The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) hockey team splits a pair of games against Northern Arizona University (NAU) . After a dominant 5-1 win Friday, Nov. 11, the group was unable to repeat the same effort the following day, Saturday Nov. 12. The game on Saturday was the sixth annual Pink the Rink game. Pink the Rink is an annual fundraiser to donate money to the St. Mary’s cancer assistance fund. The team has raised nearly $100,000 in the six events. 

Night one, it was all Mavericks, with an end-to-end victory of 5-1. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Chris McElroy got the start in net for CMU, and provided the team a defensive presence by only letting up one goal, after a handful of NAU scoring opportunities. 

Sophomore forward Ethan Gotchey, junior forward Kevin Miller and senior forward Jared Riley all scored one goal, while senior forward Eli Wilson scored two.

The Mavericks carried the momentum into Saturday and started the night hot. Miller scored the first goal early into the game, assisted by freshman Seth Kurn. Next, Sophomore Colton Wurzer-Seepers passed the puck to fellow junior defenseman Collin Fitzgerald who managed to find the back of the net, giving the Mavericks a 2-0 lead after the first period. 

NAU roared back in the second period, however, scoring three unanswered goals, which gave them the lead 3-2 after two periods. The Maverick offensive attack continued to pour shots on net, and senior forward Mitchell Rodvold eventually put one through, tying the game at 3-3.

After a hard fought final 10 minutes, NAU scored twice, giving them the 5-3 win. The Mavericks outshot NAU 56-36 in the game, but NAU freshman goaltender Nathanel Flores was a star all night, limiting the Maverick to three goals and recording an impressive 53 saves.

The team returns to action in Gunnison, Colorado with a pair of games against Western Colorado University Dec. 2 and 3.