As the last month of the season gets underway, the Virginia men's club ice hockey team has four games left to play before the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League Tournament takes place later in February. The Cavaliers are 4-4 in conference play thus far, and are currently in fourth place in the ACCHL.
Among the highlights of the Cavaliers' season are their two wins against Virginia Tech, including a 6-2 win Jan. 19 on the road.
"We played Tech at the Roanoke Civic Center, and there were 5,200 people in attendance," team captain Dave Pettibone said. "It was pretty crazy to have that many people watching."
All four of the remaining games on Virginia's schedule will be played at home, at the Charlottesville Ice Park on the Downtown Mall. This bodes well for the Cavaliers as they make a final push to climb up in the ACCHL standings. In their most recent games, the Cavaliers split a series in North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels 6-4 but falling 9-3 to N.C. State. The team has faced some problems this season, such as a shortage of manpower, which they will need to address.
"We've been dealing with a smaller team, which along with some injuries and some other conflicts has caused some problems for us," Pettibone said. "We had only nine players against UNC and 11 players against N.C. State. A full team would be 18 players, so we played with a severely short bench."
Coach Rob Boyle also noted that youth has been holding back this Virginia team from reaching its full potential.
"We have a young team," Boyle said. "In past years, we've had a lot of older and more experienced guys, and this year we have a lot of first-years and second-years, so I think that that's what we'll have to overcome to do well." This Saturday, the Cavaliers will take on the top team in the conference when they host the Georgetown Hoyas. Georgetown is 8-0-0 in conference play, and previously this season, the Hoyas defeated Virginia 4-3 on Nov. 3. Pettibone admits this game is among the most important games this season.
"This game is pretty big, because we played Georgetown earlier this season and it was a pretty close game," Pettibone said. "Hopefully we'll be able to get a couple guys back who were injured and have a good showing against them."
New rules governing officiating have caused players to navigate a steep learning curve. As the National Hockey League has tweaked its policies on what penalties should be enforced, the ACCHL referees have blown the whistle more often.
"They are being a lot more strict with calling penalties like tripping and hooking," Pettibone said. "We have to be much more conscious of what we're doing, since they're calling a lot of little things which they haven't done in the past."
Later this month, the Cavaliers will host North Carolina (2-8-0), N.C. State (6-3-1) and George Mason (0-7-0). What will it take for Virginia to experience success against their opponents, including the undefeated Hoyas?
"We just need to practice hard," Boyle said. "After the winter break, it's been taking us a while to get our feet back under us, so we're just going back to the basics, but I think we'll be ready to play"
Read More
Virginia baseball has an ace up its sleeve and in its bullpen — Dean Kampschror
By Xander Tilock | 18 hours agoThe senior pitcher is exactly what the Cavaliers need to succeed in 2025.
Wrestling gets blown out 34-9 on long road trip to Stanford
By Ryan Weiner | 2 days agoSolid performances from its most reliable trio were not enough for Virginia.
Freshman excellence powers No. 5 men’s tennis past Boise State, No. 19 Alabama
By Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoVirginia, unlike many other regional hosts, held serve as its quartet's top seed.
