Both teams finish the regular season in 1st place!!!
With a blistering three weeks finally coming to an end, the UCF Roller Hockey Organization has done it again. Both the D1 and the B team finished the regular season in 1st place. This is a great accomplishment for our organization, and it has only been made possible by your support. Our spring semester started off strong with intense practices and exhibition games. Our games this semester started off in the state’s capital of Tallahassee, FL. There the D1 team had 2 games against in state rival University of Florida. We were able to come out on top of these matches and finished the weekend 4 and 0. These wins against strong D1 teams proved our status in the region, and showed that we did deserve the 1st place standing we had. The D1 team also faced in town rival Valencia Community College, and got the job done with a 9-2 finish. In Tallahassee our B team also had a few grueling games. Since there are only 3 teams in the B division, our B team also plays teams from Division 2. This weekend our B team matched up with Florida State and undefeated Florida Atlantic from D2. Unfortunately they were unable to defeat these two teams, but put up a great showing considering what they were up against. Also in Tallahassee our B team played the two other B teams, Florida International and Florida, and beat both of them with flying colors.
After a tough weekend in Tallahassee, we came back and had one practice and then our D1 team left to Pittsburgh, PA. This trip was made possible by the amazing fundraiser we ran, and the support you have given us. In Pittsburgh we faced four of the top teams in the country. Our first game was against the University of Buffalo Wings. This game was a unfortunate wake up for us, and proved that we still had a lot of work to do. Further into the weekend we played Penn State. This game was a close matchup, which could have gone either way. With a bounce or two favoring Penn State, we lost our second game in a row. This was the first time this season that we had lost two games in a row and it was something that opened all of our players eyes. That night we had team meetings and discussed a few things that we needed to tweak and perfect so that we could turn things around and get back to the status and level we had been playing at, at the beginning of the season. The following morning we took on University of Pittsburgh, and finally got our first win of the weekend. It was still not an impressive showing by our powerhouse team, but our tweaking did get us the win. The final game of the weekend was against University of Michigan. This was our best game of the weekend although penalties hindered us to playing to our maximum potential. The first period ended scoreless, with Michigan capitalizing first, halfway through the second period. Freshman Joey LaRocco then came back and tied it up. Sitting at a dead heat, we then had the game backbreaker, and Michigan scored a shorthanded goal. This was just the icing on the cake and broke us down mentally. Throughout the game, rookie goalie Dan Moon, stood on his head denying Michigan on almost every attempt they had. He kept the game close which easily could have gotten out of hand. We finished with the loss of 3-1 with Michigan scoring a late empty net goal. We came home for the first time with a losing record from the weekend, and new that we all had a long week of practice ahead of us to get prepared for the following event.
Just a week after our long trip, both teams traveled to Ft. Myers, FL for our last regular season event. The D1 team had their opening game vs Florida International, and hoped to turn things around. Starting off strong we went up 2-0 with goals from Captain Jeff Cohen, and Asisistant Captain Brandon Reich. Then things took a turn for the worst, and we fell short with a 5-3 loss, including an empty net goal. The following game was against undefeated D2 Florida Atlantic. Things once again started off not looking good. We went down early 3-0, and many people thought that this was the downfall and end of our organization. After an inspiration mid period speech, we finally found our will and desire. With a stunning 2nd and 3rd period we came back to win 4-3. We had four unanswered goals in the game, and gave Florida Atlantic their only loss, and ruined their perfect season. After this fantastic game and turnaround of our team, we played Florida International again, and we wanted some payback. This time we didn’t make any mistake, and defeated them 11-3 proving that they had no business even being on the same rink as us. With both of these wins we clinched our 1st place seed in the South East Conference. Our B team also competed in Ft. Myers, and also clinched their 1st place seed for the region. They tied tough D2 University of Miami, and showed that even though they are a B team, they can still play with the big dogs. The B team also beat both B teams once again, which gave them an undefeated record against all B teams.
Also in Ft. Myers I, Jeff Cohen, headed a huge free youth clinic, with the assistance of fellow UCF players. This clinic is called the Mission Hockey College, and is a fantastic event the league is doing. I had over 50 local youth players at the event, and every one of them was so thankful to have us instructing them. All the youth players were asking for autographs, and couldn’t believe they were on the same rink with actual College Hockey Players. This event not only helps instruct the youth on how to improve on their skills, but it also gives the kids something great to look forward to, and another reason to further their education. Click on the link below to review the entire article on the event.
http://www.secrhl.org/article.php?article_id=53308
Now with the regular season finished, it is all practice and hard work for the playoffs and post season games. Our D1 team will be competing in Snellville, GA at the South East Regional Championships. This event will take place the weekend of February 27th, and we are hoping to repeat and take the title home. A win at this event will guarantee our spot for nationals, giving us not only an auto bid but also the league will cover our entry fee. Since there are only three B teams in the region, there is no regional championship event for this division. This means that the UCF B team is once again the South Eastern Regional Champions. This is a repeat from last season, and the UCF B team has an auto bid to the National Championships in Feasterville, PA in April.
Please see the photos page for pictures from the past events. I also have a few sweaters and T shirts still available for sale for anyone who is interested, you may email me for prices and images.
