After splitting last weekend’s games against Tennessee and Arkansas 1-1, respectively, Vanderbilt looks to build some momentum going into the meat of the semester.  Two home games on Friday night at 10:15 against Tennessee and Saturday night at 8:00 against Northern Kentucky set the stage for a possible pair of victories.  The Dores’ seek some retribution after nearly losing two car-fulls of players in a torrential storm last year on the way up to Northern Kentucky and after a less-than-thrilling road trip to Knoxville last Friday.

Solid systems work in practice and ever-improving snipes and dangles bode well for the upcoming weekend and for the entire remainder of the season.

Coming off a rough weekend in North Carolina, the Skating ‘Dores hope to finish off the semester with a pair of wins against Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville before going on hiatus until January.  In last year’s matchup, Vanderbilt came out victorious and they hope to reverse the negative momentum they have built up over the past 3 games.  With 10:15 games on both Friday and Saturday night, both teams should have ample time to rest up during the day and hit the ice with intensity. 

Vanderbilt has seen a strong freshmen recruiting class come in this year and produce some decent results.  The team is heavily weighted with veterans and rookies with 6 seniors and 9 freshmen rounding out the 22-man roster.  The ‘Dores hope to blend a strong senior leadership core with fresh new talent to end the fall semester on a high note and carry that momentum into the spring semester.

Vanderbilt sports had a rough weekend in general as both the football and hockey teams suffered losses to UT.  Friday night's hockey game was hard fought, but resulted in an 8-5 loss.  Saturday night's game was a real character builder for the 6 skaters who stuck it out and played.  With most of the team gone for thanksgiving break, the veterans who remained still managed to register 23 shots against a full UT bench.  The contrast of 1 resting player on the Vandy bench versus 13 on the UT bench was stark.  Not surprisingly, the game was a rout and although they registered 23 shots, the 'Dores gave up 86 shots.  But the major goal of the game was achieved as all 6 skaters and the goalie were able to skate off the ice under their own power. 

With finals and Christmas break coming up, the team is now on hiatus until next semester.

UK proved a team worthy of D-II designation this past weekend as they managed to outscore Vanderbilt 14-2 over two games.  As has become typical, Vandy was limited by a short bench and tired legs.  Even after sleeping until 1:30pm on Saturday and taking another nap after dinner, the 'Dores were unable to put a goal on the board in Saturday's 5-0 loss.  However, the score is not indicative of the game nor Vandy's performance, as Kentucky's first goal did not come until approximately 20 seconds left in the second and the score remained 1-0 until about 5 minutes left in the game, at which point Kentucky scored several quick goals. If the team was in full form, the result of that second game would have been a lot closer, maybe even with Vandy ontop. Regardless, in the end, there was no doubt that the MVP of the weekend was the freshman goaltender Peter Mataragas.

Vandy finishes off the first half of the season this weekend with two home games against Tennessee before going on hiatus until spring semester.

The 'Dores skated to two consecutive victories this past weekend at Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville.  Clean play and relatively little referee intervention characterized the 7-2 and 8-5 wins.  Despite having only 9 skaters, Vanderbilt's skilled play allowed them to secure some much-needed road points.  Some relaxation and an outing to "The Prestige" Saturday afternoon helped the short bench rest up for the Saturday night game and register another win.

The team extends our sincerest gratitude to Mrs. Welch for hosting us over the weekend. 

The Commodores had a tough weekend with a short bench down in Georgia.  With only 11 and then 10 skaters, respectively, the 'Dores stamina became an issue as most of the goals against came in the latter half of the games against Kennesaw St. and Georgia.  However, the 'Dores were consoled by the football victory over the then 16th ranked UGA Bulldogs on Saturday.  This event closely parallels last year when Vandy football defeated Tennessee over Thanksgiving when the hockey team watched them play in Knoxville.  The officiating was better down near Atlanta, but penalties abounded, nonetheless.

Another weekend of rest awaits Vanderbilt as they travel to St. Louis over Halloween weekend.

The new rules enforced by ACHA dragged out the Vandy-Alabama game's first period to over 60 minutes.  There were often as many players in the penalty box as there were on the bench.  Multiple scoresheets were required to record all penalties and the referees were vague about why certain penalties were called.  Neither game last weekend was able to achieve a good flow. 

With a penalty every 30 seconds and another 2 minutes required to keep all the books and maintain the scoreboard, gameplay was scarcer than downtime.  Alabama shared Vandy's consensus that this was not right and we would support a more lenient game.  Arbitrary interference calls and inconsequential slashing and hooking calls accounted for the bulk of the unmitigated whistle usage.  The referees admitted their shared disdain for the new regulations, but refused to be flexible. When asked what the average penalty count was the referees said the new average is about 40 per game but have seen anywhere from 30-80 (which is outrageous compared to the average last season which was maybe 20 per game).

With insufficient time in the ice slot to finish 3 full periods (sans-Zamboni) last Friday, the 3rd period consisted of a 5-minute running clock.  Again without cleaning the ice on Saturday, the game ran well over-time.  Limiting the players and modifying the game clock to mesh with time constraints upsets fans, players, and even referees and results in a game that is not hockey. The new rules succeed only in hindering the game and making it less enjoyable for all.

Derek Giangiulio is to sit out for at least the first semester due to SLAP tear in his right shoulder. Derek underwent surgery in late June and is expected to return in January.