Claremont, California- For the first time all season, the Colorado State Rams watched the opposing team score the first goal, but that didn’t faze the Rams as they scored 10 in a row from early in the first period until early in the fourth to help them win 13-5 over the Claremont Cougars.
It was a short turnaround after Sunday’s game against Loyola Marymount, but the Rams were able to play with a lot of energy against Claremont on Monday. In Colorado State’s experience so far this season, teams that have had a short turnaround like that have not fared well. According to interim coach Alex Smith, “Today’s challenge was getting up and playing well after a tough game yesterday. We didn’t feel like we played our best game against LMU, so it felt good to come out and get on top of this one from beginning to end.” The Rams took advantage of the beautiful weather in Southern California to play their game. After Claremont scored their second goal early in the game, the Rams started to buckle down and play lights out. “Our defensive effort was solid today,” said Smith. “After their first two goals, we kept them off the scoreboard for over thirty minutes of game time. We tried to keep it simple on that end of the field and today it paid off.” Alex Jacques (Bainbridge Island HS; WA) had another great game in net, giving up only 2 goals and accumulating 7 saves through three quarters. On offense, the points were spread around quite a bit. In addition to the usual suspects, Dennis Carrasquillo (Chapparal HS; CO) scored his second goal of the season, while Jake Flax (Steamboat Springs HS; CO) and Lukas Cantwell (Golden HS; CO) both had their first of the season. Senior captains Joel Tromburg (Heritage HS; CO), with two goals, and Kyle Rosa (Pomona HS; CO) both appeared on the scoreboard with goals. The Rams have been playing well lately, winning their last six games, but they will have to take it to the next level when they play Chapman on Wednesday evening. “We’ve been on a roll lately, but none of that matters when we go into Chapman,” stated Smith. “They are an extremely good team and we will have to play well to keep up with them. I hope that we are able to step up to the moment and be ready to play when the whistle blows.”