The No. 20 Arizona hockey team finished off its road trip by splitting a series with No. 7 Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, losing 5-1 Friday night and then winning 4-1 Saturday.

“It’s nice to get a win, especially a big win against the No. 7 team,” said goalkeeper David Herman, who played in net for Saturday’s victory. “But we’re not satisfied with a 1-2 weekend, especially with the way we played the first two games.”

The UA (8-7-1) lost 3-2 Thursday to No. 18 Central Oklahoma to begin its stretch of three games in the Panhandle State.

The Sooners opened the scoring Friday night when they put the puck past goalkeeper Steven Sisler in the middle of the first period. Then forward Jared Lowell answered for the Wildcats, tying the game at 1-1. However, the Sooners added another score less than two minutes later, and then the Sooners “pretty much took off from there,” scoring three more, Lowell said.

The 5-1 final score matches the UA’s biggest loss of the season. The team also lost 5-1 to then-ranked No. 11 Oakland on neutral ice in October.

The Wildcats switched up some of the personnel Saturday, particularly in their powerplay lineups, which were 0-for-6 as a whole the night before, head coach Sean Hogan said.

The Wildcats seemed to respond to the changes, reversing roles with the Sooners in their own lopsided 4-1 victory.

Lowell scored again in the first period Saturday, throwing the first punch of the game.

Scoring first has proven vital this year for the Wildcats, as they are undefeated in games where they net the first goal, Lowell said.

Oklahoma managed to tie up the game less than a minute later, but this time the Wildcats responded, scoring twice more in the second and closing the game out with an empty net goal in the third.

“We came with a little more intensity (Saturday),” Herman said. “I think we battled harder in our own zone, and we did all the little things (Saturday) as a team.”

The weekend may not have lived up to the Wildcats’ expectations, but with games against top-5 ranked Ohio and ASU coming up, Saturday’s victory was vital.

“It was imperative that we (won Saturday),” Hogan said. “I’m really proud of the guys, the way they stood up and got the win.”