For the first time in 15 years, Tennessee club hockey is back on top of the Division II hockey standings.
On Sunday, Tennessee defeated Clemson. The Vols won 4-1, claiming their first championship since 2009.
“This club has endured a lot of mediocre and bad seasons over the past 15 years, and for this team to overcome that and get back to the club’s traditional winning ways feels surreal,” head coach Drew King said. “In the club’s 57th year, we found a way to return to glory and uphold the traditional winning ways of Tennessee sports.”
No. 2 seed Tennessee (17-8-0) took to Huntsville, Alabama, for the College Hockey South tournament on Feb. 16-18. Facing the likes of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of Tampa and Clemson University, Tennessee skated through the field.
In the championship game, scoring started with Mitchell Spranklin finding the back of the net with 8:07 left in the first period.
William Schneider then followed that with his second-period goal that ended up being the game winner on a rebound that squandered behind the Clemson goalie. Tennessee added two more goals in the period, making the score 4-0 with the sticks of Tyler Iles and Kyle Stober.
The third period consisted of maintaining the lead. Clemson finally added a goal with nine minutes remaining. No other scoring came about, and the Vols clinched the Ameritrans Cup as the final buzzer sounded.
“Knowing going into the weekend that I hadn’t scored yet this semester after having a successful first half of the season, I knew I had to step up for the guys in order to have the best opportunity to win,” Stober said. “Whether it was playing a gritty game or a skilled game, I was ready to play any player type in order to get the job done, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Goalie Patrick Green took home MVP honors, holding No. 6 Clemson to just one goal. Schneider and Stober also picked up an assist each, in addition to their goals. Ethan Privman added two assists in the win as well.
“Our games against Clemson this season were the most competitive series by far,” Green said. “But going into the championship game undefeated against them, I felt extremely confident. I made some saves on our penalty kills which really helped build momentum for the team on the offensive end. The combination of myself making the saves I needed to and the team capitalizing on chances they should have is what led to the 4-1 result in our favor.”
Throughout the tournament, Tennessee also knocked off the fifth and seventh seeds.
Game one brought a 6-1 victory over No. 7 Alabama-Huntsville, while game two was also a 6-1 thriller over No. 5 Tampa.
Stober led the Vols in goals across the three-game set, scoring four times, while Privman, Louis Gimbert and Michael Cosentino led the team in assists with four a piece.
“This team has come together like no other team I have seen in my 20 years of hockey,” King said. “Starting the season 0-3 and overcoming adversity throughout the season has bonded this squad in a very unique way. This bond has set a precedent for our teams after this season, and for that, I am forever grateful to the 23-24 Ice Vols.”
Tennessee club hockey returns to the ice on Feb. 24-25 to take on Auburn at the Knoxville Coliseum. Puck drops Saturday at 11 p.m. ET, while Sunday is slated for a 2 p.m. ET start with senior day festivities pre-game. Students receive free entry for both games.
