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Highlights of Clemson ice hockey’s breakthrough season

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ELLIE GODWIN // PROVIDED

Clemson centerman Graydon Schweizer skates the puck away from his opponent during Clemson’s game against South Carolina on Jan. 28. 

The Clemson club ice hockey team finished its season with an 11-13-0 record, as the Tigers went 9-12-0 in the regular season and 2-1-0 in the AAU National Tournament. Comparatively, Clemson finished the 2021-2022 season with a 9-10-0 record. 
In 24 games, four Clemson players recorded more than 20 points: forwards Nicholas Chesare (30), Cade Heinold (29) and Herbert Kopf (21), and defenseman Thomas Samuelsen (21). Chesare recorded only nine points last season, making his 30 points this season more than a 200% increase. 
The Tigers continuously proved their offensive dominance with 29 power-play goals on the season. Heinold led the team in power-play goals with ten, followed by Chesare, Samuelsen and forwards Mike McKeon and Liam Clark.
If one thing proved true this season, it’s that once the Tigers start buzzing, they’re almost impossible to stop.
In September, Clemson was shut out by the College of Charleston Cougars in a 5-0 loss. The following day, the Tigers bounced back with a 10-4 win, and seven Clemson players recorded multi-point games. The Tigers didn’t stop there, as just a month later, the Kennesaw State Owls took a 3-0 lead within the first 15 minutes of their matchup. So, surely the Owls won…right?
Instead, Kennesaw State found themselves on the wrong side of Clemson’s surging offense as the Tigers scored eight unanswered goals for their fourth win of the season.
The Tigers proved that not only can they score, but they can do it in style. One of the most memorable goals came during Clemson’s game against Georgia Tech on Jan. 20, when forward Graydon Schweizer buried a shot from his knees.
Defensively, Clemson shone on the penalty kill this season to allow only nine power-play goals. The Tigers also recorded five shorthanded goals from forwards, with two from Sully Kopf and a single for Jack Owen-Turner, Troy Gouveia and McKeon. 
Throughout the season, Clemson learned to leave its losses in the past and bring a fresh mindset into each game. In its last home series of the season, Clemson fell short to Coastal Carolina by a score of 6-1. It was the Tigers’ second consecutive game with only one goal. 
However, Clemson was undeterred by the loss, as the team came out swinging the following day to defeat the Chanticleers 5-4 in overtime.
Clemson is proud of their performance as a team this season but recognizes that there is always room for improvement. With their first-ever appearance at Nationals, including two upsets, the Tigers believe they’ve done the work to prove themselves and look forward to next year.

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About the Contributor
Kelly Kaelblein
Kelly Kaelblein, Asst. Sports Editor
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