The 2019 Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference has crowned another champion. The University of Georgia, who came into the tournament as the #1 seed, beat Tennessee, Arkansas, and Ole Miss to take home the Kenneth Day Championship Cup.
Along the way, though, the tournament produced several highlight-worthy performances from members of all eight teams. With the help of nearly two dozen volunteer scorekeepers and stats trackers, we were able to follow closely along for all of the Friday and Saturday games.
Shot attempts
This portion of the awards can also be known as the Corsi Cup. Georgia’s dominance is evident here, but South Carolina is represented as well. I present the top three producers of shot attempts (SAT) at this year’s SECHC championship tournament:
All these boys do is shoot the puck.
Shots on goal
Shot attempts are nice and all, but accuracy is important. Shots on goal (SOG) refer to shot attempts that find the back of the net or require a save. Florida and Ole Miss earn their way into the rankings here via defenseman Daniel Clifford and forward Braden Storner, who tied for third place:
Goalies, beware.
Quality shot attempts
Shot quality is what separates the adults from the children. It takes a strong hockey IQ, sense of positioning, and usually some physicality, to produce shot attempts from really dangerous parts of the ice. We measured these as “quality shot attempts” (QSAT).
In this case, we have a three-way tie for third place. Tennessee makes its way into the leader rankings here, on the efforts of forward Drew King.
Faceoff win percentage
In the big leagues, teams are trying all kinds of fancy nonsense during faceoffs, like set plays based on losing the draw. This is college hockey though, and we’re here to WIN, baby! Three players rose to the challenge more than any others.
Georgia’s Christopher Santa Maria was really in a class of his own here, winning two-thirds of his 36 faceoffs.
Blocked shots
As these players returned to their morning lectures, some will be hurting a little more than others. The shot block (BLK) epitomizes sacrifice, and should always be respected. In this case, we have a four-way tie for third place:
Thoughts and prayers, boys. Grab an ice pack and some ibuprofen after class.
Save percentage
Skaters tend to take all the credit on the ice. Everyone knows the real workhorses are the players in the blue paint. This tournament produced some really special goaltending performances, some of which are captured here by the save percentage (SV%) leaderboard.
All of these players deserve heaps of credit, but give a special shoutout to Kyler Muruve, who faced nearly 100 shots in two games.
Scoring leaders
Enough of the fancy stuff, let’s get to the meat and potatoes: goals and assists. Which players were able to capitalize on their chances, or find the deadly pass through the crease? Three players stood out especially.
Congratulations, fellas. Remember to save those scoresheets for your next contract negotiation.
Team totals
Georgia skated away with the giant trophy, but there are other bragging rights to be had. Need something to rub in the face of that obnoxious coworker or classmate? Take a look at how your team fared:
George and I really could not have done this without the fantastic work of all the volunteers who helped out. You came from near and far to support an incredible local hockey event, gave us your best, and were all a pleasure to work with.
To the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else who came out to participate, congratulations on a fantastic and competitive tournament.