Marquette looks to end regular hockey season on strong note

The Marquette Mustangs are hoping the third time will be the charm.

The Mustangs hit the ice Thursday (Jan. 26) for a 7 p.m. game against Oakville at South County. Earlier this season, Oakville defeated Marquette 4-3 and last Saturday topped the Mustangs 1-0 in the annual Mid-States Winter Classic at Shaw Park.

The Mustangs began the final week of the regular season with a 4-2 loss to Lindbergh. Marquette closes out the regular season at 9:30 p.m. Saturday against Summit at Affton Rink.

Mustangs coach Ryan Kane said his club has a tough way to go to end the campaign. “Our final three games are against opponents who are all ranked ahead of us right now,” Kane said. “The next three opponents and Marquette are four of the top ten teams in Mid-States this season. I love that we have such a challenging schedule to end the season because it will surely help us prepare for playoffs.

“One of two things is going to happen, we will have success in our final 3 games which will give us confidence or we will get a reality check about what it is going to take to beat the top teams in our league. Both can work to our advantage, but obviously, I would prefer the confidence.”

The Mustangs relished the opportunity to play in the Winter Classic. “The experience of playing outdoors, at Shaw Park, was amazing,” Kane said. “There is something special about playing the game of hockey outdoors, especially as the sun went down and the rink lights came on. It was a little surreal as the lights at night made it seem like there was nothing beyond the rink.

“It was around 30 degrees — perfect for a hockey game. We had a lot of fun and will surely never forget the experience. Mid-States did an outstanding job organizing this event and we are honored to have been invited.”

It was a game the Mustangs could have won, Kane said.

“The game in general was a little sloppy, but that was fully expected considering the outdoor ice surface,” Kane said. “We played hard and represented our school well. We just couldn’t get the puck past the Oakville goalie. We outshot Oakville by a 2-1 margin and set up some nice plays that almost connected, but in the end, Oakville defended well enough to keep us off the board.

“Hats off to them for playing a solid defensive game. Honestly though, winning that game came second to enjoying the experience and giving all of our players the opportunity to be a part of it.”

The playoff pairings will be released Sunday.  It’s something Kane and his players are looking forward to competing in.

“We set playoff goals the first time we met in August and talk about our goals on a regular basis,” Kane said. “The boys know that every game has playoff seeding implications and the higher we are seeded, the better our chances of achieving our goal of a Mid-States championship.”