Category: Recap

Two Solid Wins Eclipsed By Incredible Trip To Local Diner

How do you beat a hockey weekend where you thump an inexperienced team 16-2 (Georgia State), then follow up less than 24 hours later with a 5-3 win over a perennial power (Georgia Tech)? Easy. You throw in a trip to the Marietta Diner located on Cobb Parkway in Marietta, Georgia, just down the road from the El Monte RV Rentals and Sales center. This heavenly locale can transform any hockey road trip into an unforgettable experience, and last weekend was no exception.

The Food Network’s Guy Fieri says of the Georgia hot spot, “You’d expect to find a diner like this, where, in Jersey or Philly? But we’re down south in Marietta.” Coach Bernstein, a New Jersey native, agrees. “It was like being back at home. From the patent leather booths and cheesy Tuscan murals to the massive menu and blazing fast service, the owners nailed everything.”

“It was kind of overwhelming,” said freshman defenseman Harry Londoff when asked about the menu. “You could literally order anything – an egg sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, a Greek gyro platter, blackened salmon, even Chinese stir-fry. It was incredible.” Londoff settled on ordering the biggest plate of chicken marsala you have ever seen, a selection accompanied by both a soup and salad. “It was enough for three meals, so I was pretty happy.”

Fellow freshman Logan Johnston said of the experience, “We don’t have places like this back in Colorado.” Johnston tried spanakopita, a Greek spinach pie that the restaurant gives out as a complimentary treat to start every meal, for the first time. His feedback? “Just OK. If I liked spinach more, I probably would have liked it more.”

The place is such a hit with locals that not only was there a waiting list at 12:30am, but also it was the go-to selection for sophomores Mike Nisbet and Mike Gangemi who were each separately visiting family and friends from the Marietta area.

Said Nisbet, “It was hilarious to see Gangemi and his friends walk in, then the rest of the team end up at the diner, all without any of our three groups coordinating with one another. I guess it’s just the place to be on a Friday night in Georgia.”

Game Recaps

Not much to say about Friday night’s 16-2 win over Georgia State other than that the Atlanta club is brand new, having just hosted the first two practices of their season. They will certainly get better over the coming years.

Saturday’s game versus Georgia Tech showcased what senior captain Tom Trepanier called, “The first game of our season.” Explaining that “we went into the game with the mentality that we were 0-0,” Trepanier led by example by netting the contest’s first goal at the 8:51 mark of the first period. “We have been, and will continue to be, in ‘credibility-building mode’ in terms of making our presence known in the southeast hockey ranks. We just decided we weren’t going to lose.”

Following a Scooter McLaughlin tally just four minutes later in the first, it looked like Vanderbilt may sprint to its second resounding victory of the road trip and a 6-0 season record. Of course, that feeling evaporated when sophomore David Crowe temporarily went insane and committed an offense so heinous, so obscene, so ghastly, that the Yellow Jackets scored two quick goals, leveling the contest at 2-2.

In all seriousness, the play was not that bad but it did leave the door open for Georgia Tech to get back into the hockey game. Crowe pinched at the left point to keep a puck in the zone, an ill-advised move given that Tech’s left wing was cutting through neutral ice for a fairly routine outlet pass. Knowing he was beat, Crowe picked off the defenseman who made the breakout pass, then engaged in a bit of extracurricular tomfoolery that netted him an interference penalty. The pinch, the penalty, the delayed odd-man situation … it immediately translated to a quick goal for the Yellow Jackets that cut the lead to one. Then, on the resulting penalty kill Tech scored again making Crowe’s actions doubly painful.

“We’ve talked about working to be the smartest team in the league, perhaps in all of the ACHA,” said Bernstein. “That means no retaliation penalties, being in the right position at the right time, knowing when to press and when not to press. And in that moment, David knows he lost his bearings a bit.”

In recognition of this instance and those that may follow with other members of the club, assistant coach Jonathan Holston founded a new tradition following the contest called the “Airhead of the Game” anti-honor. Recipients get a candy bar of the same name which, as Holston points out, allows ‘winners’ to “both wallow in their sorrows and also enjoy a sugary treat to lift back up their spirits – a net positive if I do say so myself.”

Asked about winning the first ever AOTG award following the game, Crowe replied, “Delicious,” then theorized that, “The coaching staff may have mis-aligned the incentives on this one. I love these things!”

Turning Point

At 2-2 and facing increasing pressure from the Georgia Tech front line, the Commodores made a poor line change and let one of the Yellow Jacket players break free on senior goalie Brenden Oliver. In hot pursuit, graduate Ryan Weekes slid and subsequently tripped the player just as he was about to fire away at the net. The attempt, while well-intentioned, resulted in a penalty shot.

Remembering all of the saves he had made in the past year’s worth of “Last Commodore Standing” penalty shot contests, Oliver met the challenge as he stoned a double-deke with his left pad. Recalled Oliver, “He came in from the center which gave me an opportunity to manage the angles pretty well. He put the puck on his backhand but I could just read he was going to try to stuff home a forehand on my glove side. Sure enough, that’s what he did and I was able to get the save.”

The play proved to be the turning point of the game as the ‘Dores quickly notched two goals to head into the third with a 4-2 lead. Tech cut the lead to a goal but sophomore sensation Brad Pesce restored order with his eighth goal of the season enroute to a 5-3 final.

“I was incredibly proud of the guys,” said Bernstein following the game. “We played a great team, and despite taking a few shots in the mouth we hung tough. Great signs for the season.”

In attendance were about 250 fans including HockeyYall.com writer Jim Davis who was good enough to stop by the locker room after the game. Davis noted that as of Saturday, the Commodores were one of two teams in the South to still be undefeated and the only club to have 6 wins. “That news definitely added to the guys’ post-game satisfaction level,” said Bernstein, “but we’re not stopping here.”

Next up for the ‘Dores is a top-flight Florida team followed by the year-in/year-out SECHC contender Bulldogs of Georgia. “The measuring sticks are going to keep on coming,” said Trepanier. “We look forward to the challenge.”

Next Game

Following a week off for fall break, the Commodores will be back on the ice on Friday, October 14th, at 10:10pm at the Atlanta IceForum in Duluth, Georgia, versus the University of Florida Gators. If you’re in the area, please come support the team. In the meantime, the ice hockey club’s best wishes go out to Vandy football as they look to take down the JV NFL team that is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Coach Franklin et al, we believe you can pull off the miracle!

Game Information
Date & Time: Friday, September 30th, 2011 at 8:10pm ET
Location: Marietta Ice Center – Marietta, GA
Attendance: 60

1 2 3 F &#9733
Thomas Trepanier (RW): 4 goals, 1 assist
VU 5 6 5 16 &#9733&#9733
Brad Pesce (RW): 4 goals, 1 assist
GS 0 1 1 2 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Joey Grisko (LW): 3 goals, 1 assist
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GS:
9:08 VU
Grisko (1) – Blatt
 1 0
5:38 VU
McCann (4) – Johnston
 2 0
5:31 VU
Kaminsky (3) – Pesce
 3 0
3:02 VU
Pesce (3) – Rosenfield
 4 0
1:23 VU
Trepanier (2) – McCann
 5 0
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GS:
15:30 VU
Pesce (4) – Ross
 6 0
12:58 VU
Trepanier (3) – Grisko
 7 0
9:46 VU
Grisko (2) – Unassisted
 8 0
8:41 VU
Pesce (5) – Unassisted
 9 0
6:52 VU
Kaminsky (4) – Smallwood, Weekes
 10 0
3:30 GS
Casserly (1) – Unassisted
 10 1
1:25 VU
Grisko (3) – McCann, Trepanier
 11 1
Third Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GS:
16:44 VU
Trepanier (4) – McCann
 12 1
14:30 VU
Reno (2) – Rosenfield, Leeser
 13 1
13:37 VU
Trepanier (5) – McCann
 14 1
4:30 VU
Blatt (1) – Unassisted
 15 1
4:09 GS
Abranov (1) – Gazzola, Yowler
 15 2
0:01 VU
Pesce (6) – Smallwood
 16 2

Game Information
Date & Time: Saturday, October 1st, 2011 at 3:40pm ET
Location: The ICE – Cumming, GA
Attendance: 250

1 2 3 F &#9733
Brenden Oliver (G): 28 saves
VU 2 2 1 5 &#9733&#9733
Brad Pesce (C): 2 goals
GT 2 0 1 3 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Scott McLaughlin (LW): 1 goal, 2 assists
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GT:
8:51 VU
Trepanier (6) – Blatt, Nisbet
 1 0
4:38 VU
McLaughlin (5) – Ross, D. Crowe
 2 0
3:54 GT
McCray – McKinney
 2 1
3:09 GT
Bishop – Gartner, Roberts
 2 2
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GT:
5:42 VU
Pesce (7) – McLaughlin, Ross
 3 2
4:23 VU
Rosenfield (4) – Blatt, Londoff
 4 2
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: GT:
18:26 GT
McCrary – McKinney
 4 3
15:08 VU
Pesce (8) – McLaughlin
 5 3

Beaten and Tired, ‘Dores Scrape Together Big SECHC Wins

Like the rest period the VU Hockey team had between its games against South Carolina last Friday (at 9:30pm) and Saturday (at 9:30am), this week’s recap will be short, sweet, and full of drama. Playing with a short bench and missing loads of firepower, the Frozen Commodores of Davidson County, TN, notched two wins against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in their first SECHC contests of the season.

Before a raucous crew on Friday and a decidedly more benign crowd on Saturday, Vanderbilt gutted its way through injuries and exhaustion to ensure that the bus ride – yes, you read that right, BUS ride – back to Nashville would be an upbeat one. “It was so awesome to fire home the game winner and know that we’d have smiles on our faces for the nine hour trip back to campus,” said sophomore transfer Brad Pesce. “Our celebratory Chick-fil-a tasted even better than it normally does!”

Friday Night Recap

The weekend started off with a bang as the Vanderbilt team roared out to a 3-0 first period lead. Pesce and graduate MBA student Ryan Weekes started off the scoring flurry with their first goals in a Vandy uniform, each coming on special teams (the power play and penaly kill, respectively). Kyle McCann followed with a third, also on the power play.

“At that point, I think we thought we were going to cruise,” said freshman defenseman Harry Londoff. “But as my pappy always says, ‘Not so fast my friends!’ That game was just getting started.” (Point of clarification: Londoff’s pappy is in fact not Lee Corso, ESPN College Gameday analyst. Pappy is simply an admirer of Mr. Corso’s work.)

South Carolina broke the ice with a goal halfway through the second period and the two teams proceeded to trade blows up to and through (literally) the final buzzer of the third. The game ended only moments before South Carolina trickled a shot in past the Commodores goal line that would have tied the contest.

“The puck rolled up my shoulder kind of in slow motion,” said senior goalie Brenden Oliver. “Would that have gone in had there been 10 extra seconds on the clock? I’d like to think my brain would have willed my body to make the save, that the buzzer sounding essentially triggered an instant transformation into celebratory, ‘floor seats at the Taylor Swift concert’ Brenden. But honestly? I think we just got lucky.”

The frenetic pace of the final two minutes was made all the more dramatic by the Commodores bench which failed to manage its personnel properly. With a minute left in the game, the Vanderbilt and South Carolina clubs each having a player in the penalty box, and the Gamecocks pulling their goalie, Vandy skated four players plus a goalie against five and an empty net for USC. Upon seeing the five Gamecock skaters and thinking that the Vandy side was short-handed, one of the Commodores (who shall remain nameless) hopped onto the ice to even the tilt. Thankfully, the player jumped back on the bench as quickly as he had jumped off, likely because Coach Bernstein lost his mind at the lapse in judgement, and the referees missed the “too many men” call.

Who did not miss the call? An incensed South Carolina bench led by first year coach Brian Bauman (who, I should note, provided us with tremendous hospitality throughout the entire weekend … thanks Brian!). Their pleads for justice and retribution fell on deaf ears, however, and the game proceeded with its existing numbers.

“Not our best performance,” said a gruff Bernstein after the game who, in spite of the win, was more than mildly upset at the chaos of the final moments. “In this one instance, I’m glad we have a game in 11 hours so we can redeem ourselves.”

Thrill-ina in South Carolina

A stretch of a headline here? In the rhyming sense, absolutely, but in terms of summing up Saturday morning’s clash I would say a Muhammad Ali-esque title is altogether appropriate.

“I could barely keep my eyes open,” said freshman defenseman Logan Johnston who, along with Londoff and sophomores Jim Butler and Alan Leeser, played every other shift for both games. “I’m used to 15- or 17-minute periods in games. That extra 3- to 5-minute addition each period makes a huge difference, especially when you play back to back.”

The game started off slowly for both teams with the first period ending in a 0-0 tie. That pattern veered sharply in the second when South Carolina jumped up to a seemingly insurmountable two-goal lead. Said senior captain Matt Kaminsky, “Our energy level was just way down. We needed a breather, some tunes, and a little reminder of what Vanderbilt hockey is all about.”

And what might that be?

“The third period,” said Kaminsky. “Our period.”

It certainly proved to be the case as Leeser, who played defense for most of the weekend, swapped roles on the front line with senior Tom Trepanier and quickly scored to cut the lead in half. Trepanier followed with his own magic, slicing in from the point to one-time a cross-ice pass from Kaminsky to tie the game at 3-3. The game stayed knotted at that score until the Gamecocks stuffed home a workman-like rebound at the two minute mark. Again, the ‘Dores found themselves with another hole to climb out of.

Explained sophomore forward Kyle Stachowiak, “We called a timeout and lined up a play for the last minute of the game. We pulled Brenden, and for a face-off in the zone we had McCann match-up on the dot and had Alan stay high on the circle. McCann was supposed to win the puck back to Alan, Alan was supposed to shoot it, and Matt [Kaminsky] and Brad [Pesce] were to crash the net to stuff home any rebounds.”

“It worked to perfection. Alan got the shot, Matt corralled and dished the rebound, and Alan lit the lamp.”

0:18 on the clock. 4-4 tie.

First Overtime of the Season

The game ended with a Messier-like proclamation, a Bambino-like performance, a Namath-like moment. If you can think of other iconic New York sports moments, please go ahead and conjure them as they are all appropriate in the context of Westchester, NY, native Brad Pesce’s prophetic statement prior to the start of overtime, “Boys, we’re not losing this game.” He was right because, after taking a shot that nearly splashed the back of the net seven seconds into the extra session, Pesce himself scored the game winner just thirteen seconds into overtime.

“What a way to end the weekend,” said an exhausted but jubilant Pesce. “Awesome stuff, can’t wait for our next set of games!”

Weekly Thank You’s

Big thanks go out to Mr. Charles Lassiter, our bus driver for the venture down to Columbia. In addition to being a crackerjack navigator and an absolutely wonderful man, Mr. Charles was also a bestower of countless nuggets of wisdom such as, “Remember that the chickens stay in the garden during the day and the pot in the evening,” and, “You can always do difficult, it’s the impossible that takes a while.” He also said, “I’ll tell you what boys, I’m not taking you all this way to lose!” Mr. Charles, we appreciate you adding to the experience and hope that we can have you captain the VU hockey ship to a future game later this season!

Also, a pre-thank you goes out to junior Stephen Mozur who, in his role as secretary, will be examining the pros and cons of taking buses to the club’s games. Early editing of Mr. Mozur’s work has yielded a healthy buzz of anticipation throughout the locker room so stay tuned to www.vanderbilthockey.com for his submission.

Finally, we would like to thank everyone for their continued support of the team and to let you know that we’ll be back on the ice this weekend facing off against Georgia State (Friday, 9/30, at 8:10pm) and Georgia Tech (Saturday, 10/1, at 3:40pm). If you’re in or around the Atlanta area, please come check us out!

Game Information
Date & Time: Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 9:30pm ET
Location: IcePLEX – Irmo, SC
Attendance: 120

1 2 3 F &#9733
Kyle McCann (C): 2 goals, 1 assist
VU 3 1 1 5 &#9733&#9733
Brenden Oliver (G): 49 saves
SC 0 3 1 4 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Jordan Zauderer (RW): 1 goal, 1 assist
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
15:42 VU
Pesce (1) – Stachowiak
 1 0
6:46 VU
Weekes (1) – Unassisted
 2 0
4:03 VU
McCann (2) – Stachowiak, Butler
 3 0
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
10:01 SC
Gjetley – Wiant, Lancaster
 3 1
4:19 VU
Zauderer (1) – McCann
 4 1
1:38 SC
Jonas – Foster
 4 2
Third Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
16:53 SC
Brown – Swint, Clark
 4 3
11:31 VU
McCann (3) – Zauderer
 5 3
0:27 SC
Lancaster – Whitmeyer, Wint
 5 4



Game Information
Date & Time: Saturday, September 24th, 2011 at 9:30am ET
Location: IcePLEX – Irmo, SC
Attendance: 60

1 2 3 OT F &#9733
Brenden Oliver (G): 46 saves
VU 0 1 3 1 5 &#9733&#9733
Brad Pesce (RW): 1 goal, 2 assists
SC 0 3 1 0 4 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Alan Leeser (D): 2 goals
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
No scoring
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
12:29 SC
Wiant – Swint, Lancaster
 0 1
5:43 VU
Londoff (1) – Butler, Kaminsky
 1 1
2:19 SC
Lancaster – Swint
 1 2
0:33 SC
Lancaster – Brown, Wiant
 1 3
Third Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
15:43 VU
Leeser (2) – Pesce, Kaminsky
 2 3
12:23 VU
Trepanier (1) – Kaminsky, Pesce
 3 3
3:04 SC
Andony – Brown, Swint
 3 4
0:18 VU
Leeser (3) – McCann, Kaminsky
 4 4
Overtime Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: SC:
4:47 VU
Pesce (2) – Kaminsky
 5 4

VU Hockey Seeks, Wins Parents’ Approval on Parents’ Weekend

It was a bull market on high fives in Nashville last Friday and Saturday as the Vanderbilt Commodores Ice Hockey Club skated to an impressive 2-0 start to the 2011/12 season. With decisive victories of 7-1 and 10-2 against the University of Memphis Tigers, the Commodores showed that they are primed, ready, and eager to drive towards a banner season for the program.

The games, played before the largest crowds the Centennial Sportsplex has seen since little Sally Wheeler’s performance at the 1987 Tennessee State Figuring Skating Championships (i.e., the one where she unveiled her patented quintuple backwards salchow), were a success both on and off the ice as the Commodores not only delighted a host of parents in attendance but also raised over $600 for Tuscaloosa Forward, the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s strategic initiative to rebuild itself following last April’s devastating tornadoes. From the scoreboard and stands to the cashbox and proud mamas and papas, the team could not have asked for a better weekend.

“Yeah, it was ok,” said sophomore Alan Leeser, who’s rocket one-timer in Friday’s contest topped a long list of highlights from the set.

Old Faithfuls Prove Formidable

In a year that kicked off with a slew of new faces hitting the Vanderbilt hockey scene, it may have been easy for fans to forget that several “old guys” were still around to make some noise, and noise-make they did against Memphis. Headlined by senior captain Matt Kaminsky (2 goals, 3 assists) and junior Scooter McLaughlin (4 goals, 1 assist), the veteran regime set the bar extremely high for the newbies on the squad. Channeling his inner Clubber Lang (a la Rocky III for the age-impaired), Kaminsky said oh so eloquently following Saturday’s drubbing, “I pity da foo’s that underestimate the leadership on this team. We’ve got the upperclassmen to set the right examples and the young guys to embrace them.” He concluded emphatically, “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – watch out for them ‘Dores!”

Also contributing were line-mates Tom Trepanier and Kyle McCann who picked up where they left off last season. Trep spearheaded the team’s successful kill of nearly 4 minutes of 3-on-5 time while McCann sliced and diced his way to a goal and several shots on net.

Brendan Gray, fan of the game and winner of the Taylor Swift Ticket Giveaway
Finally, the team was able to pin its hopes on the talents of senior captain, team president, and former Country Music Hall of Fame intern Brenden Oliver for its opening night victory. Spurred on by the rabid support of his mother Linda (who, along with Coach Bernstein’s lovely and understanding wife Betsy, collected ticket sales at the gate – thank you ladies!), Oliver fought boredom in the first and second periods and a mild onslaught in the third to secure the win on Friday night.

“I was pretty psyched for the ‘W,'” said Oliver, “but honestly, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the ticket giveaway promotion we were running.” Courtesy of Oliver himself, the team gave away a floor seat to Taylor Swift’s Saturday performance at Bridgestone Arena in an effort to draw fans to Centennial. “I just kept thinking, ‘Boy I hope the person actually likes Taylor Swift.’ I mean, seriously, I owe it to her to put it to good use.”

New Guns Take Aim

With the returning players firing on all cylinders, the coaching staff was pleased to see the rookie Commodores also getting into the action early on in the 2011/12 campaign. A pair of sophomore transfers – Ben Ross (1 goal and 4 assists in two games) and Eliot Rosenfield (3 goals in Saturday’s contest) – led the way while first-year law student Cory Reno netted a goal and an assist in Saturday night’s match-up. Reno’s debut with the Vanderbilt club was especially smashing, literally, as he received a 2-and-10 penalty in his very first shift with the Commodores for a defensive-zone hit.

“They’d never call a penalty on that in Michigan,” said a frustrated Reno following the game. “Total bull shnikeys.” Having played for Grand Valley State in undergrad, a national championship-level ACHA power, the coaching staff looks forward to watching Reno lead with his unique perspective and aggressive style.

Complimenting this trio of newcomers were sophomores Kyle “Terry Tate” Barber, Henry “Scare-y Quiet” Crowe, Joey “Million Dollar Smile” Grisko, Connor “Guns Show” Smallwood, and Teddy “Too” Swift, plus second-year-MBA Ryan “CAPM Baby!” Weekes, a former inline hockey star at Elon College.

“The depth on this team is just crazy,” said second-year head coach Thomas Bernstein. “We’ve got all these new players, and we have the seniors leading the club as our elder statesmen. Then you’ve got the rock solid guys producing as the “glue,” guys like sophomores Jordan Zauderer, Kyle Stachowiak, and Alan Leeser. When it comes to depth, the staff and I are feeling pretty darn spoiled.”

A Great Kickoff, Despite …

Few things are more cliche in sports than the obligatory pre-game statement from a coach, “We had a great week of practice and we’re ready for the big game.” So imagine the surprise of the reporters who attended the Vanderbilt hockey team’s pre-weekend press conference when someone asked Coach Bernstein, “How’s the week been going leading up to the game?” and he bluntly replied, “Our week stunk, had a terrible practice. And it was my fault.”

Bernstein elaborated that the team’s Wednesday practice was a hot mess consisting of multiple poorly conceived drills, unexpectedly faulty equipment (his whistle broke), and a bruising injury (he took a puck in the stomach). “I just ran out of time to plan the skate. Coach Holston wasn’t around to help me white-board out the session prior to the ice time. Work got in the way. I ran out of gas! I–I had a flat tire! I didn’t have enough money for cab fare! My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners! An old friend came in from out of town! Someone stole my car! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN’T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!!!” (Guys, it’s a reference your parents will appreciate; click here to get schooled in the ways of Jake Blues.)

Bernstein went on to acknowledge that excuses are like rear-ends – they all stink – and that the bad practice would be an anomaly. “Coach Holston and I will be attending USA Hockey training on Sunday following our weekend in South Carolina so the boys can rest assured that we’ll be continuing to learn and grow as coaches. Last Wednesday will never happen again.”

The Weekend’s One Blemish A Major One

It was not all fun and games for the Commodores. With one sobering Facebook message posted shortly after the game, the team confirmed its earlier suspicions and worst fears:

“love hockey, hate injuries…hand broken”
– Sophomore Jack Delehey, Sun 9/19 at 12:10am

Delehey suffered a broken hand on a very questionable hit in the offensive zone. Following his knee injury last December and subsequent time on the injured reserve list, Delehey’s latest setback came as a tough pill to swallow. In a note to teammates, Delehey expressed that he’ll “do everything [he] can to convince doctors to let [him] play with a cast.” The club will look to see him back on the ice for its game against Arkansas on December 9th (or perhaps sooner).

Looking Ahead and Thank You’s

Vanderbilt will be back on the ice this weekend for the club’s first road trip of the season at South Carolina. For those in and around the Columbia area, game times will be Friday, 9/23, at 9:30pm and Saturday, 9/24, at 9:30am. That’s right, two games in 15 hours. That depth on the roster should come in handy!

Three final notes before putting a wrap on the kickoff to the 2011/12 season. First we’d like to thank all of the parents who attended the weekend’s festivities, including Linda Oliver, Ed Smallwood, the Crowes, Gangemis, Griskos, Londoffs, McCallums, McCanns, McLaughlins, Rosenfields, Zauderers, and anyone else that I missed. Your presence and support made the weekend even more special for your sons and the rest of the team. We hope you can make it back to campus soon for one of our upcoming home games!

Next, the team would like to thank Coach Rusty Ware for his efforts in energizing the overall VU Hockey experience by organizing the in-game logistics and programming. With the announcing and music so tightly managed, the weekend’s games were clearly more professional than any we’ve hosted in recent memory. We look forward to refining the system over the coming weeks in order to make coming to a Vanderbilt hockey game everything it can and should be. Thanks Coach Ware, awesome job!

Lastly, the club would like to extend a warm and rousing thank you to Assistant Coach Ben Gatlin for crafting what has been already declared by Brenden Oliver “literally the best hockey montage I have ever seen.” If you have not had the pleasure, please view at your leisure and be prepared to get fired up about the Black and Gold!

Go ‘Dores, keep the momentum going through this weekend and the rest of the year!

Game Information
Date & Time: Saturday, September 17th, 2011 at 5:30pm CT
Location: Centennial Sportsplex – Nashville, TN
Attendance: 125

1 2 3 F &#9733
Eliot Rosenfield (LW): 3 Goals
VU 3 4 3 10 &#9733&#9733
Mike Gangemi (G): 23 saves (on 25 shots)
UM 1 0 1 2 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Stephen Mozur (RW): 1 goal, 9 hits
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
15:30 UM
Gray – Riley
 0 1
10:35 VU
Mozur (1) – McCallum
 1 1
3:15 VU
Rosenfield (1) – Unassisted
 2 1
1:48 VU
McCann (1) – Johnston
 3 1
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
16:50 VU
Reno (1) – Leeser, Kaminsky
 4 1
15:37 VU
Kaminsky (2) – Ross
 5 1
14:15 VU
Ross (2) – Londoff
 6 1
10:18 VU
D. Crowe (1) – McLaughlin, Ross
 7 1
Third Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
14:57 UM
Gay – Unassisted
 7 2
13:33 VU
Rosenfield (2) – D. Crowe, Reno
 8 2
13:23 VU
Rosenfield (3) – Leeser
 9 2
11:39 VU
Abelman (1) – Johnston
 10 2

Opening Weekend Kicks Off With 7-1 Win Over Memphis

Vanderbilt kicked off its hockey season Friday night with a resounding 7-1 victory over the University of Memphis Tigers before a packed house at the Centennial Sportsplex arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Fans were treated to a little bit of everything, including spectacular goals from sophomore Alan Leeser and senior captain Matt Kaminsky, a hat trick from junior Scott McLaughlin, and a heaping helping of physical play that proved to be the difference in the match-up.

“Our fourth, fifth, even sixth lines are just as good as our first and second,” said Kaminsky, who with one goal and two assists notched the second star of the game behind McLaughlin. “We’re fired up for tonight, next weekend versus South Carolina, the rest of the season … I just can’t wait.”

Senior goalie Brenden Oliver stopped 18 of 19, including a few testers late in the third period. Sophomore backup Mike Gangemi will be between the pipes this evening making his Vanderbilt hockey debut.

Game time tonight (Saturday, 9/17) will be 5:30pm and, like last night, all ticket sales at the gate will be donated to Tuscaloosa Forward, the city of Tuscaloosa’s strategic initiative to help rebuild the city following last April’s devastating tornadoes. Also, note that a full recap of the weekend’s games will be following tonight’s result so please stay tuned to www.vanderbilthockey.com for your latest news, notes, and insights into the Chilled Commodores.

We hope to see you at the rink!

Game Information
Date & Time: Friday, September 16th, 2011 at 7pm CT
Location: Centennial Sportsplex – Nashville, TN
Attendance: 175

1 2 3 F &#9733
Scott McLaughlin (LW): 3 Goals
VU 2 1 4 7 &#9733&#9733
Matt Kaminsky (C): 1 Goal, 2 Assists
UM 1 0 0 1 &#9733&#9733&#9733
Ben Ross (RW): 1 Goal, 2 Assists
First Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
13:08 VU
McLaughlin (1) – Ross, Kaminsky
 1 0
16:18 VU
Leeser (1) – Bulter, Stachowiak
 2 0
17:03 UM
Piomtesposi – Gray
 2 1
Second Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
13:42 VU
Ross (1) – Kaminsky
 3 1
Third Period Scoring Summary
Time: Team:
Scoring Detail:
 VU: UM:
0:17 VU
McLaughlin (2) – McCallum
 4 1
6:39 VU
Kaminsky (1) – Ross
 5 1
10:57 VU
Smallwood (1) – Stachowiak, Leeser
 6 1
12:00 UM
McLaughlin (3) – D. Crowe
 7 1

Vanderbilt Penalties

  • Too many to count (something we’ll be working on) …