The Clemson club ice hockey team swept the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last weekend, 5-3 and 4-1, to improve to 5-1-0 this season and climb to No. 2 in the College Hockey South Division II North standings. The two divisional wins protect the Tigers from dropping below the CHS playoff contention threshold as the tournament rapidly approaches.
The Tigers were without a few key members of the team this weekend, but the rest of the squad experienced little trouble stepping up in their absence.
In Clemson’s 5-3 win on Friday night, forwards Mike McKeon, Will Van Sicklin and Ronan Bryant, as well as defenseman Cam Iacobelli, propelled the team to its eventual triumph with 2 points each. Goaltender Aidan Rybacki stoned 43-for-46 shots thrown his way in an exceptional performance on behalf of the Tigers.
“Friday was a tough battle from start to finish,” Rybacki said in an interview with The Tiger. “Even though it had been a while since I played a really competitive game, I felt solid back there in the crease. I’m happy with the performance I was able to have, but my defense was a huge part of it. The guys were blocking shots for me, moving screens, and clearing out loose pucks from start to finish. They helped make my job a lot easier.”
Following a ceremonial puck drop from former Clemson football player A.J. Hoffler, Van Sicklin opened the scoring less than five minutes into the contest with help from McKeon. Three minutes later, forward Will Ralsten extended Clemson’s lead to 2-0 with Tommy Papa and Bryant.
Van Sicklin netted his second of the night to open the middle frame, assisted by Troy Gouveia and Iacobelli, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a goal of their own before the period’s conclusion. Up by two, the Tigers remained confident entering the third.
Much to its nearly sold-out crowd’s delight, Georgia Tech brought the score within striking distance just over halfway through the third period. Still up by one, Clemson knew it needed to find the back of the net again to take home a win.
That knowledge manifested in the form of a goal from Bryant, with help from Iacobelli and Matthew Ionta, to reinstate his team’s two-goal lead. The Yellow Jackets responded with a power-play goal just under three minutes before the final buzzer. McKeon then found the back of Georgia Tech’s empty net to ensure Clemson’s victory.
“It was a hard-fought weekend for us,” Rybacki said. “Georgia Tech came out ready to play and tested us physically and mentally, more so than we anticipated going into the weekend. Overall, I think the weekend was a success, showing flashes of what we’re capable of. However, I think we all know there’s still room to grow as we prepare to face tougher competition down the line.”
“I can’t talk about this past weekend without mentioning the atmosphere,” Rybacki added. “I wasn’t expecting it, but that was by far the most fun environment I’ve played in (even though the Tech fans made it very clear who they were rooting for). From the crowd to the band, it was a night to remember.”
The following day, both teams took to the ice once again. Iacobelli, a standout this season for the Tigers, posted another 2-point night, making him Clemson’s new points leader with 9 points in six games this season. He was accompanied by forward Alex Wallace, who netted a goal and had an assist of his own.
The Yellow Jackets struck first on Saturday night — less than a minute into the contest — to establish an early lead. Though most of the period remained scoreless, the Tigers equalized at 12:38 with a goal from McKeon, assisted by Wallace.
Neither team found the back of the net during the middle period, but Clemson had a job to finish in the third. Wallace collected his third goal of the season at the nine-minute mark, assisted by Ionta, to give the Tigers the lead. Fifty-eight seconds later, Iacobelli tallied his third point of the weekend with a goal assisted by Bryant and Papa.
With one minute remaining, Iacobelli and Sully Kopf set up Van Sicklin for the Tigers’ fourth of the night and final goal of the weekend.
“We did a great job winning our individual battles and getting to those loose pucks,” Rybacki added, reminiscing on the sweep. “That effort, especially from our leadership, is what I feel truly helped us get the edge over Georgia Tech.”
Despite the two wins, the team understands there is always room to improve, especially as they take on more skilled opponents heading toward playoffs.
“There are a few things that we want to improve on in the coming weeks,” Rybacki said. “One thing that we need to do is tighten up defensively. We improved on this during the second game of the series, but we allowed 46 shots during Friday’s game, along with multiple odd-man rushes. That could become an issue against more talented teams. Another thing that we have to fix is burying chances. In both games, we should have had many more goals than we ended up scoring. Taking advantage of those prime opportunities is something we need to do better.”
The Tigers are back in action this weekend against the Ole Miss Rebels at The Pavilion in Taylors, South Carolina in another divisional series. Puck drop is scheduled for 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, and 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.
