SECHC Tournament Day One Recap
By: Tyler Farmer
The opening round of the SEC Hockey Conference Tournament is in the books. In terms of seeding, the “favored” team won every game. With that being said, the quality of play was high throughout Friday’s games. Although there weren’t any upsets, the fans at the Ford Ice Center witnessed some thrilling contests.
#1 Georgia vs. #8 Auburn
Result: 12-0 Georgia
#2 Arkansas vs. #7 Vanderbilt
Result: 3-1 Arkansas
#3 Kentucky vs. #6 South Carolina
Result: 9-4 Kentucky
#4 Florida vs. #5 Mississippi
Result: 5-4 Florida (OT)
Saturday’s semi-final matchups are Georgia vs. Florida at 5:00 and Arkansas vs. Kentucky at 8:00. If my predictions hold true, Georgia and Kentucky will play for the championship on Sunday at 2:30.
The ongoing police investigation into Georgia’s beatdown of Auburn is a major concern for the Ice Dawgs going into the rest of the tournament. Obviously, I’m completely kidding, but Georgia’s dominance was certainly notable.
In the scoring summary below, the time listed is the time remaining in the respective period at the time of the goal. Normally, I would need to make the distinction that Georgia goals are in bold, but since Auburn got shutout, the clarification isn’t necessary.
First Period
16:28- Goal scored by Christopher Santa Maria
Assisted by- Tanner Woodson
11:10- Alex Carey
Assisted by- Kyle Harris and Carter Penzien
6:29- Nikita Zlatapoisky
Assisted by- Austin Krusko and Penzien
0:04- David Spielberger (unassisted)
End of Period: 4-0 Ice Dawgs
Second Period
9:19- Power-play goal (cross-checking) scored by Caleb Santa Maria
Assisted by- Christopher Santa Maria and Krusko
1:14- Penzien (PP- cross-checking)
Assisted by- Harris and Christopher Santa Maria
End of Period: 6-0 Ice Dawgs
Third Period
19:17- Carey (PP-roughing)
Assisted by- Zach Flasch and Penzien
17:55- Zlatapoisky (unassisted)
16:05- Penzien (PP- slashing)
Assisted by- Flasch
15:34- Caleb Santa Maria (PP-cross-checking)
Assisted by- DJ Herr
2:24- Caleb Santa Maria (PP- roughing)
Assisted by- Tourner Moseley
0:39- Harris (unassisted)
Final: 12-0 Ice Dawgs on Top!
Key Takeaways
- Caleb Santa Maria (injury) and Emily Barber (illness) returned to action.
- The Ice Dawgs scored six power-play goals.
- Defensively, this is the first shutout of the season.
Three Stars
- Carter Penzien: 2 goals, 3 assists
- Caleb Santa Maria: 3 goals
- Christopher Santa Maria: 1 goal, 2 assists
