Members of the Ole Miss club hockey team pose for a photo in front of their bus after advancing to the AHCA national tournament this past weekend. Photo: Courtesy of Lisa W. Brooks.
The Ole Miss club hockey team defeated the No. 5 seed Florida Gators 7-3 and rival No. 3 seed Alabama Crimson Tide 3-1 to advance from the regional qualifier to the Division 3 ACHA national tournament this past weekend in Irmo, S.C.
Despite the Rebels finishing fifth in the Southeastern Conference tournament two weeks ago, they were able to regroup and defeat the Gators, who finished third, and the Crimson Tide, who finished second, in the SEC tournament.
“The thing about regionals, you know, once you are in there anything can happen,” Ole Miss coach Angelo Rosena said. “You can finish anywhere in the SEC, but at the end of the day, some teams are going home and some teams are going to nationals. So, we won where it counted.”
Junior goalie Justin Ragland had a career weekend. He started both games in net, allowing only four goals, including a 37-save performance against Alabama, and was able to turn around his play after a 5-2 loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament. The St. Louis native credited his performance to his defensemen.
“I was seeing the puck really well,” Ragland said. “I felt pretty good about my game; I was able to play pretty confident. My (defense) really supported me. They did a really good job clearing out my rebounds if there were any and clearing the passing lanes.”
One of the biggest plays made during the weekend was made by sophomore defenseman Danny Bates. With four minutes left to go in the third period against Alabama, Bates made a clutch play to help out his goalie settle out the Tide.
“It was about four minutes left, 3-1. I got a shot through the point that got tipped and went five-hole and through my legs,” Ragland said. “He came back and pulled it out before it crossed the goal line and shot it back out. That was a pretty huge play and kept us at a two-goal lead in the waning minutes of the game.”
One major struggle the Rebels have faced all season has been discipline. The Rebels registered 36 minutes in the penalty box in a three-game span against South Carolina, all three of which were losses to finish off their season.
“This weekend was night and day,” said senior defenseman John Chicoli, who returned this weekend from a separated shoulder injury. “I mean we stayed out of the box, and that’s what won us the games.
“We can compete against any team five on five. So, it was a big improvement having all the guys stay disciplined, stay out of the box and get away from all the BS.”
The Rebels will travel to Coral Springs, Fla., during spring break for the ACHA national tournament. Pool play will begin March 11. In their pool, the Rebels will face California University of Pennsylvania, Davenport University and Aurora University. The Rebels lost to Davenport earlier this season on Oct. 4 by a score of 10-2.
— David Kennedy
dmkenned@go.olemiss.edu
