Week six of the 2024-25 College Hockey South (CHS) season will begin on Friday, Oct. 11. Despite being marred by game cancellations as a result of Hurricane Milton’s impending destructive presence in Florida, this week’s slate of contests should be nothing short of exciting for teams that may safely proceed with play.
Game of the Week: Friday, Oct. 11 - Auburn University (D1) @ University of South Carolina (D1)
This week’s Game of the Week is set for Friday evening. The South Carolina Gamecocks will host another SEC opponent—the Auburn Tigers—for a weekend series in Irmo, South Carolina. The contests are set for 8:30 p.m. EST on Friday and 5:30 p.m. EST on Saturday.
The Tigers (1-4-0) will look to spoil South Carolina’s (5-1-1) near-perfect home record. However, the Gamecocks have proven to be a formidable opponent this season; not only are they the reigning AAU Division 1 National Champions, but their roster also contains the current AAU Division 1 leading point-scorer, John Riggins.
Riggins — the College Hockey South’s first star of the month in September — collected 14 points (9G, 5A) in just six games. Though Riggins tops the list, his teammates Carson Skove (eight), Jake Puskar (seven), and Tommy Marvin (six) have also consistently posted at least one point per game to punctuate South Carolina’s explosive offense.
However, Auburn has its fair share of offensive force. Last season, Callen Daily recorded 51 points (27G, 24A) in 32 games as a Tiger, while Caleb Pattillo collected 22 points (11G, 11A) in 33 games. As a result, both represented Auburn in the AAU All-Star Challenge as part of the College Hockey South White team last spring.
During both games this weekend, South Carolina and Auburn encourage their fans to participate in a hurricane relief supply drive by donating non-perishables, sanitation products, flashlights, batteries, paper products, cleaning supplies, infant essentials, water, and more. Donation bins will be available at the front of Flight Adventure Park for spectators to contribute.
Fans can tune into Friday and Saturday’s broadcasts via the Student Gamecock Television (SGTV) Livestream here.
University of Florida (D1) @ University of Tennessee (D1)
The reigning AAU D2 National Champions, the Florida Gators, and the reigning College Hockey South Division 2 Champions, the Tennessee Volunteers, will face off this weekend at the Knoxville Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 11 at 10:15 p.m. EST and Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1:15 p.m. EST.
Friday night’s contest will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader at the Coliseum. The Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) will play an exhibition game against the Huntsville Havoc before Florida and Tennessee’s matchup. The Ice Bears puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
Additionally, 2024 NCAA Baseball Champion Kirby Connell from Tennessee will serve as the ceremonial puck dropper for Friday’s game.
Tennessee (6-0-1) currently tops the College Hockey South Division 1 standings. The only blemish on its record is a 4-4 tie—an eventual 5-4 shootout win—in its second game against a cross-state rival, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, late last month.
This weekend’s contests will hardly lack excitement, as the College Hockey South’s second and third stars of the month in September will face off for the first time this season: Tyler Iles (Tennessee) and Michael Katz (Florida).
Iles is the fourth leading point scorer for the Volunteers with nine points (3G, 6A) in seven games, following closely behind Will Schneider with 14 (6G, 8A), Connor Frazer with 10 (3G, 7A), and Mitchell Spranklin with nine (3G, 6A).
Though Florida (2-2-0) sits second from the bottom of the College Hockey South Division 1 standings, its position is not a result of the Gators’ inability to generate offense, as Katz — like Schneider – averages two points per game and leads the Gators with eight (5G, 3A) in just four matchups.
University of Florida (D3) @ University of Tennessee (D3)
Like their Division 1 counterpart, the Tennessee Volunteers Division 3 team leads its respective College Hockey South standings with a 4-0-0 record. However, the gap between the Division 3 programs is much more narrow than that of the Division 1 teams, as the Division 3 Florida Gators (4-0-0) sit in third place with an identical undefeated record.
The Volunteers have won all four games thus far in dominant fashion: 16-1 and 10-0 against Austin Peay and 15-3 and 9-2 against Eastern Kentucky. Though Florida’s win margins are minor, both teams will undoubtedly play their best hockey this weekend, as the series is a must-win for both programs aiming for the top spot in the division.
The matchups are set for 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 at Cool Sports Ice Rink and 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13 at Knoxville Coliseum.
Austin Peay State University (D3) @ University of Mississippi (D3)
The Austin Peay State University Governors (2-2-0) will travel to the Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch, MS, to take on the Ole Miss Rebels (1-1-0) on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12.
Though this will be the first meeting between these programs this season, both teams have already played a familiar opponent: the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
Led by Brendan Sullivan with seven points (4G, 3A) in four games, the Governors opened their season with a sweep over the Colonels late last month, 6-2 and 9-2. However, the Rebels failed to complete their sweep of Eastern Kentucky, falling short 6-4 in their first game of the season.
The first matchup between the Governors and the Rebels is slated for 9:30 p.m. CST on Friday, followed by another late-night contest at 8:30 p.m. CST the following night.
The following games have all been canceled due to Hurricane Milton:
Friday, October 11, 2024
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (D2) vs. Coastal Carolina University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (D3) vs. Florida Atlantic University (D3)
Middle Tennessee State University (D2) vs. University of Central Florida (D2)
University of Georgia (D1) vs Florida Atlantic University (D2)
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (D2) vs. Coastal Carolina University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (D3) vs. Florida Atlantic University (D3)
Middle Tennessee State University (D2) vs. University of Central Florida (D2)
Georgia Tech (D2) vs Florida Atlantic University (D2)
Sunday, October 13, 2024
University of Georgia (D1) vs Florida Atlantic University (D2)
College Hockey South encourages everyone in Florida who may be affected by Hurricane Milton to stay safe and extends its thoughts to those already affected.
ABOUT College Hockey South: Founded in 2008, College Hockey South is a 30-school, 50-team intercollegiate hockey conference spanning eight southeastern U.S. states that competes in AAU College Hockey. College Hockey South is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization.
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