Author: Vanderbilt Hockey

Updates to Vandy Hockey Coaching and Student Leadership


Following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 Vanderbilt Hockey Season, head coach Max Mona, P’21-22, HC’22-25, who led the Vanderbilt hockey program from 2022-2025, has stepped down from his head coaching role and will move into an advisor/coordinator position. We are extremely grateful for Max’s time as head coach and he leaves behind him a much stronger program.

2024-25 Assistant Coach Andrew Shearson, P’22-24, AC’24-25, will be stepping into the head coaching role for the 2025-2026 campaign. Coach Shearson began his college career goaltending at NCAA D3 Middlebury before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2021, where he studied communications and backstopped the program to their first National tournament in 2023. In his time as a player, Shearson was named team MVP in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, and was named a College Hockey South All-Star, along with 2nd-Team All-Conference in the 2023-2024 season. After studying under Mona for the 24-25 season, Coach Shearson feels both “confident and excited” to be stepping into the head coaching position.

Supporting Coach Shearson as assistant coaches are Reese Popkin, P’23-25, Harrison Parent, P’22-25, and Thomas Lokken. Popkin and Parent both join the coaching staff following two year playing stints as a graduate students at Vanderbilt. Thomas Lokken spent the previous four years playing at the University of South Carolina, where he was a part of the Cock hockey squad which captured an AAU D1 national championship during the 2023-24 season.

Our Student President for the 2025-2026 season is Will Pho, ’27, a defenseman from Toronto, Ontario, studying Mechanical Engineering. His supporting cast consists of three Vice Presidents: F Emmett Kappesser (MHS and Economics, ’26), D Matt DeAnzeris (Mechanical Engineering, ’27), and F Jack Torinus (Biology, ’28), along with Secretary F Michael Cowling (Economics, ’28), and Treasurer F Cole Miller (Economics, ’27).

Vanderbilt Drops Final Game of Pool Play to Clemson, 3-2

The Commodores dropped the final pool play game to Clemson University, 3-2. They ended pool play with a 1-2 record. 

 

Vanderbilt once again faced a numerical disadvantage. They were forced to roll 15 skaters to Clemson’s 20. That said, they put up a good fight. 

 

The Tigers scored two goals in quick succession midway through the first. Julian Yang got the Commodores back in it with a goal 36 seconds into the second. That was the only offense either team could muster in the middle frame.

 

With 14 shots in the last period, Vanderbilt made a big push to tie the game, but Clemson doubled their lead late. That would be the dagger the Tigers needed to win it.

 

Andrew Fietze scored for the Commodores with 46 seconds left, but it was too little too late for Vanderbilt. 

 

The Tigers narrowly out-shot Vanderbilt, 34 to 32. Clemson went undefeated in pool play. Its 3-2 victory over Vanderbilt was the closest game they have played in the tournament. 

With a 5-4 Win Over Liberty, Vanderbilt Picks up First Nationals Win in Program History

With a 5-4 win over Liberty University, Vanderbilt earned its first Nationals win in program history. 

 

Andrew Shearson made 53 saves on 57 shots to keep the Commodores in the game from start to finish. 

 

Freshman Dominick Kamssu led the Commodores with a goal and two assists for three points. Julian Yang and Andrew Fietz each scored two points in the win. 

 

The Flames struck first with a power play goal late in the first. 

 

The second period was wildly back-and-forth. Kamssu scored for Vanderbilt to even it up, but Liberty went back up less than two minutes later.

 

Five minutes in, Fietze scored Vanderbilt’s second game-tying goal, and less than a minute later, Yang put them ahead. 

 

Midway through the period, the Flames tied it up, and with three minutes left, they went ahead. Going into the second intermission, Liberty was up 4-3.

 

Six minutes into the third, Harrison Parent, assisted by Kamssu and Braden Pichel, tied it for Vanderbilt. It was the third game-tying goal for the Commodores. 

 

Reese Popkin scored the game-winning goal on the power play with less than five minutes to go. 

 

The Commodores deployed five fewer skaters than the Flames, and they were heavily outshot, 22 to 57, but they still picked up a much-needed victory. 

Vanderbilt Drops First Game of Pool Play to Bishop, 5-2

The Commodores started pool play on the wrong foot. They lost 5-2 to Bishop University, the top-seeded team in Pool El. 

 

The Gaiters put up 45 shots to Vanderbilts 23. The Commodores only mustered two shots in the first period but were able to bounce back with 11 and 10 in the second and third periods. 

 

Bishop scored early in the first and doubled its lead on the power play six minutes into the second.

 

Vanderbilt got back into the game with a power play goal from senior Julian Yang with 12 seconds to go in the period.

 

The Gaiters reestablished their two-goal lead midway through the third, but Braden Pichel scored the Commodores’ second power-play goal to get back within one. 

 

Two goals from Bishop in the last three minutes of the contest would put the game on ice. 

 

It is worth noting that Bishop deployed four more skaters than Vanderbilt, so they could spread ice time through more players. 

 

“I thought the team showed remarkable resilience and determination,” said head coach Max Mona, “They truly exemplified our team’s spirit, maintaining a narrow gap against the highest-ranked team in our pool for the majority of the game.”

 

The Commodores will face off against Liberty University at 6 p.m. ET tonight. Liberty lost 5-2 against Clemson to open pool play.