Revenge is a dish best-served cold… or maybe on ice.
Either way, the University of Tampa Spartans have an opportunity to avenge their painful loss to South Carolina in the AAU National Semifinal in March. The Spartans were the number one overall seed and were rolling their way through the tournament before taking on the Gamecocks.
South Carolina’s stock had fallen before the tournament after it lost both games in the College Hockey South tournament and failed to place. The Gamecocks entered the tournament as the number seven seed but advanced into the playoff round with an upset overtime win over the second-seeded Niagra University Purple Eagles.
Despite overcoming Niagara, South Carolina was still the underdog against a juggernaut Tampa team, which flexed its power early in their semifinal matchup. The Spartans built a 3-1 lead and seemed to be cruising to a berth in the National Championship Game. But the Gamecocks wouldn’t be denied.
South Carolina stunned Tampa by scoring five of the following six goals to complete a 6-4 comeback win and advance to the title game. On the back of their wins over the number one and two ranked teams, the Gamecocks beat Buffalo the next day to win the AAU National Championship.
The Spartans and Gamecocks will clash for the first time since that fateful day in March but with much less on the line. However, some Spartans have more on their minds than revenge.
“Nationals obviously has left a sour taste in our mouth,” said Tampa team president Ryan Andrews, “to be up 3-1 in a game where you feel you have all the momentum is a tough one to lose”.
But Andrews referred to the upcoming showdown as an opportunity to grow as a team: “Ultimately, our goal is to go further than we did last year, and as someone who has been through three national tournaments, it starts in games like this.”
Spartans netminder Kyle Myer also downplayed the revenge angle: " We all are treating this as a normal weekend, even with the result of last year.” Myer continues, “We for sure want to beat these guys a little extra, though, but I think that’s just the excitement of getting to play another top-end team.”
The Spartans have gotten off to an uncharacteristic start, dropping a game to Division 2 Florida Atlantic and a 6-5 overtime loss to Tennessee last weekend, where they lead 5-1. A strong showing against South Carolina could build momentum towards a deeper run into the National Tournament.
Conversely, the Gamecocks have not experienced one shred of a championship hangover. South Carolina has won 10 of their first 11 games and is unbeaten against College Hockey South opponents. The MVP of the National Tournament a year ago, John Riggins, is the leading scorer in Division 1 with 13 goals and 11 assists in 10 games.
Gamecocks team president Ronan Mulkerrin shared a similar sentiment to the Spartans, one of respect and a focus on the present rather than the past: “It’s a new season, so obviously we’re focused on the games ahead of us. Tampa has a great program and is consistently one of the best teams we play.”
There’s no doubt that a healthy respect has been formed between the two teams, but they both desire a common goal. South Carolina wants to repeat as National Champions, and Tampa intends to rip the crown out of the Gamecocks’ grasp. We’re a long ways away from a National Champion being decided, but this could be an early preview of what the deciding game could look like.
Fans can watch both games on the Student Gamecock Television (SGTV) YouTube channel here. Friday night’s puck drop is at 8:30 PM ET, and Sunday’s game is at 10:00 AM ET. Both games will be played at Flight Adventure Park Irmo: 1019 Broad Stone Rd, Irmo, SC 29063.
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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