Game of the Week: Florida State University (D3) at Florida Atlantic University (D3)
Florida State University dominated its back-to-back weekend series against Florida Atlantic, winning by significant margins in both matchups. The Seminoles won 8-2 on Friday, Jan. 10, and 7-1 on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Daniil Bogdanov led the way for Florida State, tallying six points over the weekend with two goals and an assist in each game. Jai Van Rij also had a stellar performance, recording a hat trick and assist on Friday and adding a goal and assist on Saturday for a six-point weekend.
With the wins, Florida State overtakes the Owls for first place in the Division 3 South Division. This is the first time the Seminoles have held the top spot all season.
Despite the losses, Florida Atlantic remains one of the top teams in Division 3 with a 9-3-0 (8-2-0, 16 points) record. Standout players Ayden Georgiano (33 points), Christian Cuccia (32 points), and Joseph Lozoraitis (27 points) are among the league’s top point scorers. They will be key for the Owls as they continue their four-game homestand against Lynn University in back-to-back games on Friday, Jan.17, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m.
University of Miami (D2) vs Lynn University (D2)
The Miami Hurricanes avenged their early-season loss to the Lynn University Fighting Knights with a strong weekend performance. Miami won 4-1 on Saturday and followed up with an 8-4 victory on Sunday.
Elian Estulin was unstoppable, notching seven points over the weekend. He had a goal and two assists in Saturday’s win, then picked up a hat trick and assist on Sunday, bringing his total to 22 points of the season (11 goals, 11 assists).
Thomas Ferry II also shined this weekend, scoring once on Saturday and contributing with two goals and three assists in Sunday’s win.
Lynn University, now 7-8-1 (5-3-1-1, 12 points), looks to rebound as they close out their final three games. Their next divisional matchup is against Florida Atlantic, one of the top Division 2 South teams, on Saturday, Jan. 25.
After a dominant, superb weekend, Miami will face the University of Albany on Jan. 24.
University of Georgia (W) Georgia Southern University (W)
The Ice Dawgs opened the spring semester with two huge wins over Georgia Southern. They shut out the Eagles 9-0 on Saturday and followed up with a 6-1 victory on Sunday.
Paige Oukes picked up right where she left off from the fall semester. She scored nine goals over the weekend (five on Saturday and four on Sunday). She now leads the Women’s division with 32 goals and 38 points.
The Lady Ice Dawgs will host their final games of the regular season against the Tennessee Lady Ice Vols on Friday, Jan. 25 and Saturday, Jan. 26.
Clemson University (D2) at University of Alabama-Huntsville (D2)
Clemson capped off an impressive season debut with two dominant wins over Alabama-Huntsville, shutting them out 8-0 in the opener and cruising to a 16-2 victory on Sunday.
Ethan Callahan finished the weekend with four goals. He had a hat trick on Saturday and added another goal on Sunday for a four-point weekend. Sully Kopf also tallied four points, while Cade Heinold and Santiago Diaz each recorded hat tricks in Sunday’s runaway win.
The Chargers, now 0-14-0 (0-8-0, 0 points), have struggled to generate offense this season and are on a 14-game losing streak. They’ll look to turn things around when they host Ole Miss for back-to-back games on Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25.
On the other hand, Clemson faces one of the top teams in the Division 2 division, the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (16-1-1), on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8:30 p.m. CT.
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.