Author: Vanderbilt Hockey

Announcing The 2013/14 Season Kickoff

Along with the rest of campus, the Vanderbilt hockey club is preparing for the 2013/14 school year with great anticipation. The upcoming campaign will be the club’s 37th since its founding and the sixth since the start of the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC).

Heading into the season, the club looks to welcome a sizable rookie class from all across the eastern half of the country. The players who have gotten in touch with the team so far include:

Bandar Alsaif – Great Falls, VA
Marc Balistrere – Hopkinsville, KY
Andrew Dellapina – Randolph, NJ
Benjamin Gallatin – Dayton, OH
Rob Harrigan – Amherst, NH
Nick Honkala – Pittsburgh, PA
John Longman – Shaker Heights, OH
Riley Macdonald – Westport, CT
Alak Mehta – Montville, NJ
Eddie Meyercord – Princeton, NJ
Matthew Neurohr – Wexford, PA
Ketul Patel – Kendall Park, NJ
Zach Satin – Potomac, MD
Stephen Wei – Pittsburgh, PA

The club will welcome back a slew of veterans as well headlined by 2012/13 assistant captains Jack Delehey, the club’s president, and David “Sunshine” Crowe. Team MVP Daniel Hogue will be returning for his junior year as will second team All-SECHC defenseman Greg Kirk.

Kirk, who suffered a broken foot in April’s I-65 Face Off versus Alabama, is especially excited to hit the ice. “Honestly, I’ve spent the summer eating really poorly and shuffling from one couch to another. My body could use a little get-up-and-go.”

Rising sophomore Jack Gibbons is also pumped up for the season. “I have a career penalty minute crown to secure,” noted Gibbons, referring to the career statistics that were published earlier this summer. “I mean, if I weren’t hurt last year I’d own that record already with three more years to go. It’s in the bag.” Gibbons also looks forward to scoring a few goals in honor of his adoring public – a.k.a. the “Gibby Fan Club.”

The team will get the season started with a “Rookie Kickoff” on Saturday, August 24th, that will include a team meeting at the Student Recreation Center from 11-11:45am followed by a team lunch from noon to 2pm at Sportsman’s Grill in Hillsboro Village. We’ll be welcoming a special guest from the Nashville hockey community to join us so be sure to drop in if you’re a hockey player and interested in the club. Tryouts will then follow on Monday (8/26 at 8:20pm) and Wednesday (8/28 at 8:00pm), both at Centennial Sportsplex just off of campus.

Download the full 2013/14 kickoff schedule today >>

As always, stay tuned to www.vanderbilthockey.com along with Twitter and Facebook for the latest on the team throughout the season. We appreciate your support and look forward to a great 2013/14 campaign. ANCHOR DOWN!

Trophy Unveiled For I-65 Face-Off

With a new opponent (Alabama) set to face the Commodores in the 2013 Face Off, the need arose to find a new trophy worthy of the event, programs, and of course the “Cullie” – the trophy at stake between Vanderbilt and Tennessee. (Read more about the history and origins of the Cullie here.) A trophy committee was subsequently assembled to find an artifact representative of the unique nature of the I-65 rivalry.

Looking For The Connection

Following a weeks-long inventory of the University archives in both Nashville and Tuscaloosa to uncover a meaningful hockey-related connection between the two schools, the committee reported back that they had, to quote chairwoman Elizabeth Brooks, “struck platinum-covered gold” in their research.

According to records, a blizzard in the early months of 1908 swept across the Southeast leaving many cities, including Nashville and Tuscaloosa, buried in more than three feet of snow. The result was a weeks-long state of paralysis throughout the region. School was cancelled, roads were closed, and virtually all residents were confined to their homes. Everyone, that is, except a brave few who turned a fairly daunting predicament into their own winter wonderland of commerce and recreation.

In Nashville, a group of Vanderbilt students led by Michigan-native Oliver Jay worked to tamp down the walking trails throughout campus and surrounding city neighborhoods in order to create skating paths people could use to transport themselves and key essentials. The endeavor was part altruism and part business for Jay who, as an avid skater, made a minor fortune shuttling food and medicine throughout the city for local merchants and doctors.

In his recounting of the experience in the 1907/08 Vanderbilt yearbook, Jay recalled his particular fondness for “skating the quad.” He explained that “[those paths] were the most incredible things. Whereas a normal walk from one part of campus to another might take twenty minutes, skating the distance would cut that trek down to a fraction of the time.”

Jay and his classmates also took the opportunity to introduce the campus and city to the great game of ice hockey. Directly in the center of Centennial Park, Jay set about building a skating surface just as he had every winter growing up outside of Detroit. The only problem for the group? Not enough skates and virtually no equipment.

“By some cosmic chance, I happened to tow my goalie equipment with me when I left for school in August,” wrote Jay. “My thought was that we’d play floor hockey and my equipment would give the boys playing a good charge. Of course, here we are in Nashville, Tennessee, with three feet of snow and I’m actually using the gear for its intended purpose. Amazing odds to say the least.” The other players cobbled together football pads and old newspapers that proved to be sufficient for a series of pick-up games that were “a fun diversion for all of us.”

Meanwhile, 250 Miles To The South …

While Nashville was doing its best to dig out of Snowmageddon, in Tuscaloosa another group of midwesterners set about laboring through the storm in much the same way, only with greater fan fare and organization. Led by senior Sterling Holyoke, a Minnesota native and star baseball prospect, a group of students decided it would be a great idea to turn the baseball stadium into an early version of the NHL’s modern day Winter Classic. Holyoke and his classmates took the lead in orchestrating an event that pitted the Harris and Riverside dormitories against one another in a game that drew nearly 1,200 fans.

Harris residents Edward Martindale and Stanton Weissenmack were in charge of building the nets and securing equipment, respectively, while Riverside resident and player Davis Nobel requisitioned uniforms from the University’s rugby team. The only problem? Availability of skates, a challenge that was thankfully overcome when a local cobbler named Denton Ware offered to retrofit knives onto the bottom of old boots.

All totaled, it was a patchwork affair that served to brighten the spirits of the students and community members in attendance. Said Holyoke in his only recorded comment about the experience, “It was like transporting the heart of St. Paul to my other favorite home [at Alabama]. I’ll cherish the memory forever.”

Out Of A Storm, A Trophy Is Born

With the anecdotal nexus and associated folk lore in hand, the trophy committee turned to determining what the trophy itself might be. After much deliberating, the team landed on the idea of turning a whiskey barrel into the prize, both for its gravitas as an artifact as well as its significance to the storm of 1908.

Explained Brooks, “You have to consider the seriousness of the event and the lack of preparedness of the people in both communities. How would they, among other things, avoid freezing to death? For many, the answer was to ration a nip of whiskey here and there, just enough to warm the body amidst the brutally cold weather.”

And so it stands that more than a century later the Vanderbilt and Alabama ice hockey teams will honor those who weathered the storm in both Nashville and Tuscaloosa by playing for the Jay Holyoke Memorial Trophy, otherwise known to the committee as “The Holy.”

“Every great trophy needs a nickname,” said Brooks. “I think the boys will be excited about our work and have a lot of fun battling for the Holy for years to come.”

* Mark your calendars folks, the big game is just about a week away on Friday, April 12th, at Bridgestone Arena. The boys will play following the Nashville Predators tilt versus the Dallas Stars so count on a great double-header at the Arena. (Note that to watch the I-65 you’ll have to have a ticket to the first game as well. For discounted seats visit: http://www.nashvillepredators.com/I65Faceoff.) On behalf of both teams, we appreciate your support leading up to the game and look forward to putting on a great show!

Vandy Goes 1-1 At SEC Tourney

The Vanderbilt hockey club’s 2013 SEC tournament ended on a dramatic note as the Commodores skated to a come-from-behind OT win over the Auburn Tigers in one of the weekend’s three consolation games. The Saturday match-up followed a Friday night loss to the University of Arkansas Ice Hogs by a score of 7-1.

“It’s not the way we wanted to finish up the tournament,” said senior captain Kyle McCann, “but it was still nice to come out with the win on Saturday against a very improved Auburn club.”

With the win and loss, Vanderbilt completed its formal season with a record of 10-13. The club will conclude its 2012/13 campaign on Friday, April 12th, versus the University of Alabama, a rematch of last October’s contest that saw a tight 4-3 game tilt in the favor of the Frozen Tide. April’s game, dubbed the “I-65 Face Off” in line with last year’s “I-40 Face Off” versus Tennessee, will take place at Bridgestone Arena following the Nashville Predators’ game against the Dallas Stars.

Before we take a look ahead, however, let’s first take a look back at the drama that transpired back on February 22nd and 23rd in in Huntsville, Alabama.

Taking On Number One

Heading into the tournament, the ‘Dores knew their draw was about as tough as you could get. Beat Arkansas, the number 4 team in the South, and you would have Ole Miss, number 7, on deck. Win? Great, congratulations – now meet number 5 Alabama.

Like a run through one of those Ninja Warrior obstacle courses, Vanderbilt fired into its Murderers’ Row-esque gauntlet with an impressive first burst. Amidst some brutally physical, and undisciplined, play from the Hogs, sophomore Daniel Hogue sniped a laser glove side on second team All SEC goalie Kevin Scheer to make it 1-0 at the end of one. Said a charged up Hogue following the play, “#mylife #classic #notevenkidding #SECTournament #vandypuck #charterbusisthebestbus.”

Unfortunately, the momentum turned sharply in favor of the Ice Hogs from then on.

“Give them credit, they’re a heck of a team, especially when they stay out of the box,” conceded assistant coach Lee Kanouff. “Alabama, Kennesaw, and now Arkansas. We know we can hang with the big guys in the region, we just need to find a way to play 60 minutes and win.”

Interestingly, the loss, which at the time offered no silver linings whatsoever, turned out to be mildly impressive by comparison. Reasoned freshman Jack Gibbons, “Arkansas beat Florida 8-1 [in the semis] and Alabama 8-0 [in the final] to win the tourney. I think that makes us the team that lost to them by the least.” Elias Sports Bureau confirmed the freshman’s assessment of the facts, thereby salvaging some semblance of positivity in the wake of the thrashing. So the team has that going for it, which is nice.*

Nails Gets Hammered and the ‘Dores Get Inspired

Saturday’s game versus Auburn did not start off well for the Commodores in any way, shape, or form. The Tigers, who are on the rise just three years into their club’s existence, tallied first to take an early lead 1-0. Not to be outdone by a teammate, Auburn’s senior goaltender Miles Bishop matched the good start on the offensive end by shutting down his goal on the other.

Heading towards the first period intermission, the game then took a violent turn in the form of a vicious elbow to freshman Chad “Nails McGillicudy” Wyatt’s left temple right in front of the Auburn crease.

“Chad sold out on the play,” recalled junior Eliot Rosenfield, “and man did he get creamed for it. It was a dirty hit made worse by the fact that the guy was about six times Chad’s size.” The Auburn player received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the assault.

The game was paused with 0:18 left in the first period as both teams were sent to their respective locker rooms while an ambulance was summoned to the rink. Fortunately for Wyatt and Vanderbilt, the damage was worrisome but not critical and, following a range of diagnostic exams by some wonderful doctors at Huntsville Hospital, he was able to join the team for the bus ride back to Nashville.

“I love his play,” said Coach Bernstein following the incident, “but we’re going to have to have a talk about playing smart moving forward. No more kamikaze missions out there, just hard-nosed hockey along the boards and a healthy focus on keeping your mind and body healthy for the next Organic Chemistry or Biology exam on the schedule.”

Now with a new sense of purpose and urgency, the Commodores launched into the second period with a quick power play goal from freshman defenseman Michael Hite that evened the score at 1-1. The momentum was fleeting, however, as Auburn quickly countered with a short-handed rebound and a long-range wrister. The deficit was now 3-1 at the end of two.

“We were outshooting them like crazy,” explained junior Jack Delehey, “we just needed to keep plugging and pick a corner or two. And that’s what we did.”

On the wave of an onslaught on the Auburn net, Vanderbilt forward Brad Pesce scored once, then scored again in the final three minutes to even the contest. At the end of regulation, the game was 3-3 with the Commodores outshooting the Tigers 51-26.

The 52nd shot would be a memorable one.

Just 0:24 into the extra stanza, Pesce once again played an integral role in the game by corralling a loose puck in the top right part of Vanderbilt’s defensive end and launching a perfect pass to a streaking Anthony Bilotta down the left side of the ice. The junior, no doubt the fastest player on the team, created instant separation from the closest Tiger defenseman and rifled home the game winner, low glove on a breakaway.

The ending was a fitting one for Bilotta who approximately 18 hours earlier stepped out of his normally quiet, workmanlike persona to address his teammates and coaches with some raw, heartfelt feedback between the second and third periods of the Arkansas game. “I want to compete, it’s how I play,” said Bilotta following the loss, “and in that moment I felt like I needed to share that feeling with the boys. Winning is fun and we have the talent to win, to win a lot.”

The conclusion to Saturday’s game was in turn all the more gratifying for the junior transfer. “We played a heck of a third period, the kind of period that can beat anybody. That’s the way we should play all the time. Because that’s fun.”

Not Leaving Empty-Handed

While the weekend did not contribute any new hardware to the overall team’s trophy case, the event did send sophomore Greg Kirk home with a special honor. With his parents in attendance, Kirk was named to the All SEC second team as voted by the coaches in the conference.

“I just thought coach wanted me to hang around to accept our academic award,” said a surprised Kirk following the award ceremony. “Honestly, I was a little unclear about why it had to be me. Now of course it makes sense and I’m thrilled to have won the award on behalf of the club’s efforts this year, and I’m glad I was physically there to accept.”

Vanderbilt also placed 21 players on the conference’s All Academic team, the most of any program.

“In our quest to be the most employable sports team in the country, I’m obviously proud to know our boys are taking care of priority number one,” said a proud Coach Bernstein. “I know their parents are as well!”

“The Last Hoorah”

As mentioned, before we put the 2012/13 season to bed we will have one more grand event – the “I-65 Face Off” versus Alabama at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, April 12th. For more information about the game, check out the special event site at http://vanderbilthockey.com/event/i65faceoff.html. It should be a terrific battle so mark your calendars and be sure to stop by the rink.

Thanks to everyone for making the official portion of 2012/13 such a special one for all of our players and in particular our seniors Kyle McCann, Scooter McLaughlin, Beast Mozur, and the rest of the crew. We thank you for your support and look forward to both a great event in April and an even better 2013/14!

PS …

On behalf of the entire club, we’d like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Mr. and Mrs. McCann for donating Vanderbilt hockey sweatshirts to the boys and for the anonymous donation we received (you know who you are) to pay for the charter bus to the SECHC tournament. Your kindness and generosity made the experience an unforgettable one for everyone involved. Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you (and many of the other parents) here in Nashville the weekend of April 12th!

ANCHOR DOWN!

* Caddyshack non sequiturs, still providing laughs after 32 years … as far as you know.

VU Heads To SEC Tourney With Poor Record, Great Grades, High Hopes

The Vanderbilt Commodores Ice Hockey Club (9-12 overall, 3-5 in the SEC) will take the ice this evening for the last official weekend of the 2012/13 season. The stage, the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament, will feature a tough battle for Vandy in the opening round as they face SEC power Arkansas (24-9-1 overall, 7-1 in the SEC) at 9:50pm CT at the IceComplex in Huntsville, Alabama.

The match-up between the two teams could not be more contrasting in terms of cultures, records, grades, mascots, history, dues, hometowns, favorite colors … the list goes on. To gain some perspective on the cavernous divide, one need look no further than last season and the two interactions the clubs had with one another, one on-ice and one off.

In a December 2011 showdown in Fayetteville, the last time Vandy and Arkansas played, the Commodores faced the Ice Hogs in a road battle that resulted in what doctors might call, in technical terms, an annihilation. Arkansas systematically peppered the net en route to an impressive 13-0 drubbing, a loss that now-junior Jack Delehey labeled the worst he had experienced in his life. “The worst part was that we drove 9 hours to the middle of nowhere for that,” Delehey recalls. “We had a bus with WiFi though, so it wasn’t a total disaster.”

That experience was then followed by a second event that took place far away from any arena or scoreboard. It turned out that five of the Arkansas players were ineligible for much of the 2011/12 campaign due to issues with their class credits and transcripts, including one player who submitted a fake registrar’s report to the league. At the time the number one team in the southeast and a lock for nationals, Arkansas subsequently had to forfeit the remainder of the schedule which opened up a spot for Vanderbilt in the regional tournament and also paved the way for the Commodores to make a run at the SEC tournament. Vanderbilt would finish third in the event. It was good fortune for Vanderbilt who, ironically, often leads the SECHC in All-Academic honors. (On that note, FYI for VU hockey parents â€“ Vanderbilt once again logged terrific grades this year with more than 70% of the club maintaining a 3.2 or better cumulative GPA. < INSERT_SLOW_CLAP >)

With Arkansas eligible and back in the mix for this year’s tournament, it will be a tall order for the ‘Dores to make another run at equaling or topping last year’s finish. In order to do so, Vanderbilt will have to beat not only the Ice Hogs but also Ole Miss and Alabama. All three teams made the regional tournament with the latter two advancing to next month’s national tournament.

For more information about the tournament’s game times and information, be sure to visit SECHC.com or check out information about the event dates and times. The club would love to see some black and gold in the stands throughout the weekend so be sure to drop in, enjoy some hockey, and introduce yourselves if you’re in the area. Anchor down!

Vanderbilt Club Hockey

EST. 1976