Teammate's death a blow IceCats couldn't overcome

PROVO — With one new head coach and 20 freshman players on their roster, the IceCats hockey team put together a 16-9-2 record to finish two wins shy of reaching their national tournament.

Yet among all those statistics from the IceCats 2004-05 season, the most memorable number will be the No. 11 jersey hanging in the rafters at the Peaks Ice Arena.

The untimely death of IceCat forward and BYU freshman Jaxon Logan in January changed the focus of the IceCats from rebuilding their team to remembering their teammate.

Riding the momentum from their win over rival Utah State to close off the first half of their season before the Christmas break, the IceCats started the new year off 2- 0-1 and were still a potential tournament team. But in their first home game of the year, a slap shot hit Logan in the chest, sending him into cardiac arrest and consequently killing him.

"It really did knock the wind out of the sails for these guys," said head coach Matt Beaudry. "That night changed everything; it changed intensity, it changed attitude, and you can't help that. It was just one of those events that was a gut punch to those guys."

The following weekend, the IceCats split their series with Denver University and left them in a must-win situation against Utah State — and came away empty-handed.

Logan's death "was not the only thing," Beaudry said. "I can't put a label to what they were thinking, but it was a factor."

Of the IceCats' nine losses, six came against the Aggies, who finished the season ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II West Region. Beating their rivals, however, wasn't the only struggle Beaudry said the IceCats were dealing with on the ice.

"Our absolute Achilles heel was penalties," he said.

Beadury said the IceCats will lose at least four of their freshmen to LDS missions, including the team's second-best scorer, Josh Burkart. The IceCats will also need to replace the core of their defense with senior goalie Tamio Stehrenberger graduating.

With the success his team experienced this year, Beaudry said the IceCats already have their sights on next season and is confident his players have moved on from the loss of their teammate.

"Time heals," he said. "The wheels don't stop grinding, and you have to keep up with a heavier pace."