ACHA M2 Regionals Recap
- Gavin Coker
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
College Hockey South Teams Shine at ACHA Regionals, Two Advance to Nationals
Three teams from College Hockey South represented the conference at the ACHA M2 Southeast Regional Tournament over the weekend, with a trip to the National Tournament on the line. The Tampa Spartans, Florida Atlantic Owls, and Florida Gators all made the journey to Ohio to compete against some of the top programs in the country.
By the end of the weekend, two CHS teams punched their tickets to Nationals, continuing the strong momentum for the conference on the national stage.
ACHA Regionals — Day One
The Spartans were the first CHS team to take the ice in Ohio, looking to begin their quest for another National Tournament appearance after winning it all last season. Entering Regionals as the #2 seed, Tampa faced #15 Georgia in the opening round.
Veteran forward Cole Vallese opened the scoring in the second period to give the Spartans a 1–0 lead. The game quickly opened up offensively, with five total goals scored between the two teams. Tampa received additional goals from Billy McCann, Marco Beshere, and a late insurance marker from Nicholas Zehelein.
The Spartans secured a 4–2 win, ending Georgia's post season once again and advancing to a key matchup against Liberty University on Day Two.
Florida Atlantic opened its tournament against a strong Miami (OH) squad. The RedHawks struck first, but the Owls responded with depth scoring as Ayden Georgiano tied the game heading into the second period.
Florida Atlantic wasted little time taking control, with Anthony Campagna scoring to give the Owls the lead. Miami answered shortly after to even the score, setting up a tight battle heading into the third.
In the final period, Jake Murphy delivered the difference, scoring twice to lift the Owls to a 4–2 victory and set up a second-round matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Florida Gators entered Regionals riding momentum after key wins against several top teams during the season. Their opening matchup against Ohio State proved to be one of the most exciting games of the day.
The Buckeyes came out strong, scoring in the opening minute and building a two-goal lead within the first 10 minutes. Florida responded in impressive fashion, rallying with three unanswered goals from Zach Zelmanski, Mikey McCoy, and Sully Swiersz.
The teams entered the third period tied at four in what had become a next-goal-wins type of game. Despite a strong effort from the Gators, Ohio State found the go-ahead goal eight minutes into the third and held on for a 5–4 victory, ending Florida’s tournament run.
ACHA Regionals — Day Two
Tampa returned to the ice on Day Two facing Liberty with a National Tournament berth on the line. The Flames struck first, capitalizing on Tampa’s lone penalty of the game to take a 1–0 lead that held into the third period.
The Spartans finally broke through after a creative setup from Will Fortescue led to Billy McCann scoring his second goal of the weekend to tie the game.
Moments later, penalty trouble shifted momentum. Liberty’s Cade Pawluk was called for interference, and Tampa capitalized quickly. Just 11 seconds into the power play, Alex Moeller scored to give the Spartans a 2–1 lead.
Liberty pulled its goalie in the final minutes, but strong team defense from Tampa sealed the victory and secured the Spartans a return trip to Nationals.
Tampa will compete in Pool D at the National Tournament, facing Army, Michigan State, and Oklahoma State as they pursue their second consecutive National Championship.
In the final game of the weekend, Florida Atlantic faced Ohio State with another National Tournament berth at stake.
Despite both teams generating offensive chances early, neither side broke through until the third period when Ethan Bishara scored his fourth goal of the weekend just 3:37 into the frame.
The Owls responded when Jackson Niewendyk fired a shot from just inside the blue line to tie the game. Momentum shifted again late in the third period when Nick Oliverio drew a penalty. After Ohio State killed the penalty, a miscommunication allowed Oliverio to break free immediately out of the box, scoring on a breakaway to give Florida Atlantic a 2–1 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.
Ohio State pulled its goalie late, but Declan Cottone sealed the win with an empty-net goal, giving the Owls a 3–1 victory and a National Tournament berth.
Goaltender Gunnar Stevens was outstanding over the weekend, earning two wins while allowing just three goals on 57 shots.
Florida Atlantic will compete in Pool A at Nationals, where they will face St. Bonaventure, Saint Thomas, and Utah State as they also pursue their second consecutive National Championship.
With two teams advancing and another battling until the final moments, the weekend was a strong showing for College Hockey South on the national stage. Now, the focus shifts back to conference play as teams prepare for the upcoming CHS Playoffs, where rivalries will intensify and championships will be on the line to close out an exciting 2025–26 season.
CHS Playoffs Are Finally Here
The 2026 College Hockey South Playoffs are officially here, running February 26 through March 1 at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Florida. A total of 29 teams will compete across 35 games in four days, making this the largest postseason event in conference history — a true “mini nationals” atmosphere.
Single-day tickets and weekend passes are available now, and all games will be streamed live on the College Hockey South YouTube channel.
Looking Ahead: CHS Prospect Showcase
College Hockey South is also gearing up for its second annual Prospect Showcase, returning this summer after a highly successful inaugural event. The showcase provides prospective student-athletes with competitive exposure, direct interaction with CHS coaches, and an inside look at the collegiate club hockey experience.
More details, registration information, and event updates can be found below:
ABOUT College Hockey South: Founded in 2008, College Hockey South is a 29-school, 45 team intercollegiate hockey conference spanning eight southeastern U.S. states. College Hockey South is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization.