Senior forward Nicholas Leon takes control over the puck for Texas A&M Ice Hockey in their game against LSU at Spirit Ice Arena on Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026.
Photo Credit: Maryssa Sinor
COLLEGE STATION, Texas | LSU came into this weekend looking for victory
Texas A&M didn’t plan on letting that happen.
Coming into this weekend Texas A&M just came off a series sweep, beating Baylor by a combined score of 13-3 and looked to continue the momentum against LSU.
Following a ceremonial puck drop by the Texas A&M Equestrian team and acknowledging the Junior Texas Outlaw Hockey team, the Aggies jumped out to an aggressive start and never looked back, defeating the Tigers 7-0 at Spirit Ice Arena to open out the series.
From the opening face off the Aggies attacked with an aggressive style of defense, constantly chasing after the puck, shortening the playing field, and putting pressure on the LSU offense to capitalize on their opportunities.
And if the Tigers were looking to create anything on offense, racking up penalties was not the right option.
In the first period alone LSU had 3 penalties called on them which resulted in 2 power plays which only buried their attempts to shift the game in their favor.
STARTING LINEUP
The Aggies started the game with:
2029 left wing Tyler Gearman, No. 89
2029 center Konstantin Deshevyy, No. 12
2029 right wing Brody Sloan, No. 28
2030 defenseman Jack Gesino, No. 9
2029 defenseman Andrew Theisen, No. 53
2030 goalie Istvan Szunyogh, No. 39
Szunyogh proved to be vital in the win on Thursday.
FIRST PERIOD: POWER PLAY WINNERS
The period got off to a really strong defensive start, but a lot of time was spent on LSU’s side of the ice.
When it came to the Tigers, they were struck with penalties in the first period, which proved to be costly.
The first penalty of the night came from LSU for cross-checking, but the Aggies weren’t able to score on the power play.
Then came a penalty for roughing against LSU, which started the power play that would ultimately lead to the only goal scored in the first period.
Then the Tigers fell again, another penalty, this time for a high stick.
Now this is where the game is just getting started.
With 2:48 left in the first period, freshman forward Carson Frisk scored the sole goal of the period, putting the Aggies up 1-0.
The rest of the period was another defensive battle, but this time, the Tigers were inching closer to Aggie territory. Freshman goalie Szunyogh put up a really good battle, even though it seemed the ice was melting around him. He stayed vigilant. “It definitely helped [our gameplay, LSU] bobbled a lot of pucks.”
The Aggies entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead
SECOND PERIOD: DEFENSIVE CLASH
The 2nd period started out with all the momentum on the Aggies side in which they capitalized on the mistakes created by the Tigers.
But the Aggies weren’t finished yet.
At the 6:00 mark, #12 Forward Konstantin Deshevy scored the Aggies second goal of the night propelling them to a 2-0 lead in which they lived on LSU’s side of the ice for a considerable amount of time.
This period however, was not dominated by offense but by defense.
4 face offs happened in the first 4 minutes of the game with 6 total throughout the second. Three penalties were committed by the Aggies and one by LSU in response to the Tigers' more aggressive approach coming out of the intermission.
These Penalties resulted in a power play opportunity and a 4-on-4 situation, giving the Tigers chances to capitalize on the Aggies mistakes.
Even while shorthanded though, Texas A&M did not waver in the face of adversity as LSU took shot after shot but could not find the back of the net thanks to the efforts of Goalie #39 Istvan Szunyogh, who, in his first start of the year, made every effort to make an impact on this game.
This was the most hard fought out period of the game as both sides clashed from the moment the intermission ended to the sound of the buzzer every man on the ice battled for control of the game.
The Aggies entered the 2nd intermission with a 2-0 lead.
THIRD PERIOD: PENALTY FEVER
The Aggies got off to a quick start; defenseman Jack Bowdich scored the third goal of the night in the first 30 seconds of the period.
Now up 3-0, the Tigers were desperate to try and get something going. Their defense almost did. The LSU goalie blocked 6 goals that A&M threw at them.
Third period also saw a few fights from both sides of the ice, leading to lots of 4-on-4s and time spent in the box.
With 10:55 left to play, forward Ethan Ratliff scored the 4th goal of the night.
Only about a minute later, with 9:30 left to play, forward Tyler Gearman, assisted by Konstantin Destevyy, scored the 5th goal of the night.
Another fight broke out soon after that, sending 3 total players to the penalty box.
It seemed 4-on-4s took up the majority of the third period, with penalties spanning the period.
As the clock inched down, more penalties were given. Including a 10-minute misconduct for defenseman Jack Gesino. Forward Josh Gorman had his fair share too, with two in the period.
But as the clock reached the final minute, the Aggies managed 2 back-to-back goals.
With 39 seconds on the clock, forward Nico Leone scored. Then not even 30 seconds later, forward Bryce Millington scored to seal the deal for the Aggies.
And as the clock ticked down, freshman goalie Istvan Szunyogh had his first shutout as an Aggie. Helping the Aggies win game one 7-0
FEELING THE MOMENTUM
While his teammates were scoring left and right, Jack Gesino, a political science major and defenseman for the team put together a performance of his own that helped keep the Aggies in control.
Throughout the game, he made an impact whether it was breaking up passes, disrupting LSU’s offensive setups or putting pressure on whoever had the puck. Gesino always seemed to be around the action, helping push the Aggies toward their third straight win.
After sweeping Baylor the weekend prior, the Aggies entered the matchup against LSU looking to carry that same momentum into another weekend of hockey.
When asked how the momentum from Baylor transferred over to this game, Gesino said, “We came out with a lot of confidence. Uh, good little second to get going there, but we were pretty unstoppable.”
That confidence was evident throughout the game. The Aggies consistently pressured LSU, disrupted opportunities before they could develop and took advantage when the Tigers made mistakes.
Gesino’s performance represented the type of effort that fueled Texas A&M throughout the night. While the goals may stand out on the scoresheet, the Aggies’ ability to make plays away from the puck helped them maintain control of the game.
Now riding a three-game winning streak, Texas A&M has built momentum and confidence early in the season with plans to continue their early success.
FRESHMAN VS THE TIGERS
While most of the action was happening on the opposite end of the ice, Istvan Szunyogh was holding it down on the other end, inside the goal.
Thursday night, Szunyogh had his first shut out of his A&M Hockey career, and that was definitely the first of many. When the buzzer rang, all of Szunyogh’s teammates filled the ice with arms wide open to celebrate the freshman.
“It always feels great when you get a win. It's even better whenever everyone supports you. I’m very grateful, I love the feeling. I hope to have them many more times.”
To fuel more shutouts, Szunyogh says he plans on studying and drinking lots of water.
CLUB HOCKEY, COLLEGE LIFE AND EXTRA CURRICULARS
Jack Gesino said that managing college life and hockey is very hard to balance.
He said it involves “alot of caffeine” specifically Alanis with the cotton candy being his favorite flavor.
But he said that "it's a lot of work and balance, and keeping my priorities in check so that I'm not over extending myself in one area”. While balancing school, hockey, and extra curriculars Jack is slowly managing the ins and outs of life as a college student while managing playing competitive sports as well.
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Number 90, John Gorman proved to be a very physical player Thursday night. And with as penalty ridden as the game was, Gorman didn’t think it affected their gameplay.
“On the power play, we did pretty good, scored some goals. Every game we expect to be physical, so it was a fun one out there. We enjoyed it.”
Gorman loves to be physical, and it's all part of how he plays the game. To him, it's an important part of the game.
The team is about to go on the road for three weeks, but it's exciting.
“Should be some fun games, some fun environments to play in. Obviously, we're gonna go in there, get the win, head on to the next city. [It’ll] be my first time on the road with A&M, and we're ready to bring the energy.”
Don't underestimate the freshman on this team, because they bring the power.
AGGIES BY A MILLION
With Texas A&M set to open SEC play that Saturday at home we asked some players whether they'd be cheering on their fellow Ags.
We asked Istvan Szunyogh, Jack Gesino, and John Gorman if they would be attending the game, they all said yes and we got some interesting score predictions.
Jack said “you can’t miss an SEC matchup”
Istvan said the scores gonna be 4,920 and also stated that we we’re “murking them”
Support from the Hockey team is strong for Aggie football this week and they will be in attendance to BTHO Kentucky this Saturday.
FINAL TEXAS A&M 7, LSU 0
For the LSU Tigers Thursday night was a combination of penalties, aggressive defense and lackluster offense that resulted in a one sided game that they never fully had control of.
For Texas A&M is was a game they never lost control of and strided their way to victory.
8 goals scored
0 points allowed
Szunyogh with his first start blocking everything LSU sent his way
Gesino with a monster game on defense
And Gorman setting the tone physically from the moment the game began
For the Aggies it was a shutout victory
For Szunyogh it was the best performance you could have starting
For Gesino it was a defensive highlight game
For Gorman a physically dominant game
And for LSU?
Having to come back and do it all again the next night.
Written by: Christian Martinez & Reese Elizondo
