CHS Week 11 Preview
By: Russ Eddins @EddinsRuss
For the first CHS article, UCF at FAU is the Game of the Week. This series will be a rematch of the Battle at the Beach Championship. FAU won that game 5-2. Unfortunately this weekend, there are no women’s games; there is just one D3 matchup, and two D1 teams is in action, but there are plenty of D2 matchups this weekend.
Florida Atlantic University vs. University of Central Florida
UCF will seek revenge against FAU on the road at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight and again at 5 p.m. ET tomorrow. The teams will play both games at the Panther Ice Den.
FAU will stream the games on its YouTube channel, FAU Owl TV.
Going into the weekend, UCF is in second place in the CHS D2 South Division. The Knights have played 16 games, have a 10-5-1 record, and possess a 28-goal differential.
The Owls have played six fewer games than UCF. The Owls are 8-1-1 and have a 32-goal differential.
FAU is undefeated in the CHS D2 South Division and looks to extend their lead with four more points this weekend.
UCF has a slight advantage on the power play, while FAU has a slight edge on the penalty kill. Watching these special teams go at it this weekend should be fun.
Both teams have good speed, outstanding bonds between players, and a solid coaching staff. The key for FAU in this series will be to play complete hockey games. The Owls can’t slack up on any shifts.
UCF Head Coach Anthony Mariani believes as long as the Knights stick with their guys and their defensive coverage is on point, they will have a successful weekend.
University of Tampa (D2) vs. University of Florida
Game one of this series will be at home for Tampa. The start time is 7:15 p.m. ET tonight at Clearwater Ice Arena.
For game two, they will go to Community First Igloo, the home of the Florida Gator Ice Hockey team. The start time for that game is 9:00 p.m. ET tomorrow.
Tampa (D2) sits in sixth in the CHS D2 South Division standings with a 9-5-1 record, and a four-goal differential.
After nearly a month off, this weekend will be an excellent chance for the Gators to leap in the standings. They can move up to 2nd place with two wins and UCF losing both their games.
After winning the 2023 D3 CHS Conference Championship and moving up to the D2 Division, the Tampa (D2) team is looking to upset a strong Florida team. It should be a lot of fun for all fans.
University of Tennessee vs. University of Georgia
This series will be played at the Knoxville Coliseum tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Georgia is having a fantastic season and is currently ranked #7 in the AAU D1 National Rankings. Through 12 games, the Ice Dawgs are 9-2-1 and have a 27-goal differential.
Tennessee, currently ranked #3 in the AAU D2 National Rankings has a 7-5-0 record and a 19-goal differential.
Special teams are going to be a major factor in this series. Both teams have great penalty kill units, but the separator will be Tennessee’s power play. The Tennessee Ice Vols have scored the fourth most power play goals in CHS D2 with 17.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University vs. Lynn University
ERAU and Lynn will play a home and away game in this series. Game one will be at Daytona Ice Arena, the home of ERAU hockey, at 7 p.m. ET tonight. Game two will occur at Palm Beach Skate Zone at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Lynn is sitting in 7th place in the CHS D2 South Division rankings with a 4-8-0 record and a -16 goal differential.
ERAU is in 4th with a 5-10-1 record and a -12 goal differential.
After a big win against Vanderbilt last weekend in Nashville, Lynn is looking to build on the momentum and knock off ERAU as well.
ABOUT College Hockey South: Founded in 2008, College Hockey South is a 25-school, 38 team intercollegiate hockey conference spanning seven southeastern U.S. states that competes in AAU College Hockey. College Hockey South is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization.