Santa Clara club hockey player William Welch ’29 (97) leaps toward adoring Bronco fans after scoring his second goal to cut the Spartan’s lead to 6-5 at the SAP Center on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2026. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

The Jumbotron was illuminated with the words ‘Santa Clara vs San Jose State’ as players from both teams took the ice at the SAP Center on Saturday evening. It was an emphatic Bronco crowd that wasn’t afraid to cheer on their squad after every score, save or body blow. The SAP Center didn’t disappoint—its NHL-level theatrics only added to the competitive atmosphere all night long.

The Broncos kicked off the contest with a near-immediate score from David O’Shaughnessy ’27, just 30 seconds into the first period. A few minutes later, Owen Lamcraft ’26 made a phenomenal save to keep the Broncos in front.

Some pushing and shoving broke out at the 13:57 mark when Karsten Farris ’26 and an SJSU player got into a scuffle, resulting in both players being sent to the penalty box. Just one of the few penalties called in the game, as it was an exceptionally clean hockey game compared to the usual feistiness between the two rivals.

Fans in the Santa Clara University section bang on the glass at the SAP Center. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

At the 11:51 mark, the competitiveness only heightened as O’Shaughnessy was penalized for tripping, leaving the Broncos in a five-on-four situation. They were able to weather the storm and the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Broncos.

Things began to get even dicier as the game approached the six-minute mark, with a powerful but legal hit administered by Jack Olson ’28 followed up by a San Jose State retaliatory tripping penalty. After a chippy first, strong defense prevailed and the Broncos’ 1-0 lead remained intact.

The second period kicked off with a handful of back-and-forth stops from both goalies, but it was the Spartans who struck back at the 16:05 mark to level the score.

After a scattered and physical stretch, the Broncos responded with a beautiful top-shelf goal from Erik Jung ’28 to give them a 2-1 edge with 11 minutes remaining in the period. SJSU came roaring right back, however, with a response of their own to deadlock the scoring again, this time at two a piece.

Erik Jung shoots to score to tie the game at 2-2. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

The back-and-forth commenced from here. San Jose State broke through again at the 6:28 mark, leaving the score at 3-2 as they claimed their first lead of the contest. This fueled a relentless Bronco onslaught to tie the score for a third time, 3-3, after William Welch ’29 scored off a rebound from a slap shot from Keegan Bankoff ’26. The teams then traded goals yet again, leaving the torrid affair deadlocked once more at 4-4 as they headed into the second intermission.

The Jumbotron and screens around the SAP Center during the game said “SCU vs SJSU” and featured the logos of both universities. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

“The boys are skating hard out there,” said student Ryan Crow ’26. “Number 97 William Welch is really putting in the work. They just need to keep it up and pass more when they get in the opponent’s zone.”

After half the third period had gone by, the Elmo meme signaling ‘absolute cinema’ reigned supreme on the jumbotron, and both teams traded scoring chances, but the game remained tied. Then, a Spartan flipped the puck out to center ice and over the Bronco back line, leading to a breakaway which would let them regain the lead. With six minutes left, San Jose State put away another goal, doubling their now 6-4 advantage.

The Broncos wouldn’t go away, however, as Welch converted his second goal of the game and emphatically jumped into the boards in front of the Bronco fans. With his score, Welch cut the deficit to 6-5 with just under 1:30 remaining on the clock. The Spartans again responded with a fast break conversion to put the game away with a heartbreaking empty net goal to seal a final score of 7-5.

Despite the loss, the Broncos are currently leading their conference with an impressive 15-3 record on the season. They have contests against Stanford and Fresno State on tap before heading to Flagstaff, Arizona, for the West Coast Hockey Conference playoffs at the end of the month.