Game Day Preview: South Florida vs. Tampa
It’s GAME DAY Bulls fans! This is going to be an exciting weekend for hockey as USF gets set to take on the University of Tampa in the Battle of the Bay. The Bulls have two games this weekend. The first is tonight (9/28) at 8:30 pm, the second is tomorrow (9/29) at 2:30 pm, and both are at Florida Hospital Center Ice.
UT is Coming in Hot…
The University of Tampa comes into this weekend with an impressive 4-0 record to start the season. They’ve opened by sweeping both the University of Miami and Kennesaw State University in separate two-game series. The Spartans are led by freshman Stephen Buck and sophomore Matthew McCarthy, each with 3 goals, 4 assists, and 7 points total in 4 games played. Goalies Salvatore Corallo and Ethan Marsh have each started and won 2 games, Corallo stopping 45 of 52 shots and Marsh stopping 43 of 51 shots. The Bulls and Spartans played each other four times last season, with the Bulls taking the series 3-1. Watch out for UT, as they will be playing for revenge this weekend.
…but the Bulls are on Fire
The Bulls enter tonight’s game after dominating Embry-Riddle 10-1 to start the season. First-year captain Kenny Weightman did an excellent job leading his team, posting 2 goals, 3 assists, and 5 points total in that win. The Bulls also received significant offensive production from new player Michael Lozicki (2g-2a-4pt), as well as returning players Angelo Pata (2g-1a-3pt) and Brock Hoffman (0g-3a-3pt). All three goalies did an excellent job splitting responsibilities between the three periods. Samuel Coleman stopped 5 of 5 shots in the 1st period, Tim Henning stopped 11 of 12 shots in the 2nd, and Matthew Richard stopped 6 of 6 shots in the 3rd.
One of the reasons the Bulls were so successful against Embry-Riddle was their speed. They caused a lot of turnovers, created chances off the rush, and disrupted ERAU’s attack with their backchecking. Another factor was their size. They were able to effectively box out ERAU’s players and keep them to the outside, making it much easier on their goalies. If USF wants to continue their success against UT from last season, they will need to keep doing what they did against ERAU, using their speed and size to their advantage.
Written by Ian MacLeod.
