“The boys are skating hard out there,” said student Ryan Crow ’26. “Number 97 William Welch is really putting in the work. They just need to keep it up and pass more when they get in the opponent’s zone.”
After half the third period had gone by, the Elmo meme signaling ‘absolute cinema’ reigned supreme on the jumbotron, and both teams traded scoring chances, but the game remained tied. Then, a Spartan flipped the puck out to center ice and over the Bronco back line, leading to a breakaway which would let them regain the lead. With six minutes left, San Jose State put away another goal, doubling their now 6-4 advantage.
The Broncos wouldn’t go away, however, as Welch converted his second goal of the game and emphatically jumped into the boards in front of the Bronco fans. With his score, Welch cut the deficit to 6-5 with just under 1:30 remaining on the clock. The Spartans again responded with a fast break conversion to put the game away with a heartbreaking empty net goal to seal a final score of 7-5.
Despite the loss, the Broncos are currently leading their conference with an impressive 15-3 record on the season. They have contests against Stanford and Fresno State on tap before heading to Flagstaff, Arizona, for the West Coast Hockey Conference playoffs at the end of the month.