Game of the Week – UNYCHL Women’s: Union @ Syracuse

We have an intriguing matchup in the women’s sector of the UNYCHL with Union College and Syracuse University. The Chargers will be met with the daunting task of defeating the undefeated Syracuse, while the Orange look to add another win to the column by beating the winless Union College.

Syracuse is the clear favorite to win this one with its potent offense. Leah Landry (23) has recorded 12 goals and nine assists for the season, making her one of the most feared players in the Women’s Division. Landry also has strong backup in Julianna Bucci (5). This highly contrasts with the stats of Union College, whose highest scorer, Cadence Secreto (15), only has 2 points for the entire season. 

Syracuse scores about seven goals on average per game in comparison to Union College’s one goal per game. Union College has also yet to score on a power play this season. This will be the first matchup between these two this season and will be a monumental win for Union College if they pull off the upset. 

The game will occur on Sunday, February 16th, in the Tennity Ice Pavilion at 1:00 P.M. EST.

– Preston McAlhany, UNYCHL Beat Reporter

ACCHL Division 2 Playoffs

The Atlantic Coast Conference Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) Men’s Division 2 Elite Division Playoffs are set to take place from Feb. 13-16, where several teams will compete for the prestigious Admiral’s Cup. The games will be held at the W-S Fairgrounds & Arena in Winston-Salem,  North Carolina.  

The No.1 seed High Point University team will await the winner of the play-in game between  No. 8 University of Virginia (UVA) and No. 9 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which is set for 6:00 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, No. 2 Georgetown University is set to face the winner of the matchup between No. 7 St. Joseph’s University (SJU) and No.10  George Washington University, which is set for 9:00 p.m. EST. St. Joseph’s won 5-3 on Oct. 4, 2024, and 6-1 on Jan.18, 2025 in their last two matchups.

In other matchups, No. 3 Denison University will go head-to-head with No. 6 West Virginia University (WVU) at 3:00 p.m. EST. In their last two matchups, the series is tied 1-1: on  Sep. 20, 2024, Denison won 4-3, and on Sep. 21, West Virginia won 6-3. Additionally, No. 4 University of  Richmond will take on No. 5 Wake Forest University, promising an exciting clash with the game set for noon EST. 

With some of these teams previously playing each other, it adds an element of excitement to the playoffs. Fans can expect intense competition as each team vies for the chance to advance and ultimately win the Admiral’s Cup.

– Jyesha Nance, ACCHL Beat Reporter

ECHC Division 3: Stony Brook @ Columbia 

This week’s Empire Conference game of the week will be a Division 3 matchup between the Stony Brook University Seawolves and Columbia University Lions. This Valentine’s Day matchup will occur at 10 pm at the World Ice Arena. 

This game will be an interesting rematch from the teams’ past two head-to-heads in November. On Nov. 2nd, Columbia dominated Stony Brook in a 10-0 shutout, then fell to the Seawolves just a week later. From a team standpoint, the goals-per-game stats favor Columbia, who scores seven goals per game, while Stony Brook scores five. As for goals against, Stony Brook holds 3.9-4.8. 

This will be the last game for both teams before the Empire Conference playoffs next weekend. Columbia will play Sacred Heart in the Black Division semifinals, while Stony Brook will face Stevens Tech in the Silver Division quarterfinals.

– Caroline Delaney, ECHC Beat Reporter

DVCHC Division 3: Salisbury @ Alvernia 

The Alvernia University Golden Wolves (5-6-2) will defend home ice for the final matchup of the year against the Salisbury University Sea Gulls (5-9-0). Alvernia has the advantage in the season series with a win 8-2 back in October.

Bryan Pipel (29) and Christoper Claycomb (13) had three points in the first matchup, leading the Golden Wolves to a win. Alvernia University lit up the score with points from eleven different skaters. Jackson Lesko (1) picked up the win in that matchup, giving up two goals on 36 shots. 

The Sea Gulls will look to Jonathan Schwarz, who’s the leading scorer with 14 goals and 15 assists, including a goal in the previous matchup. Murphy Gladding (60) will look to bounce back in net after giving up eight goals in the October loss. 

With the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC) playoffs approaching, both teams are battling for the one seed. The Golden Wolves hold a narrow one-point lead, right above Salisbury University. Both teams will take to the ice fighting for crucial points on February 15th at 9 p.m. EST at the Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex. 

– Gavin Coker, DVCHC/NEIHC Beat Reporter

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

The Florida Gators (D1) and Florida Atlantic Owls (D2) will go head-to-head in a rematch of last year’s AAU Division 2 National Championship title matchup, where Florida took home the trophy with a dominant 8-4 win. Since then, the Gators moved up to compete at College Hockey South’s Division 1 level.

Last weekend, the Gators placed sixth overall in the College Hockey South Division 1 playoff tournament after dropping their first game against South Carolina, 4-2, and their fifth-place game against Alabama, 7-3. This weekend, Florida will look for a repeat of its performance against the Owls in the AAU national tournament last season. 

Florida Atlantic will also look to bounce back against the Gators after splitting its series with the High Point Panthers last weekend, taking home a 3-2 overtime win on Friday but suffering a 5-4 loss — effectively snapping its seventeen-game winning streak — on Saturday. 

The games are slated for 9:15 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 14, and 10:15 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 15.

– Kelly Kaelblein, CHS Beat Reporter