Game of the Week: UNYCHL Women’s – Syracuse University vs Union College 

The undefeated Syracuse Orange were dealt quite a scare by winless Union College on Sunday, but the Orange prevailed 3-2 in overtime. 

The Garnet Chargers opened the scoring less than five minutes in on a goal from Megan Dorsey. Syracuse’s potent offense struck back quickly to take the lead for the first time. Amanda Wheeler and Leigh Wilkin scored 31 seconds apart, and it looked like Orange would roll from that point forward.

But Union kept hanging around.

The score remained 2-1 for most of the game on the back of Union goalie Katerina Dimacopoulos, who finished with a staggering 66 saves. Syracuse couldn’t break Dimacopoulos’s stranglehold, allowing Union to tie the game in the final two minutes and send it into overtime. 

The Orange continued to press for offense in the extra period, finally bursting through Dimacopoulos’s wall to win the game. Elise Herrick was the hero for Syracuse, scoring her fourth goal of the year to end the contest halfway through overtime. 

Syracuse pushes their record to 13-0-0 this season, the best in the AAU Women’s ranks. Union falls to 0-7-1 this year, but the Garnet Chargers can take solace in giving the Orange their closest call of the season.

– Danny Baum, AAU Head Editor

ACCHL Division 2 Elite Playoffs 

Home sweet home indeed for Wake Forest! 

The Demon Deacons triumphed thrice in three days, twice in overtime, to win the 2025 Admiral’s Cup in the comfort of their home rink in Winston-Salem, NC. 

Wake began their triumphant weekend with a grinding 3-2 win over Richmond in the quarterfinals. The Deacs surrendered a two-goal lead against the Spiders before Adam Custable netted the game-winner in the third period. Owen Polombo made 21 saves in the quarterfinal win.

In their semifinal matchup with Georgetown, Wake Forest again coughed up a lead and found themselves trailing 2-1 with little time left on the clock. Will Cahill swooped in to tie the game with four minutes to go in regulation and put the Demon Deacons a goal away from the championship game. It took two and a half overtime periods to decide it, but Will “The Thrill” Cahill did the deed in overtime for Wake and etched his name in ACC playoff history with his clutch performance.

Wake faced West Virginia in the championship game after the Mountaineers upset the number one-seeded High Point Panthers in the semifinals. The Deacons scored the game’s first goal late in period one and carried the lead deep into the game. But when the Admiral’s Cup was in Wake’s grasp, West Virginia snatched it from their hands and tied the game with 19 seconds left.

This weekend was a weekend of destiny for the Deacons, though, and it wasn’t going to end with West Virginia winning their third straight ACC championship. Eddie Kane scored the golden goal for Wake, and they completed an exhausting but fulfilling weekend with a conference championship.

– Danny Baum, AAU Head Editor

ECHC Division 3: Columbia University vs Stony Brook University

The Stony Brook Seawolves defeated the Columbia Lions on Friday night, 7-4. 

The Lions took an early 3-0 lead; Brandon Avezov got Columbia on the board just 2:09 into the contest, followed by goals from Zachary Olah 51 seconds later and Brendan Preskar on the power play just before the period’s halfway mark. 

Stony Brook responded shortly after, courtesy of Brett Kitograd, but Preskar returned the favor for Columbia with his second of the night just two minutes later. With nine seconds left in the first, Stony Brook’s Steven Richardson cut Columbia’s lead to 4-2 heading into the middle frame.

However, the Lions’ early two-goal lead proved insufficient, as they couldn’t capitalize on any opportunities after the first period. Meanwhile, the Seawolves collected three goals in the second period and two in the third to take home the 7-4 win. 

Looking ahead, both teams will compete in the Empire Conference playoffs this upcoming weekend: Columbia will face off against Sacred Heart in the Black Division semifinals, while Stony Brook will go head-to-head with Stevens Tech in the Silver Division quarterfinals.

– Kelly Kaelblein, CHS Beat Writer

DVCHC Division 3: Alvernia University vs Salisbury University

The Salisbury University Sea Gulls faced off against division rival Alvernia University Golden Wolves. The Golden Wolves headed into this one atop the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC). Salisbury University looked to get revenge for the loss suffered back in October. 

Leading scorer for Salisbury University, Jonathan Schwarz, opened the game with the first goal before Jack Kelly found the back of the net twice, and Andrew Lizak scored his fifth goal of the season. Schwarz added two assists in the first period as he continued to lead the way for the Sea Gulls. 

The momentum rolled into the second period as Kai Kelly, Samuel Schaaf, and Schwarz all found the back of the net, totaling seven unanswered goals for Salisbury in what looked to be a blowout game. A late surge from Alvernia started to turn the tides in this one.

The Golden Wolves made the necessary adjustments before the third period as they came out and scored four goals. Bryan Pipel scored the first goal of the game for Alvernia, and Logan Buch scored two in five minutes. Jimmy Sparacio found a goal with 6:50 left in the third period, cutting the lead to three. Unfortunately, it was too late as the Sea Gull’s defense held out, and Samuel Schaaf scored a power-play goal to increase the lead back to four. Bryan Pipel continued to battle to the horn as he scored his second of the game with just fourteen seconds left. 

The Sea Gulls would win 8-5, taking over the one seed as both teams were battling for position heading into the DVCHC playoffs. Alvernia has an opportunity to take back the one seed as they face off against Bloomsburg University and Lafayette College one more time before the playoffs. 

– Gavin Coker, DVCHC/NEIHC Beat Writer

CHS Feature Game: Florida Atlantic(D2) @ Florida(D1)

In a rematch of last year’s D2 AAU national championship title game, the Florida Gators (D1) defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls (D2) again last Friday by a score of 4-1. 

The Gators (10-11-0) — who moved up to Division 1 after their 8-4 win over the Owls in the title game last season — struggled to find their footing in their new competitive pool this season. However, Florida Atlantic (18-4-1) remained in Division 2 and has been a top-performing team consistently throughout the 2024-25 campaign. 

Neither team found the back of the net in the first period on Friday night, but the Gators collected three goals in the second to establish a comfortable — and ultimately game-winning — lead. Joshua Weinstein netted Florida’s first goal just under halfway through the frame, followed by Liam Lecauchois and Kegan Lampinen. 

Florida Atlantic’s Brady Baehser got the Owls on the board halfway through the third, but the team — which has been formidable offensively throughout the season — couldn’t find its way past the Gators’ defense. With 1:10 left in the contest, Robert Sheets Jr sealed the deal for Florida with its fourth and final goal.

The Owls will look to redeem themselves at the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs this weekend while the Gators await their return to the AAU National Tournament, this time as a Division 1 contender.

– Kelly Kaelblein, CHS Beat Writer