CHS Week 11 Recap
By: Russ Eddins @EddinsRuss
Between two sweeps, two splits, and a CHS D1 team continuing to dominate hockey in their state, week 11 was an eventful weekend in College Hockey South.
Florida Atlantic Dominates Central Florida
Neither team could get on the board through the first two periods of game one. UCF only managed four shots on goal in the second period.
David Israel struck first for the Owls midway through the third to get the scoring started. A few minutes later, Leon Biller would double their lead. Less than a minute after that, Sam Watson scored his first goal of the year to extend FAU’s lead to three.
FAU team president Doug Randle said, “The first game, we had a really strong showing from our goalie Rocco Bruno.”
The Owls were able to get a boost from the crowd and capitalize on good scoring chances.
In game two, UCF went down 4-1 in the first. They came out strong in the second, put 22 shots on goal, and scored two goals to cut the deficit to one. Unfortunately for UCF, Daniel Tovb of FAU would score the game-winner with two seconds remaining in the period.
UCF would add one more goal in the third but could not find an equalizer.
When discussing game two, Randle said, “I think we sat back a little in the second and third periods, which allowed them to make a little comeback.”
Florida Sweeps Tampa D2 After Not Playing For Four Weeks
Game one of the Gators and Spartans was a back-and-forth contest. Michael Katz struck first for the Gators midway through the first. The Spartans tied the game early in the second.
Florida took the lead, and Tampa tied it one more time before the Gators scored two power-play goals within less than a minute of each other. Tampa would add one in the third but fell short. The Gators outshot the Spartans 30 to 21.
Game two was a dominant 4-1 win for the Gators.
Florida Head Coach Frank Pasquale said, “It was a good weekend for us to play as well as we did after four weeks off, especially against a quality opponent like Tampa.”
Georgia and Tennessee Split Two
Neither team could score in the first period of this series. Georgia scored first in the middle of the second.
Tennessee responded in 19 seconds and tied it up. They would go on to score the first two goals in the third. One was a power-play goal and the game-winner. The final score was 4-2 Tennessee.
Connor Frazer had two goals (his seventh and eighth of the season) for Tennessee in game one. Georgia had 27 shots, and Tennessee had 30.
Georgia shut out the Ice Vols in game two, 3-0. Georgia’s goalie, Ryan Testino, made 49 saves.
Lynn Gets Blown Out in Game One But Rebounds Nicely In Game Two Against ERAU
Embry Riddle scored nine goals against Lynn on Friday night. They had 71 shots on goal.
ERAU scored four in the first, three in the second, and two in the third.
In game two, ERAU got on the board late in the first, but Lynn responded with two goals in the second and third. The final score was 4-2. Lynn outshot ERAU 42 to 40.
Lynn, director of operations, Theodore Curtis, said, “We showed a lot of heart and grit this weekend.” Despite Lynn only having 12 skaters in game two…their “coaches had a terrific game plan, our players trusted it and executed it, and we came out with a solid win.”
The University of North Florida’s Owen Keyser Receives Player of The Week Honors
UNF took on ERAU D3. The Ospreys led most of the game, but ERAU made a big comeback in the third. The Final score was 8-6.
Owen Keyser scored five goals and one assist for six points in the game. Keyser was going for the double hat trick Friday night but just fell short.
UNF is a first-year program. Keyser grew up in Florida. They did not have a hockey team at UNF when he was younger, so the fact he can play hockey there now is very special.
South Carolina Continues to Play Very Well
South Carolina and Coastal Carolina University played one game last Friday.
The Gamecocks put up 45 shots en route to an 8-4 win over the Chanticleers. They scored three in the first and second periods and two in the third.
Coastal was down by three going into the second, but they mounted a comeback and got within one of South Carolina. The Gamecocks would go on to pull away late in the third.
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.