scored early in the second to tie up the game at one goal apiece.
San Jose State continued drawing penalties throughout the second period, forcing the team to spend more time on defense. Ellis got a 10–minute game misconduct, which left the team down its only scorer from the ice for a majority of the period.
The Broncos took advantage of the multiple power play opportunities and scored another goal, taking the lead midway through the second period. They then extended the lead by scoring a short-handed goal, putting the score at 3-1.
In the third period the Spartans had a five-minute power play opportunity after the Broncos drew a major, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Boise State forward Quinn Hulse widened their lead by scoring the final goal of the game on San Jose State goalie Eddie Berlin.
“We got the first one. We want to get the first goal every time,” Berlin said. “We showed a lot of heart out there. Nobody was giving up, but we have to play a full 60 minutes tomorrow night if we want to keep it close or win that thing.”
The Spartans will have another chance against the Broncos on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
