Along with the rest of campus, the Vanderbilt hockey club is preparing for the 2013/14 school year with great anticipation. The upcoming campaign will be the club’s 37th since its founding and the sixth since the start of the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC).
Heading into the season, the club looks to welcome a sizable rookie class from all across the eastern half of the country. The players who have gotten in touch with the team so far include:
- Bandar Alsaif – Great Falls, VA
- Marc Balistrere – Hopkinsville, KY
- Andrew Dellapina – Randolph, NJ
- Benjamin Gallatin – Dayton, OH
- Rob Harrigan – Amherst, NH
- Nick Honkala – Pittsburgh, PA
- John Longman – Shaker Heights, OH
- Riley Macdonald – Westport, CT
- Alak Mehta – Montville, NJ
- Eddie Meyercord – Princeton, NJ
- Matthew Neurohr – Wexford, PA
- Ketul Patel – Kendall Park, NJ
- Zach Satin – Potomac, MD
- Stephen Wei – Pittsburgh, PA
The club will welcome back a slew of veterans as well headlined by 2012/13 assistant captains Jack Delehey, the club’s president, and David “Sunshine” Crowe. Team MVP Daniel Hogue will be returning for his junior year as will second team All-SECHC defenseman Greg Kirk.
Kirk, who suffered a broken foot in April’s I-65 Face Off versus Alabama, is especially excited to hit the ice. “Honestly, I’ve spent the summer eating really poorly and shuffling from one couch to another. My body could use a little get-up-and-go.”
Rising sophomore Jack Gibbons is also pumped up for the season. “I have a career penalty minute crown to secure,” noted Gibbons, referring to the career statistics that were published earlier this summer. “I mean, if I weren’t hurt last year I’d own that record already with three more years to go. It’s in the bag.” Gibbons also looks forward to scoring a few goals in honor of his adoring public – a.k.a. the “Gibby Fan Club.”
The team will get the season started with a “Rookie Kickoff” on Saturday, August 24th, that will include a team meeting at the Student Recreation Center from 11-11:45am followed by a team lunch from noon to 2pm at Sportsman’s Grill in Hillsboro Village. We’ll be welcoming a special guest from the Nashville hockey community to join us so be sure to drop in if you’re a hockey player and interested in the club. Tryouts will then follow on Monday (8/26 at 8:20pm) and Wednesday (8/28 at 8:00pm), both at Centennial Sportsplex just off of campus.
Download the full 2013/14 kickoff schedule today >>
As always, stay tuned to www.vanderbilthockey.com along with Twitter and Facebook for the latest on the team throughout the season. We appreciate your support and look forward to a great 2013/14 campaign. ANCHOR DOWN!