Grizzlies maul the Cougs in Missoula 9-3 – The Daily Evergreen

Following a near-comeback performance the night prior, the Montana Grizzlies buried the Cougs in game two, winning 9-3 to confirm the sweep. The loss drops WSU to 11-7 overall and is the third straight meeting they have dropped to Montana.

The Griz wasted no time, scoring 45 seconds into the game off the tape of forward Max Toijala. After that, the Cougs settled in and tied the game with a power-play goal from forward Carson Low just four minutes later.

Montana took that tally personally, prompting forwards Preston Graves and Koltan Plant to score back-to-back goals within 20 seconds. The Cougs did not know what hit them, and the water was just beginning to rise.

After taking two penalties, WSU was down two men, and the Griz made them pay on the 5-on-3. Defenseman Calvin Coppess slapped a one-timer past goaltender Cole Eastman, and extended the lead to three goals.

That was just the first period. The second frame began, and the Cougs drew first blood. Defenseman Lex Ballard ripped a shot from the point, and forward Orynn Freedman deflected it into the twine.

However, much like in the first, the Griz took it personally. They rattled off four unanswered goals in the second period, starting with Coppess getting his second while shorthanded. Then, it was Carter Janowski with a tip-in goal, Terry Learmouth with a five-hole sneak and finally Gabe Sheppard roofing a puck over Eastman’s shoulder.

The Griz took their foot off the gas in the third, waiting until three minutes left to score another shorthanded goal off the stick of Plant. The Cougs did show some fight, with Evan King cashing in on the power play just a few seconds after allowing the shorty goal.

After that, Montana yawned their way to the final buzzer and kept WSU comfortably at arm’s length. The win for Montana secured their sweep and chased the Cougs out of Missoula.

Now, WSU returns to the Evergreen State to host San Jose State in two games of Pac-8 play. The Cougs drop the puck with the Spartans at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Eastern Washington Rec Center.