The Vanderbilt Commodores hockey team, fresh off two road trips to tropical hot spots Olive Branch, MS, and Kennesaw, GA, are back in Nashville this weekend to play the first of two home stands versus teams from the state of South Carolina – the Clemson Tigers this weekend and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks next weekend. These two pairs of games will be the last regular season match-ups for the Commodores ahead of the SECHC Tournament set for 2/22 through 2/24 in Huntsville, AL.

With the stakes sky high – regional rankings and SECHC tournament seedings are up for grabs – the topic on the minds of Ice ‘Dores nation fans is no surprise: What the heck is a Palmetto and why is it so important to the state of South Carolina?

A Question for the Ages: What is a Palmetto?

Upon consulting the Wikipedia for answers, it appears that the Palmetto (or “sabal palmetto,” also known as the “cabbage palm”) is a tree. “It is native to the subtropical and warm temperate southeastern United States as well as Cuba and the Bahamas. In the United States it was originally found near the coast throughout most of Florida and north to the coast of North Carolina. As a result of horticultural relocations, cabbage palms are now found throughout the subtropical Gulf and South Atlantic States. It is the state tree of both South Carolina and Florida.”

Great, so it’s a tree. What’s so special about the Palmetto though? Why co-opt it as a nickname, especially when Florida claims the very same sabal palmetto as its own official tree? (By the way, first the tree, then Spurrier. Where does the madness end South Carolina?)

“On June 28, 1776, Charleston patriots under William Moultrie made a fort of palmetto trunks and from it defended successfully against the British in the Revolutionary War.”

There’s your answer folks. The palmetto is symbolic of a determined, revolutionary spirit, forged at the making of our great union.

Moving on …

Having Fallen Back In 2012, Vanderbilt Springs Forward In 2013

Following a fall semester marked by transition and growing pains, the Commodores club has reset its approach to the semester with a focus on team chemistry, fun, and (like all great championship hockey teams) board games.

“I think we’re riding a new wave of success thanks to the world’s greatest board game Settlers of Catan,” said junior assistant captain and recently elected club president Jack Delehey, who spent the fall on a cruise ship with the Semester at Sea program. “It’s a three-time winner of the world’s greatest board game award which, if you don’t know, is kind of a big deal.”

“Think Monopoly meets Risk with a little Colonial America mixed in,” added junior David Crowe, Delehey’s roommate and an avid Catan-er himself. “Back in Minnesota, it’s all anybody plays before a big game.”

In addition to board games, Vanderbilt has also benefited from some new arrivals and returning players to the line-up, notably junior transfer Anthony Bilotta, second-year law student Cory Reno, sophomore Logan Johnston, and senior Stephen “The Beast” Mozur.

“These new guys have brought some fresh legs and energy to the line-up,” says Coach Kanouff. “Anthony for example has had a huge impact out of the gate with four goals against Memphis and one against the #2 team in the South Kennsesaw [State]. He can play anywhere on the ice which is a nice luxury to have as a coach. Then you have Reno. What can you say about the guy other than that he never smiles and that he’s the consumate professional in terms of his approach and compete level. He’s a great presence in the locker room.”

Of the new players, Coach Holston added that, “It’s been great to have [Logan] Johnston and Beast back in the mix. Logan is a smart player who throws the body and gives you 100% every shift, and Beast … well, Beast is like the heart and soul of the team. And he’s a Flyers fan, so he’s got that going for him … which is nice.”

Battles In The Rearview

The Commodores enter the weekend versus Clemson sporting an 8-9 record following two hard-fought losses in Atlanta last weekend. The first came at the hands of SECHC rival Georgia who, despite having a short roster, are one of the favorites to win the SECHC tournament.

Said Coach Bernstein of the game, “We went in with a plan to pepper their all-ACHA goalie Vince DiCarlo plus shut down their leading scorer and returning MVP of the league Peter Kacer. We were successful on the first point, we just didn’t get many pucks by him. As for Kacer, well … the guy lit us up. For three goals. Again.”

There were some bright spots in the game however, like senior Scott McLaughlin’s ESPN Top Ten-worthy goal at the end of the first period.

Recalled freshman Jack Gibbons who made the trip despite being on IR, “Scooter flew down the right side one-on-one, then pulled one of his patented toe drags while cutting to the middle. He dangled so hard that the defenseman’s ankles broke, leaving him crumpled in the corner. Scooter then went bar-down on the goalie. Just an unreal play.”

Conjuring some of the magic from last year’s end-of-season game versus Georgia where the ‘Dores erased a third period three-goal deficit en route to an overtime win, it looked like Vanderbilt might repeat the feat for a 15-minute stretch. With deflection goals by junior Alan Leeser and freshman Chad Wyatt, the Commodores had the momentum against a tired UGA squad. Unfortunately, the run was cut short not by the clock but by an unfortunate penalty call against Delehey.

“What can you do, the guy moved his elbow and pushed my stick up into his helmet. It was a touch call and just bad luck.” Kacer then scored an empty-netter to close out the game and his hat trick. UGA 5, VU 3.

A Measuring Stick Game

Saturday’s tilt versus Kennesaw State, the #2 team in the South, was the battle the club expected. Despite having a short bench in both numbers and stature (i.e., KSU had a Zdeno Chara-sized centerman), Vanderbilt kept the score tight through nearly two periods. Bilotta rifled home a first period power play goal from the point in the first to cut the KSU lead to 2-1, then sophomore Daniel Hogue sniped a breakaway goal to bring Vandy back to one goal down 3-2.

In the third period the Commodores seemed to show a bit of fatigue, physically and mentally, as the Owl lead stretched to 6-2 but Reno stepped in to net the club’s third and final goal of the game.

While the concluding score, 7-3, seems like a pretty sizable dismantling, it doesn’t tell the story of how hard the black and gold fought for 60 minutes. It also doesn’t convey the fact that sophomore goalie Andrew Keen went into beast-mode (a la Mozur) to save 53 of 60 shots. It was a game that the club will surely build from, both through the rest of this season and into next year.

Bring On The Tigers

Tonight’s game versus the Tigers of Clemson will be the second ever meeting between the two clubs. The first took place back in 1992 and interestingly included a whopping two goals by goalies in a single game, one for each team. The Elias Sports Bureau claims that the event has never happened before in a recorded, organized hockey game. Perhaps we will see more history in the making this evening.

Game times are 10:15pm CT at Centennial tonight (Friday, 2/1) and 7:30pm at A-Game Sportsplex tomorrow (Saturday, 2/2) in Franklin, TN.

Can’t make the game tonight? Have no fear – @PenaltyBoxradio will be broadcasting LIVE from Centennial! Tune in for all the action, just click the link on the sidebar on this website.

Thanks for the support folks and ANCHOR DOWN!

Following a weekend where the Vanderbilt ice hockey club swept its in-state rival UT and, in doing so, extended its winning streak against the Ice Vols to six games, you would naturally expect to find a team full of happy campers in the Vanderbilt Commodores locker room. That was not the case, however, as a weekend that kicked off with lots of positivity and anticipation gave way to an enormously rough, chippy product on the ice. VU’s two wins, 6-2 on Friday and 8-3 on Saturday, were marred by three UT ejections – two players and their head coach Chris Dempers – plus a serious head injury to Commodores star freshman Jack Gibbons.

A Pattern Emerging

Friday’s contest followed a similar script to last year’s I-40 Face-off (where the Vanderbilt club dispatched of the UT team 10-1 at Bridgestone Arena) and the two games before that in January 2012 in Knoxville. Sophomore Jeong Choe, #19 for UT, led the way early for the Vols, spurring the orange and white on to a 1-0 first period lead over the Commodores. Then, just like the I-40 (and the previous games in Knoxville), things started to unravel, also led by Choe.

“That kid [#19] just all of a sudden tried to take out one of our guy’s knees,” said senior captain Kyle McCann. “That’s when things started to come apart for them in all phases, including on the scoreboard. Gong show hockey.”

Almost on cue towards the end of the third, Choe got what he was apparently looking for from the start – an ejection plus an additional DQ for dropping his gloves and ripping off junior defenseman Casey Schelble’s helmet.

“You want to play good, smart, physical hockey games,” said sophomore defenseman Greg Kirk following Friday’s contest. “That was nonsense out there, just ridiculous. Not the type of hockey we like to play.”

The Controversy That Wasn’t

Interestingly enough, a small controversy arose on Saturday related to Choe’s disqualification. While the ruling was never in question – the head ref who oversaw both games of the weekend confirmed his availability (or lack thereof) – the DQ was not logged on Friday’s scoresheet which led to some questioning by the UT coaching staff.

Explained Coach Bernstein, “I never had a doubt about the DQ because [Biff Murphy, the head referee] told our captains he was gone for Saturday as well, and rightly so. His actions plus the timing of the incident [with 3:15 left in the third period], if you don’t DQ a player in that spot then you’ll have that crap at the end of every game.”

“All that said, we followed up with Biff before the game and confirmed his DQ. Apparently on Twitter this week there were some lingering frustrations about how things transpired. If that’s what their team’s take-away was from last weekend, that they were in some way wronged on Saturday … well, I suppose that speaks for itself and we don’t really have to rehash the topic.”

Gibby Goes Down

The coup des gras for UT’s play occurred in Saturday’s game when UT’s #18 Justin Karr, with his hands and stick held high, crunched Vanderbilt’s Gibbons into the boards from behind. The hit left Jack with a mouth full of bloodied, loose, and chipped teeth. He was immediately shuttled over to Vanderbilt Medical under the care and supervision of Assistant Coach Jonathan Holston.

“You hate to see a guy like Gibby go down because he’s such a tough player, the heart of the team,” said a frustrated Assistant Coach Lee Kanouff after the game. “We started a tradition with the club just on Friday, the Wazoo Award, for solid physical play that fits within the letter of the law. Gibby won the first ever award and may have Saturday as well. It’s just really tough to see a guy go down for something as worthless as that check.”

“The biggest shock was what happened after that,” recalled junior forward Alan Leeser. “Their guy actually argued with the ref about the call, on probably the most obvious hit from behind you could have. He was tossed. Then, it got even worse. Their coach screamed and cursed so much at the refs that they threw him out too.”

“Coaches getting thrown out. A college hockey first for me, probably for all of us.”

It Wasn’t All A Mess

Lost in the melee of the weekend was the stellar play of virtually everyone on the Vanderbilt roster in all phases of the game. Starting in net, sophomore sensation Andrew “The Ice Man” Keen posted two impressive showings. With the weekend and his 5 goals allowed on 60 shots, his record on the season is now 6-6 heading into the stretch run of the spring.

On the front lines, junior Eliot Rosenfield made his presence known in a big way with 4 points (3 goals and an assist). Junior Anthony Bilotta, playing on Rosenfield’s line, also tallied, his first in a Vanderbilt uniform.

The defense was anchored by Kirk and his 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) along with strong defensive zone play from freshman Michael Hite and sophomore Doug Kirkpatrick.

The Beast Lights The Lamp, Hits The Airwaves

The ultimate star of the weekend, however, was DJ Steven “The Beast” Mozur – a.k.a. Vanderbilt’s “Most Interesting Man” (as declared by InsideVandy.com) and the host of WRVU Vanderbilt Radio’s “The Mozone Layer.” Called up to active duty for the spring semester, Beast was nothing short of brilliant in taking a beating in front of the net, dishing out a little punishment of his own along the boards, and popping in a workman-like goal to cap Saturday’s win.

“I needed some material for my radio show this week so I figured, ‘Hey, why not turn on the motor and snipe a few corners?’ It’s nice to know I can still dial up a goal or two when I need one.”

Vanquishing The “Mr. Kirk” Jinx

Finally, the ultimate subplot of the evening – the monkey on the proverbial back of the 2012/13 Vanderbilt hockey club – was the apparent jinx brought on by one Mr. Jim Kirk, father of son Greg.

“I think we’ve been 0-3 or 0-4 with him in the stands,” said Greg. “It was getting to the point where I was thinking about telling him to stay home and follow us on Twitter.”

Thankfully, the ‘Dores exorcised the demons and were finally able to make Mr. Kirk’s trip worth the plane fare. The team looks forward to seeing him and his wife Kim (along with all of the other Vanderbilt hockey parents scattered about the country) at another game weekend this semester.

Looking Ahead

Mark your calendars folks! This weekend the Vanderbilt Commodores will be celebrating the start of the NHL hockey season in the grandest of hockey hotbeds. Yes, you guessed it … Memphis, TN. (“Backyard rinks and BBQ,” it’s like a country music song waiting to be written.)

Game times are 9:15pm CT on Friday and 4:15pm CT on Saturday, both scheduled to face-off at the Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch, MS.

Also on the calendar? “The Mozone Layer” will air on WRVU this (and each) Friday morning at 11am with a promise to kick, “Mo’ Beats, Mo’ music, Mo’ Fun with DJ Mo’…nica (Monica).” Don’t miss it!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the game on Saturday, in particular our friends @PenaltyBoxRadio, VU hockey alumnus and Chief Film Officer Ben Gatlin’s lovely girlfriend Rachel and her friends, and all of the VU hockey faithful in the greater Nashville area who dropped in. Go ‘Dores and ANCHOR DOWN!

PS …

Zac Stacy is all over Vanderbilt hockey. Kind of a big deal …

Wait? So Vandy has a hockey team now? Might as well let us have a volleyball/softball team too…

— Zac Stacy (@Z_ST2CE) January 13, 2013

As we promised on Facebook (post IHOP at 2:30am), here’s a quick recap of last night’s epic comeback win on the road versus the University of Louisville Cardinals.

Facing a 4-goal deficit with 10 minutes remaining in the game, Vandy scored four (Logan Lanier, Jack Gibbons, and two from Alan Leeser) to climb all the way back to tie the game. Then, on the powerplay with 0:09 remaining on the clock, Chad “Nails McGillicudy” Wyatt tapped home a rebound in regulation to score what appeared to be the game winner. In as questionable a call as you’ll ever see, the refs ruled the net off its moorings and waved off the goal. On to OT.

The requisite five-minute stanza came and went with chances for both teams, including a huge break-away stop by sophomore goalie Andrew Keen, but no goals. 4-4 tie. On to shootouts.

Following a narrow stop on Leeser and a stuff by Keen to start the shootout, Gibbons stepped in and rifled home the first goal of the contest, or so the Commodores thought.

Turns out that because Gibbons was in the penalty box at the end of the OT, he was ineligible to shoot.

No goal. Do-over. Exit Gibbons. Enter sophomore Greg Kirk.

With ice water in his veins, Kirk calmly fired home a low snap on the glove-side to put the ‘Dores up in the shootout. The UL captain then answered with his own snipe, going bar-down with some backhand, top shelf cheese on Keen. 1-1, final shootout round to play.

Enter VU Captain Kyle “Moves like Jagr” McCann.

McCann, a seasoned breakaway specialist who is widely remembered for the through-the-legs toe-drag he pulled in the 2011 I-40 Face-off versus the Tennessee Ice Vols, cut in towards the UL goalie from the right with speed, deked twice with two quick moves in close, then roofed the puck on the stick side high. The VU bench erupted.

Vanderbilt 2, Louisville 1. One skater remaining versus the Iceman … and the Iceman Cometh with a smothering save (and a cele that he said, “I’d been planning forever!”) to seal the win for the Commodores a second time in the evening.

Back At It Tonight

The ‘Dores will be back in action tonight at 7pm CT versus the Cardinals with hopes of another exciting “W” in mind. Stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter, and vanderbilthockey.com for details.

Thanks for all the support and ANCHOR DOWN!