The Rivalry Match

The Backyard Brawl will be brought to the ice

In the second match of the season, the WVU Division 1 Hockey Club will play the Pittsburgh panthers in the Backyard Brawl. The Mountaineers are currently sitting last in the College Hockey Mid America Standings with 4 wins and 8 losses, and the Panthers are on the opposite end at the top with a record of 12-1. This season hasn’t been the easiest for the Mountaineers, but it’s not too late to turn it around with a whole month left of games. But before the club climbs to the top, they’ll need to get past a good Panthers team who already beat WVU earlier in the season 8-2. The score showed a blowout, but the game was very intensive for the majority of the first period and a little into the second period. It wasn’t until the 10:00 minute mark of the second period when the game started to get out of reach for the Mountaineers. The first game was out of reach, but the second match will bring the same intensity and hatred that the two clubs have for one another, but a different end result.

Prior to the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers faced Duquesne University in a pivotal match that ultimately would have affected the standings if the Mountaineers would have won. Unfortunately, Duquesne University is now two games ahead of the Mountaineers, with win leaving us at the bottom of the standings. The key for the game for WVU was to attack the goalie; who allowed the most goals out of all the teams in the standings with 72 goals allowed. Unfortunately, WVU failed to do that, and started the first period off playing from behind and most of the match as well. The game was lopsided for the majority of it, but the Mountaineers look to move onto the next battle, and learn from the last. It is important to come out and cheer on the division 1 WVU Men’s Ice Hockey Club as they look to win a big rivalry match against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

In the rematch, February 7th against the Pittsburgh Panthers the Mountaineers look to make an upset of the season. In order for the upset to be made, we need a crowd full of students taunting the Panthers on, and cheering on the WVU as we do so. The Mountaineers will also need to show some dominance on the offensive side to keep up with the panther’s skillful forwards. If the Mountaineers play at their fullest potential on the defensive side, then they’ll be able to keep the game closer than the last. This game could potentially start a streak if they’re able to pull it off; which is what is needed in order to climb the standings. So come on out and support your Division 1 Men’s Hockey Club as they look to turn the rest of the season around.

About the Author

Terence has been a sports writer for the WVUGo Media team since August 2019. He is a freshman, pursuing a degree in Journalism and minoring in Sports Communication. He aspires to work for ESPN one day writing sports articles, but first he must graduate from (WVU), which he is expected to do so in May 2023.

Full Profile Article Collection