Pool A
Farmingdale State College Rams vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Division 2 Rams picked up where the Division 1 team left off a few weeks ago, taking care of Wake Forest in the first game for Pool A.
The teams traded goals late in the first period, but the Rams started the scoring rush in the second period. It began with two goals from Kevin Manzi and Joseph Castellano, separated by just five(!) seconds. Nick Lavoie finished off the Farmingdale goal spree with his second of the game, establishing an all-important three-goal lead for the Rams.
Wake battled back with two straight goals to get within one, but Farmingdale State responded less than 30 seconds later to take the air out of the Demon Deacon’s comeback.
Lavoie led all skaters with three points in the game, adding an assist to his two goals.
Farmingdale State 6
Wake Forest 3
Final
Florida Atlantic Owls vs Lynn Fighting Knights
The tournament’s top seed put on a show in the nightcap as they blistered their Boca Raton rivals 11-1.
The Owls sliced and diced Lynn, building a 10-1 lead by the end of the second period. Florida Atlantic’s first 10 goals were scored by 10 skaters, showcasing their unimaginable offensive depth.
Nick Oliverio, David Israel, and Hunter Litman all had four-point games, and two other Owls with three-point efforts. Florida Atlantic continues its quest for a championship tomorrow against Wake Forest at 8:15 P.M.
Florida Atlantic 11
Lynn 1
Final
– Danny Baum, AAU Hockey Head Editor
Pool B
SUNY Brockport Clubbers vs Mass. Maritime Academy Buccaneers
In the first matchup of the tournament for Pool B, nine goals were scored between the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buccaneers Buccaneers and the SUNY-Brockport Golden Eagles.
The Buccaneers built an early lead, scoring the first goals of the game, Jack Dickie and Constantino Marrocco lighting the lamp. With the momentum against them, the Golden Eagles answered back with two goals in under 30 seconds from Dylan Clark and Brenan Whitchurch. A tie wasn’t enough as Brenan Whitchurch scored with 56 seconds left in the first, giving the Golden Eagles a 3-2 lead.
The teams traded goals in the second period, giving SUNY Brockport a slim lead heading into the final frame.
After 15 scoreless minutes in the third, Constantino Marrocco found the equalizer on a tap-in chance. The defense continued to be the story of the rest of the period as regulation ended with both sides tied at four.
In the first overtime game of the Division Two National Tournament, the MMA Buccaneers won the opening faceoff. After a save by Fitzpatrick, the Golden Eagles controlled the puck, and that was all she wrote. Trey Eberhart skated up ice and found the back of the net, beating Liam Polles five-hole to give the Eagles a 1-0 start to the tournament.
SUNY Brockport 5
Mass. Maritime 4
Final/Overtime
Bishop’s University Gaiters vs FAU Owls
The two-seed Bishop’s University Gaiters, the only Canadian team in the tournament, took to the ice tonight against the 20th-seed FAU Owls. The Owls were a late fill-in spot after the University of Richmond canceled. After a strong year in Division Three, the Owls will move up to Division Two next season.
Bishop’s University opened the scoring early after an offensive onslaught, tallying 10 shots through the first eight minutes. Frédéric Grenon scored the goal, taking advantage of some excellent passes from Nico Deichmann and Alex Budd.
The Gaiters came out of the gates hot in the second period, continuing the red-hot offense seen in the first. Strong forechecking set up a goal for Marc-Antoine Lagacé on a rebound off of FAU goalie Matthew McMillin, giving the Gaiters a two-goal lead. Lucas Thorne, who led Bishop’s University, helped build a three-goal lead as he set up Nathan Gagnon.
Florida Atlantic opened the third period on the powerplay, and Peter Petito took advantage, firing a shot from the slot, scoring the first goal for the Owls off a pass from Anthony Campagna. The Gaiters would answer again, with Jack McGowan finding Ryan Gudernatsch for a backhanded goal. Unfortunately, the Owls couldn’t get any more offensive production as they fell 4-1. Matthew McMillin made big saves throughout the game, but the Gaiter’s constant pressure was the difference.
Bishop’s University 4
FAU Owls 1
Final
– Gavin Coker, AAU Hockey Beat Writer
Pool C
Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions vs Miami Hurricanes
The Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 7-2, to open pool play.
The Nittany Lions got on the board less than two minutes into the contest, as Andrew Szebalskie found the back of the net with help from Daniel McConchie and Kevin Zidak. Miami equalized with a power-play goal from Sam Stone with 4:44 left in the first, but Penn State’s Paul Smith scored with 49 seconds on the clock to reclaim his team’s lead heading into the middle frame.
The Nittany Lions extended their lead with two additional goals in the second: Peyton Smith made it 3-1 at 7:04, and Paul Smith added his second of the night with a power-play goal at 13:19.
Sporting a 4-1 lead, The Nittany Lions came out swinging in the third. Jake Stasyk collected Penn State’s fifth goal just 1:28 into the frame, followed by McConchie twice — once shorthanded — to extend Penn State’s lead to 7-1. Miami’s Jarrett Fensterstock added another goal to fight back on behalf of the Hurricanes, but the Nittany Lion’s lead was too great to overcome.
Penn State will attempt to remain undefeated against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tomorrow at 8 a.m., while Miami will look to collect its first win against the High Point Panthers at 5:15 p.m.
Penn State Harrisburg 7
Miami 2
Final
High Point Panthers vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The High Point Panthers opened pool play with a dominant 7-1 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Panthers shone both offensively and defensively, collecting seven goals on a whopping 42 shots while limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 11 total shots.
Georgia Tech opened the scoring less than five minutes into the first, courtesy of Keegan Goodell. Just 20 seconds later, Jack Mertz found the back of the net to return the favor on behalf of the Panthers and tie the game at 1-1. A minute and a half after Mertz’s goal, High Point’s Michael Yelle tallied the go-ahead to give his team a 2-1 lead going into the middle frame.
High Point added two more goals in the second — off the sticks of Jack Hutchins and Joe Di Martino — and three more in the third, from Liam Donahue, Jack Slayton, and Joseph Riggio, to ensure its 7-1 victory.
High Point takes on the Miami Hurricanes at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow, while Georgia Tech will look to come back strong with a win against the Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions at 8 a.m.
High Point 7
Georgia Tech 1
Final
– Kelly Kaelblein, AAU Hockey Beat Writer
Pool D
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders vs Kutztown Golden Bears
Day 1 of the Division 2 AAU Nationals kicked off with some exciting matchups in Pool D. Part of the morning began with the Kutztown Golden Bears facing off against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
The Blue Raiders dominated the game, securing an 8-2 victory over the Golden Bears. MTSU showed their offensive firepower early, and despite a strong effort from the Golden Bears, the Blue Raiders never let up.
Matthew Siciliano led the way for Middle Tennessee State with three points, including two goals and an assist.
Middle Tennessee State 8
Kutztown 2
Final
Anna Maria College Amcats vs Embry-Riddle Ice Eagles
Later in the afternoon, the Anna Maria Amcats squared off against the Embry-Riddle Eagles in another highly anticipated matchup.
The Amcats came out on top, delivering a solid 4-0 performance to shut out the Eagles. The Amcats’ defense was airtight, and their offense capitalized on key opportunities, ensuring the win. The victory was a strong statement as the Amcats look to continue through the tournament with momentum and confidence.
Amcat’s goalie, Ben Hardy, stopped all 41 Embry-Riddle shots he faced en route to the shutout victory.
Anna Maria College 4
Embry-Riddle 0
Final
– Jyesha Nance, AAU Hockey Beat Writer
Pool E
Tampa Spartans vs Niagara Purple Eagles
In what resembled more of a knock-down, drag-out brawl, the Tampa Spartans outlasted the Niagara Purple Eagles 4-0.
Pool E features the two teams with the most penalty minutes on the season, South Florida and Tampa, and the first matchup certainly looked like it. The Spartans and Purps combined for 60 minutes in the sin bin in an incredibly physical matchup.
Oh, and they played hockey, too. In that hockey game, Tampa smothered Niagara defensively, allowing seven shots or fewer in each period. The Spartans tallied once in the first and thrice in the third to earn a commanding 4-0 win in the Pool E opener.
Tampa 4
Niagara 0
Final
South Florida Bulls vs Paul Smith’s College Bobcats
The top seed in Pool E had their hands full with Paul Smith’s College, who wouldn’t give in to the Bull’s onslaught.
South Florida took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 6-2, but the Bobcats kept crawling back each time. Even after South Florida extended their advantage to 6-2 with 13 minutes to go, PSC cut the deficit in half to jeopardize the game for the favored Bulls. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, four goals was too much to overcome.
College Hockey South MVP Grant Dietz led all skaters with three points, scoring two goals and picking up an assist.
South Florida 6
Paul Smith’s College 4
Final
– Danny Baum, AAU Hockey Head Editor
