Game 1 (Friday, Dec. 3, 2021): FAU 4, Ole Miss 3

The FAU Hockey Club (10-3-1-0, 8-1-0-0 SECHC) started off a great weekend against their rivals, the University of Mississippi (5-4-0-0, 5-4-0-0 SECHC), with a 4-3 win in a tight matchup on Friday night. This game marked the first time the Owls faced off against the Ole Miss Rebels since falling to them at the regionals in March 2020.

The first half of period one was composed of back-and-forth action where both teams had decent opportunities but could not score off them.

Seven minutes into the period, the Rebels took a hooking penalty and FAU went on the powerplay. The Owls finally converted at 11:28 when freshmen defenseman Justin Machovina scored from in front of the net. It was Machovina’s third goal of the season, as junior forwards Matias Weir and Myles Davidson both maneuvered the puck through Mississippi’s defense to provide the assists. 

The Owls continued pressuring and were rewarded again with 7:12 to go in the first period when junior forward Jake Friedman scored from the slot after receiving a pass from Weir.

Less than a minute later, the Owls got on the scoresheet again after senior defenseman Kyle Kaserman fired a shot from the point to make it 3-0. Junior defenseman David Israel and Weir both earned assists on this play. In Weir’s case, it was his third and final assist of the night.

The Rebels were not out of the game despite being behind by multiple goals, however, and only 21 seconds after Kaserman’s goal, they scored to make it 3-1. At 4:48, the Rebels scored again making it 3-2 before intermission.

The second period began much like the first, as scoring chances occurred at both ends of the ice.

With 13 minutes left in period two, Israel put the Owls up 4-2 when he launched the puck over the shoulder of Mississippi’s goalie. This ended up being the game-winning goal for FAU. Israel was assisted by senior centerman Nick Pica and sophomore forward Nick McInchak.

Not long after, the Rebels responded with their own offensive pressure on the Owls. Sophomore goalie Sean Williams made several great saves to keep the Owls’ two-goal lead going into the second intermission.

Ole Miss pushed desperately to tie the game in the third period. FAU had to commit a penalty kill at 14:51, but an inspired defensive effort from the Owls prevented Mississippi from generating much offense during its advantage.

Eight minutes into the final period, the Rebels scored to make it 4-3. The closing minutes of the game were tense as the Owls played hard to maintain their one-goal lead. The Rebels pulled their goalie in the final minute of play to put an extra player on the ice, but the Owls held on for the win.

Nicholas Montante is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected], or tweet him @nickmontante1.

Game 2 (Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021): FAU 6, Ole Miss 3

The Owls (11-3-1-0, 9-1-0-0 SECHC) won their second consecutive game against the University of Mississippi (5-5-0-0, 5-5-0-0 SECHC) on home ice. FAU held the Rebels to three goals each in both games of the two-game set.

Junior forward Matias Weir found the back of the net early on, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, freshman defenseman Justin Machovina set up freshman forward Quin Menosky for the Owls’ second goal.

Weir lit the lamp again, putting FAU up 3-0. Senior center Nick Pica later found twine for the team’s fourth goal. FAU took their four-goal lead into the locker room at the end of the second period.

Quickly into the third period, the Rebels stopped sophomore goaltender Sean Williams’ shutout bid. 

Weir completed the hat-trick of three goals, pushing the Owls’ lead to 5-1 with 12:42 to go.

Junior forward Myles Davidson buried a top-shelf goal to increase FAU’s lead to five.

The Rebels tried to rally, scoring goals with 3:17 and 1:34 left on the game clock, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

This marked the final game of 2021 for the Owls, but they will resume play on Friday, Jan. 14 with a road game against Lynn University. The game will be played at Palm Beach Skatezone in Lake Worth, Fla. and will begin at 8 p.m. That game will be followed by a home match against the University of Miami on Saturday, Jan. 15 at the same venue and time. 

Bryce Totz is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected], or tweet him @brycetotz.