Ice hockey tournament set for October 3rd through October 5th, 2014, at the Ford Ice Center in Antioch, Tennessee, will focus on academic excellence in addition to athletic performance
Tuesday, 08.19.2014 | 12:00PMÂ |Â Vanderbilt Hockey Team
NASHVILLE, TN – Vanderbilt University’s ice hockey club will host the inaugural 2014 MAPCO College Hockey Scholar Shootout Friday, October 3rd, through Sunday, October 5th, 2014, the Vanderbilt Hockey program announced today. The tournament will feature Vanderbilt alongside hockey programs from five other universities: the University of Florida, Georgia Tech, the University of North Carolina, Northwestern, and Wake Forest.
“The excitement for this event is huge because you have some big name schools participating,” Vanderbilt sophomore and co-chair for the Scholar Shootout Andrew Dellapina said, “and especially because we’re putting such a special focus on the ‘student’ part of the student-athlete paradigm.â€
The teams participating, club-level programs that participate in the American Collegiate Hockey Conference (ACHA), all hail from universities that rank in the top-50 academically according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 College Rankings.
“The hockey players participating are non-scholarship athletes who are truly students first,†Vanderbilt head coach Thomas Bernstein said, “but they also love hockey and take a lot of pride in playing for their schools. They’re super talented, competitive athletes who all want to win this tournament so it should make for a really entertaining experience for players, coaches, and especially fans.â€
The Shootout will take place at the Ford Ice Center, a brand new facility built by the city of Nashville and managed by the Nashville Predators organization. The 86,000-square-foot facility, which houses two ice rinks, eight locker rooms, several multi-function rooms, concession stands, a pro-shop, a workout facility, a video room and space for restaurants, is set to open its doors later this month.
“The opening of Ford Ice Center is an exciting time for both the hockey and skating communities in Middle Tennessee,†Ford Ice Center General Manager Danny Butler said. “All of us at Ford Ice Center are proud to be home to the Vanderbilt Hockey Club this season and are looking forward to welcoming the visiting teams at the Scholar Shootout in October, an event that showcases great student-athletes and is another shining example of how hockey is growing in the south.â€
The event will be free for fans courtesy of MAPCO, the title sponsor for the event.
Further details on the 2014 MAPCO College Hockey Scholar Shootout, including the schedule for games, will be released in the coming weeks via the @VandyIceHockey Twitter account and www.vanderbilthockey.com website.