The Weber State men’s hockey team started the season with a bang this past Friday, as they hosted rival Utah State at the Ogden Ice Sheet.

A year removed from their best season in history, the Wildcats were looking to start where they left off last season.

In a back and forth battle, the Wildcats edged the Aggies 5-4, by scoring three straight goals to end the game. The Aggies were unable to respond after holding a two-goal advantage late into the second period.

Dax Hobbs opened the scoring for the Wildcats on a breakaway as he slipped the puck past the USU goalkeeper. That was the only goal of the first period. Both teams had plenty of chances, but the goalkeepers were solid in net.

The second period was a different story, as both teams were able to find the back of the net. Jesse Collins put the Wildcats up two goals on an assist from Hobbs, but USU seemed to find their groove as they penetrated the Wildcats’ defense for four straight goals.

Near the end of the second period, the Wildcats began to rally back. With under two minutes left, they were able to find the back of the net, but they weren’t done yet. Hobbs connected with Collins with just under a minute left to tie the game up. The two quick goals ignited the crowd and switched the momentum back to the home team.

The defense returned in the third period, as both teams were timid to give up the game-winner, but the Wildcats struck first in the final period. Collins finished off his hat trick with just over 14 minutes left in the period.

The defense did the rest, as goalkeeper Dalton Kay kept USU out of the net and preserved their first win of the season.

The Wildcats (1-0) will go on the road for their next two games, facing Utah (0-0) on Friday night and BYU (0-0) on Saturday night. The Wildcats’ next home game will be on Oct. 10, when they host Montana Tech in the first of a two game series.