The Clemson club ice hockey team split its series with the Alabama Huntsville Chargers this past weekend on Oct. 20-21. The Tigers fell short, 4-2, in the first game but bounced back with a 5-1 win the next day courtesy of Herb Kopf, who netted his second hat trick of the season.
The score danced back and forth in the opener, as Ronan Bryant put Clemson on the board with 2:42 left in the first period, but the Chargers netted an equalizer less than a minute later.
Halfway through the second period, Cade Heinold reclaimed the lead for Clemson. However, Alabama Huntsville went on to score two power-play goals in the second period and another in the final period to solidify its 4-2 win.
The Tigers wasted no time in Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Heinold and Kopf. Kopf scored his first goal on the power play during the first period, then went on to score the Tigers’ only goal in the second period and their first goal in the third. The natural hat trick was his second of the season.
“I had a lucky three goals,” Kopf said. “I have great linemates, and they put me in great spots.”
But a 4-1 lead was not enough for the Tigers, and freshman forward Will Ralsten added Clemson’s fifth and final goal on the power play just two minutes into the third period. For the next 18 minutes, Clemson fought off the Chargers to walk away with a 1-1-0 record for the series.
“We played solid,” Kopf commented. “Got pucks out and deep, which we have been working on…the three-headed monster line (Patrick O’Brien, Alex Wallace and Ethan Callahan) has been buzzing. It’s good to have them going.”
Clemson remains the No. 1 ranked team in the College Hockey South Division II standings with an overall record of 8-2-0.
The team intends to keep rolling, especially with more critical games rapidly approaching.
“(We) definitely want to make a run at nationals and win, and we also have some big in-state games coming up that we want to win.”
The Tigers look to keep rolling as they return home this Saturday, Oct. 28, for a cross-conference matchup against Division I Delaware.
