In a rematch of February's South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference semifinals, the Gamecocks take on defending conference champion Georgia at home Friday night.
After posting a near-perfect regular season in 2016-17, Georgia dropped both of its first two games of the year this weekend. Meanwhile, Gamecocks will return to Irmo in search of their first win since Sept. 22 after dropping consecutive games to UNC Wilmington Friday and Saturday.
Despite the Georgia Ice Dawgs' rough start, Friday's matchup presents a challenge for South Carolina. The Gamecocks have not defeated Georgia since taking a 6-1 win in Irmo on Oct. 19, 2014.
The Ice Dawgs went undefeated in conference play in 2016-17, finishing the regular season 21-1-0-1 and winning all three of their games at the SECHC Tournament to capture their second consecutive conference title.
Though losing all three, Gamecocks played Georgia close in each of their 2016-17 matchups. While the Ice Dawgs scored 10 or more goals in seven games last season, South Carolina never allowed more than five or lost by more than three in any of the teams' meetings.
Their semifinal game at the SECHC tournament was particularly close. After defeating Auburn 12-2 in the first round on Feb. 10, the Ice Dawgs needed a late third-period goal to edge South Carolina 5-4 the following day and reach the SECHC final. A 9-2 victory over Ole Miss on Feb. 12 sealed their second consecutive championship.
But the loss of leading scorer William Bray and starting goaltender Andrew Bray is taking its toll on the Ice Dawgs. Georgia enters Friday's matchup 0-1-1-0 after tying Georgia Tech and falling to Kennesaw State over the weekend. Though finding the net on nine occasions, the Ice Dawgs surrendered a hefty 15 goals in the process.
The Ice Dawgs are clearly still reeling from the loss of goaltender Bray, who stood in net for both conference championship teams and compiled an incredible 19-1-0-1 record with a 2.16 goals-against average in regular season and conference tournament play last season.
In Bray's place, the Ice Dawgs have a pair of rookie goaltenders, Emily Barber and Andrew Webb. Both stumbled this weekend, with Barber allowing six goals in a 35-minute appearance against Kennesaw State and Webb making only six saves on the nine shots he faced against Georgia Tech.
Georgia's offense still shined in the season opener Friday night, outshooting Georgia Tech 66-29 and tallying a goal from Caleb Santa Maria with 22 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Ultimately, a 60-save performance from Georgia Tech's Zach Cernich allowed the Yellow Jackets to salvage a 6-6 tie.
A match-up against Kennesaw State the following night was less successful, as the Owls never even trailed the Ice Dawgs en route to their third consecutive win. Carter Penzien had three assists for Georgia on the night, setting up Christopher Santa Maria for a pair of goals to help narrow the margin to a 9-3 final.
South Carolina's first conference game of the season gets underway Friday night at 9:15 p.m.