Joshua ClaytonThe Ole Miss Hockey Club had a big weekend at the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship Tournament, coming up just short of the conference title with a 4-2 loss to Georgia in the final on Sunday.
The SECHC Championship Tournament in Antioch, Tennessee, saw eight teams battle for the massive Kenneth “Sarge” Day Championship Cup. Wins over Vanderbilt and Auburn for the Ice Rebels secured a date with the top-seeded Bulldogs on Sunday.
On Friday, the Rebels handled Vanderbilt 6-2 in the last match of the day. Ole Miss was propelled by a goal from Scott Harlin just 40 seconds after the puck dropped. The Commodores answered with a goal of their own, but the Rebels’ leading scorer Cole Chatham lost no time in reclaiming the lead. The Rebels coasted to a win with a big performance from goalkeeper Cameron Parent.
Next up for the Rebels was a Saturday matchup against Auburn, who gave Ole Miss a 4-3 loss in the third game of the season back in September. Ole Miss got its revenge this weekend, beating the Tigers 8-6. The Rebels got early lead and held off a comeback behind hat tricks from Chatham and Harlin.
Finally, the big championship matchup came against Georgia, who entered the weekend with the top seed and tied Ole Miss for the best overall record in the league. Before the championship on Sunday, the Ice Dawgs blanked both Tennessee and Arkansas, beating the Volunteers 14-0 and the Razorbacks 4-0.
The Ice Rebels got off to another fast start with two goals from Harlin and Gray Erwin, but the Bulldogs scored four unanswered goals in the final two periods.
“Since the first week of the season, our goal was to win the SECHC Tournament,” Michael Chirco said. “Despite the loss, we still had a great time really making a statement.”
Ole Miss’s record went to 20-4 after the tournament, one of the best regular-season finishes in recent history. Head coach Josh Herbert was named the SECHC Coach of the Year in his first season leading the Rebels. He credits the team’s success this year to work ethic and teamwork.
“With any sports team, not everyone is going to be the goal scorer. Not everyone is going to be a playmaker,” Herbert said. “It’s the guys that come in day in and day out that give us the edge.”
The Rebels were well-represented in the 2018-19 All-SECHC Team, which was announced at the tournament. Junior Braden Storner and freshman Cameron Parent were named to the first team. Chatham and club president Kurt Lindhorst found themselves on the second team, and Harlin was tabbed for the third team.
“I think we’ve been playing so well because we’ve been out-working the teams that we’ve been playing all year,” Storner said. “Our rookie goaltender Cam Parent has been a huge part of our success. (He) really makes some big saves when we need him to. It seemed like every game, we have had someone different step up and have a big hit, block or goal.”
The Rebels’ leading scorer, Chatham, also said his teammates — in particular, his linemates Harlin and Anthony Pellegrino — play a big role in his success.
“This is our second year playing together, and I think our chemistry really has a lot to do with my success,” Chatham said. “We have a lot of fun out there, and they make it easy for me.”
The Ice Rebels are not done with the season yet. They’ll travel to Huntsville, Alabama, for the ACHA Men’s Division 3 South Regional March 8-9.
It’s their mission in the coming years to continue this success and spread the game of hockey not only on campus but across the South.
“We’d like for people to know that Ole Miss is a hockey school,” Herbert said. “We have kids from all over the country, and we actively recruit and compete at a high level. We have a chance to win a national championship.”
