Week 7 of College Hockey in the South is in the books, and it was undoubtedly one for the books.
Game of the Week #1: Friday, October 18th - Auburn (D1) @ Alabama (D1)
Friday night was a back-and-forth affair between the rivals. After four consecutive goals for the Tide, the Tigers rallied for a four-goal run to tie the game.
The Tide responded sixteen seconds later, igniting a five-goal surge led by center Max Savaloja, who netted three goals.
The second period of Friday night’s game was explosive, with both teams combining for ten goals. Auburn attempted to regroup in the third, but Alabama’s offense was too potent. The Frozen Tide took game one in a 10-6 thriller.
Game two of the Iron Cup was a 7-3 win for ‘Bama. Capitalizing on goals from seven players, the Tigers once again struggled to combat the Frozen Tide’s dynamic offense.
Jake Dierks scored the game-winner with just seven seconds left in the second period. This gave Alabama all the momentum heading into the locker room before the final period. Auburn never recovered.
The Alabama Frozen Tide swept the Auburn Tigers to win their first two games of the season within D1. The Iron Cup will reside in Tuscaloosa for the following year. Auburn has yet to find the win column in D1.
Game of the Week #2: Friday, October 18th - Auburn (W) @ Alabama (W)
The women and men of Alabama Ice Hockey delivered synchronized performances on the ice. The Frozen Tide women dominated the Auburn Tigers women’s hockey team in their Iron Cup.
In the weekend’s first matchup, Alabama shut down Auburn 7-1. Like their last performance against South Carolina, Samantha Lantz and Claire Carson were the offensive firepower for ‘Bama.
The Frozen Tide’s penalty kill delivered a flawless performance despite taking four penalties. The Tigers did not commit any penalties but could not capitalize on their own power plays.
Game two of the Iron Cup for the women followed a similar course- complete Alabama domination.
Once again, the Tide faced four penalty kills. Luckily for Alabama, goaltender Natalie Kutz stopped every shot she faced. The Frozen Tide took the second game in an 8-0 shutout.
Across the Iron Cup, Alabama’s offense proved too decisive for the subdued Auburn teams.
University of Georgia (D1) @ University of Texas (ACHA)
Georgia football was not the only Bulldogs team that went into Austin and upset Longhorn fans. The Georgia Ice Dawgs took both games on their trip to Texas.
Georgia grabbed the series edge with a 3-1 win on Friday night.
After a disappointing night on the ice and an upset on the football field, the Longhorns sought to avenge themselves on Sunday.
Sunday’s on-ice matchup was a nail-biter. Through three periods, the game was tied at 3-3. The Longhorns’ shot at redemption was within reach, but Declan Conway had other plans. The Ice Dawgs took game two in overtime on a penalty shot, leaving Longhorn fans with hopes crushed.
Florida State University (D3) @ Florida Institute of Technology (D3)
The Florida State Seminoles and Florida Tech Panthers split their Sunshine State series. In the first game, the Panthers edged out the Seminoles 9-8 in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.
Florida Tech’s Derek Morgia got the Panthers off to a hot start, scoring the game’s first two goals – one shorthanded. Florida State responded with two of their own before a final Panthers goal to end the first period.
With each team finding the back of the net three more times in the second, the game sat at 6-5 entering the third.
With fifteen minutes left in the game, the Seminoles tied the game. However, Panther Derek Morgia netted his third goal for a hat trick before his teammate Steven Rossi scored the game-winner. Florida Tech escaped with a chaotic 9-8 slugfest.
After a close first contest, Florida State refused to leave the weekend without a win. They took the second game 4-2, despite being outshot 42-30.
Cooper Barno spearheaded the charge for the ‘Noles. Panther Cooper Leonard’s own goal canceled out his goal. The two players also found themselves in the penalty box after a scrum in the first.
The Seminoles tallied two more in the first period. Entering the second, Florida State had a 3-1 lead. Each team netted a goal in the second period, and Florida State cruised to earn a split in the series with a 4-2 win.
Vanderbilt University (D2) @ University of Alabama in Huntsville (D2)
In Huntsville, the Vanderbilt Commodores defeated UAH 5-1 in both games.
Throughout game one, UAH lacked discipline, providing Vanderbilt with five power plays—four more than the Commodores committed. Cole Miller and Dominick Kamssu each netted two for Vanderbilt.
In Saturday’s meeting, Commodore Reese Popkin kicked off the scoring with two goals. Matthew Diercks of the Chargers gave his team a chance, making the game 3-1 after the first period.
Two unanswered goals in the second for Vanderbilt brought the game to 4-1. Nine minutes into the third period, Joshua Daigle of UAH took a rare butt-ending major penalty.
Michael Cowling beat the Chargers’ goaltender for his second of the game, sealing a victory for Vanderbilt.
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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