Week 17 marked the crowning of two College Hockey South champions. The dominant Tampa Spartans secured their third consecutive conference title, defeating Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina in consecutive days.
The Tampa Lady Spartans were on the verge of completing a championship sweep for the University of Tampa in Athens, but the Alabama Frozen Tide, in their first year, triumphed in a thrilling title game.
Tampa's Michael Schmelzer and Alabama's Anna Zahorchak were named MVPs of their respective championship games.
Congratulations to the Tampa Spartans and Alabama Frozen Tide for their College Hockey South Division victories!
Clemson Tigers (D2) vs Vanderbilt Commodores (D2)
The Clemson Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores split their weekend series 1-1, with Vanderbilt claiming a 6-5 thriller on Friday, while Clemson responded with a 3-2 victory on Saturday.
Over the two games, the Commodores outshot the Tigers 96-72, making for a close and thrilling series.
In Friday's win, Dominick Kamssu and Emmett Kappesser each recorded a goal and an assist, while Reese Popkin and John Torinus each scored twice across the two games.
Clemson’s Sully Kopf finished the weekend with four points (2 goals, 2 assists) over the two games, while Ethan Callahan made a strong contribution, netting three goals—one in the first game and two in the second.
With the win, the Tigers wrap up their season with an 8-1-1 record, moving into first place in the D2 North Division. Vanderbilt now stands at 4-3-0-1 in the division, setting up a must-win matchup next week against Georgia Tech.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (D2) vs Ole Miss Rebels (D2)
The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders and Ole Miss Rebels also split their back-to-back series 1-1 this weekend. Middle Tennessee State entered the series struggling, having lost four of their last six games, including two straight defeats the previous weekend.
That rough patch continued for MTSU in game 1, as Ole Miss cruised to a dominant 7-2 victory on Friday. However, the Blue Raiders bounced back in game 2, securing a 3-1 win on Saturday.
Brendan Ogle was the standout player for MTSU, finishing the series with three points (two goals, one assist).
MTSU wraps up its season with an 8-2-0 divisional record, their best finish in program history. Ole Miss ends the season with a 5-5-0 divisional record and has yet to officially secure a postseason spot. Despite this, the Rebels currently hold the third seed in the North Division following this weekend’s games.
Lynn University Fighting Knights (D2) vs Tampa Spartans (D2)
The University of Tampa Spartans secured victories in both of their games this weekend, each with a 5-3 final score.
Finn McDonough was a key contributor for Tampa, finishing the weekend with four points (1 goal, 3 assists). He tallied a goal and an assist in the first game and followed up with two assists in the second.
Reagan Lyon also finished with four points, recording an assist in the first game and a hat trick in the second.
Despite the losses, Lynn University forward Drew Constant had a standout performance, registering five points over the weekend. He contributed three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the first game and added two assists in the second. Lucca Vicino also made his mark for the Fighting Knights, notching a goal and an assist.
Tampa concludes its season with a 9-4-0-1 record, having won their last five games. Lynn's defeats have opened the door for the University of Miami D2 team to surpass them for the final playoff spot.
Florida Southern Mocs (D2) vs Miami Hurricanes (D2)
The University of Miami Hurricanes took advantage of Lynn’s disappointing finish to the season, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
Friday’s game ended in a wild, high-scoring 8-8 tie, resulting in 16 goals. Miami responded with a 6-2 win on Saturday.
Hunter Rice and Michael Woll were the offensive stars for Florida Southern, each recording a hat trick in game 1. Rice finished the weekend with 7 points, having earned six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in the first game and added an assist in the second.
Woll had a phenomenal performance, finishing the weekend with 10 points, tallying three goals and seven assists over the two games.
Miami’s Jaret Fensterstock contributed with a goal and an assist in each game, finishing with a four-point weekend performance.
Elian Estulin also had a strong showing, registering five points—four (1 goal, 3 assists) in the first game and an assist in the second.
With the tie on Friday night, and two Lynn losses, Miami clinched a postseason spot after a roller coaster season back in Division 2.
Central Florida Knights (D2) vs South Florida Ice Bulls (D2)
The University of South Florida Ice Bulls swept their four-game series and back-to-back meets against the University of Central Florida Knights on Friday and Saturday to close out their regular season.
USF won 6-3 on Friday and followed up with a dominant 10-4 victory on Saturday.
Grant Dietz showcased why he's considered one of the top D2 players to watch, recording back-to-back hat tricks and finishing with eight points (6 goals, 2 assists) over the weekend.
Adam Offenbach also had a standout performance, contributing an assist in the first game and four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in the second game.
For UCF, Robert Renner netted three goals over the weekend, scoring twice in the first game and once in the second.
Jacob Fuller (1 goal, 1 assist) and Rhett Hopkins (0 goals, 2 assists) both finished with two-point performances.
South Florida wraps up their season with an 11-2-1-0 divisional record, heading into the CHS D2 Playoffs. UCF concludes their season with a 4-7-2-1 record and will miss the 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.
Comments