Universities with campuses 480 miles apart without a historic connection rarely have close ties, but that’s the case with the University of Tampa and the University of South Carolina. Not only do they have women’s hockey programs that are on the rise within the College Hockey South and AAU College Hockey ranks, but also a bond that transcends the game of hockey.
Tampa defenseman Avery Gugliotta and South Carolina forward Averie Bowen have been best friends since they started playing together for their high school’s inaugural women’s hockey team. What began as a lighthearted joke over sharing a first name (with different spellings) has blossomed into a years-long friendship that lives on today.
The two met at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, MA, at Bishop Feehan’s first-ever women’s hockey tryouts. Bowen described the feelings entering that first practice, “it was intimidating starting at a new school, but I just remember walking into the locker room, and Avery’s face lit up, and asked if I wanted to sit next to her. The rest was history.”
Bowen & Gugliotta spent four years playing club and varsity hockey together and were practically inseparable. They were always there for each other through sports, school, and life. “(We) are more like sisters now. Both of our parents call the other ‘their other daughter Avery,’” said Gugliotta.
But after Avery & Averie graduated, the two best friends went on their path to two different schools. Averie Bowen is now a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, and Avery Gugliotta is a sophomore at the University of Tampa. The furthest they’d been from each other since they met in freshman year of high school.
But they would be reunited in a familiar setting, this time on opposite sides.
The inaugural College Hockey South Women’s Conference championship game featured a dominant, undefeated Tampa team and a pesky underdog South Carolina team looking to pull off an upset. But a championship was the furthest thing from the minds of the two best friends.
“It was extremely difficult to build a barrier and separate our friendship from the game,” said Bowen. Both players admitted that teammates and coaches had to implore them to put their affection and bond aside. “It was definitely a tough game not only (because) they were a good team but also emotionally,” said Gugliotta.
The emotions ran high in the Championship game after a three-goal South Carolina rally tied the game in the third period. This set the stage for a storybook ending. With the score knotted at three with five minutes to go, the fate of the game was still hanging in the balance, but that all changed with a flick of the wrist. The puck found Avery Gugliotta’s stick, and she wired a shot that found the back of the net to break the tie.
“It felt like I was watching it in slow motion as it went in,” said Bowen. Gugliotta’s goal was the decisive blow, and Tampa won the Conference Championship game 4-3. Gugliotta was named MVP. “I remember tears started going down my face as I saw Avery get the MVP jersey,” Bowen recalled. “As horrible as it was to lose that game, I was so incredibly proud of my best friend… and I made sure to tell her that.”
“I’ll never forget us giving each other the biggest hug, and despite how disappointed she was, she expressed how proud she was of me,” said Gugliotta.
But 2024’s College Hockey South Championship game was just the first chapter in the Avery/Averie rivalry, and both players hope there are rematches soon. Based on the standings heading into the postseason, the rematch could take place this weekend in the 2025 Women’s Playoffs.
Bowen’s South Carolina Gamecocks finished the season in fourth place in the Women’s Division, while Gugliotta and Tampa closed out their second consecutive undefeated regular season, taking first place. The Lady Spartans will get a bye to the semifinal, where they will face the lowest remaining seed. There’s a chance the lowest seed could be South Carolina if the Gamecocks are victorious in their quarterfinal matchup against Auburn.
Either way, Bowen and Gugliotta are grateful to have another opportunity to play in the postseason but even happier to see each other this weekend, whether it’s on or off the ice.
The College Hockey South Women's Division playoffs will take place from February 7-9, 2025, at the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, GA. For more information, visit 2025 Women’s Division Playoffs.
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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