The spookiest month of the year has come to a close, meaning it’s time to name our 3 Stars of the Month for each division. Let’s see who’s been terrorizing the competition and what their most horrifying performance was.
Women’s Division
1st Star: (F) Claire Carson, University of Alabama - 9 Goals, 4 Assists, 13 Points in 4 Games.
Claire Carson has helped lead Alabama to a 7-1-0 start in its inaugural season. Carson leads the team in goals and assists and leads the conference in points.
Top Performance: 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points on 10/18 vs Auburn.
2nd Star: (F) Gabriella Donato, Auburn University - 7 Goals, 3 Assists, 10 Points in 5 Games.
Donato could arguably be the most valuable player for their respective team to this point in the season. Donato has 14 points in six games this year, leading the Tigers. The next closest player for Auburn has just seven points(Abby Lin).
Top Performance: 4 goals, 0 assists, 4 points on 10/4 vs Georgia.
3rd Star: (F) Samantha Lantz, University of Alabama - 8 Goals, 1 Assist, 9 Points in 4 Games.
Samantha Lantz only trails her teammate, Claire Carson, in the conference scoring race with 21 points in her first eight games. Lantz is operating at nearly a two-goal-per-game pace through the first eight weeks, with 15 on the season.
Top Performance: 4 goals, 0 assists, 4 points on 10/6 vs South Carolina.
Division 1
1st Star: (F) Max Savaloja, University of Alabama - 5 Goals, 8 Assists, 13 Points in 5 Games.
In an up-and-down month for the Frozen Tide in terms of wins and losses, Max Savaloja was the one constant. Alabama has struggled to find momentum in the early stages of their season, yet Savaloja has provided them with consistent scoring that puts him second overall in the conference.
Top Performance: 4 goals, 2 assists, 6 points on 10/18 vs Auburn.
2nd Star: (F) Nicholas Fontaine, University of Tampa - 6 Goals, 4 Assists, 10 Points in 4 Games.
The Tampa Spartans sport an incredibly balanced attack, with 11 players playing at a point-per-game pace. That includes Nicholas Fontaine, the team’s leading goal scorer with nine on the season.
Top Performance: 3 goals, 0 assists, 3 points on 10/5 vs Miami (D2).
3rd Star: (F) Mitchell Spranklin, University of Tennessee - 5 Goals, 6 Assists, 11 Points in 7 Games.
Tennessee has taken Division 1 by storm in its first year since being promoted, and Mitchell Spranklin is a big reason why the Ice Vols have had instant success. Tennessee has won five of its first six conference games, including a four-goal comeback over reigning conference champion Tampa.
Top Performance: 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points on 10/11 vs Florida (D1).
Division 2
1st Star: (F) Grant Dietz, University of South Florida - 10 Goals, 9 Assists, 19 Points in 6 Games.
Perhaps the first star across all divisions should be Grant Dietz who produced the highest scoring October of any player. In what has been a resurgent year for South Florida, Dietz has lead all College Hockey South Division 2 goal scorers and is tied for second in assists. Dietz collected at least three points in all but one game in October.
Top Performance: 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points on 10/25 vs Florida Southern.
2nd Star: (F) Will Marshall, Florida Southern College - 7 Goals, 5 Assists, 12 Points in 4 Games.
The 2023-2024 Division 3 Most Valuable Player and his teammates at Florida Southern moved up to Division 2 this season, and Will Marshall brought his offense with him. Florida Southern has scored at least four goals in four of their first seven games, and Marshall has been the focal point of their offense.
Top Performance: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points on 10/26 vs South Florida (D2).
3rd Star: (F) Lucca Vicino, Lynn University- 4 Goals, 8 Assists, 12 Points in 6 Games.
Lynn University’s success so far this season mirrors South Florida’s, since both teams failed to qualify for postseason play a year ago. Lynn also has a main figure leading the offense in Lucca Vicino. UCF will be happy not to see anymore of Vicino, who scored a goal and had seven assists in three games against the Knights in October.
Top Performance: 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points on 10/19 vs UCF.
Division 3
1st Star: (F) Tyler Casey, University of Georgia - 12 Goals, 4 Assists, 16 Points in 5 Games.
No team is scoring at a higher rate in Division 3 than the Georgia Ice Dawgs and that’s thanks to leading goal scorer Tyler Casey. Casey picked up three hat-tricks in his five games played in October.
Top Performance: 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points on 10/26 vs UAB.
2nd Star: (F) Derek Morgia, Florida Institute of Technology - 7 Goals, 7 Assists, 14 Points in 5 Games.
In the same year where the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, the Florida Tech Panthers have had their claws out from the get-go. The Panthers’ Steven Rossi was College Hockey South’s second star for Week 8, but it’s Florida Tech’s leading scorer Derek Morgia who gets the spotlight for the month of October.
Top Performance: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points on 10/26 vs North Florida.
3rd Star: (F) Case Santa Maria, University of Georgia - 5 Goals, 8 Assists, 13 Points in 5 Games.
The Ice Dawgs second leading scorer, Case Santa Maria, has helped Georgia win six of their first eight games to put them in second place in the North Division. Santa Maria tallied a point in all five games he appeared in October.
Top Performance: 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points on 10/25 vs UAB.
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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