From Savannah Morning News

By Latrice Williams

Florida State rallied from a 5-1 deficit to beat rival Georgia Tech 6-5 in two overtime periods on Friday night, Jan. 17, at the 22nd annual Enmarket Savannah Hockey Classic.

That was just the opener of the two-day club ice hockey event at the Savannah Civic Center. Georgia played conference rival Florida in the late game Friday night.

Mason Coletta was the hero of the opener, belting the goal that not only secured the victory for the Seminoles, but put them in position to win it all Saturday.

“That was the craziest game I’ve ever played in,” said Coletta, who scored with about four minutes left in the second 5-minute overtime period. “Georgia Tech, we played them a lot. They are in our division and we don’t like those guys. We were down 5-1. We came back into the locker room and we said that the next time we are in the locker room we can either be sad or we can be fired up and ready to go.

“We came out and we got the first one and another one after that, and one after that, and then we took it to overtime. It was a great team win. Our goalie Marcus (Alfaro) told me they got a lot of lucky bounces but they won’t get another one. He stuck to his word.”

“It’s amazing,” said FSU assistant coach Ryan Smith. “We emphasize you have to skate hard and play hard and play as a team. It’s amazing to watch the effort they had out there. You can’t train that and you can’t coach that. We are proud of them.”

Alfaro was tested early and often against defending champion Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets came out firing on all cylinders, getting two consecutive goals. But what was a comfortable 5-1 lead slowly diminished over time.

As the Florida State offense started to wake up, so did Alfaro, who made a commitment to his team that he was going to bring his A-game moving forward.

“I’m so proud of Marcus,” Coletta said. “He’s only a sophomore and he doesn’t have too much experience (in this game). Oh my gosh, that guy can play. Without him we would not have won the game.”

The win is especially meaningful for Florida State, which trails the three other teams in capturing the Thrasher Cup in the Hockey Classic. Georgia and Georgia Tech each have won eight times, and Florida three. FSU, which joined the fray the second year in 2000, won in 2008 and 2016.

“We are Florida State, we are the underdogs. We don’t practice at all, so this is our situation,” Coletta said. “This is our biggest tournament of the year; we play for this all season. We knew we had to come out flying. We didn’t want to be disappointed.”

Having won the Thrasher Cup just two times, Coletta said it would mean everything to him bring the trophy back to Tallahassee.

“It would be a great feeling,” Coletta said. “This is my third one and we never really come close to winning. Winning the first game is big. We know if we get the win, it’s over.”

“It means everything,” Smith said. “It means the world to these kids and it means the world to us.”

Coletta led the Seminoles with two goals and two assists. Patrick Kenefick, Nick Rupp, Quinn Larson and Dominic Costello each added one goal for FSU.

On Saturday, Florida and Florida State play at 5:30 p.m., followed by Georgia and Georgia Tech at 8:30 p.m. The team with the best record over two days, or by tiebreaker, captures the Thrasher Cup.

MEET THE ICE DAWGS

University of Georgia fans can meet the Ice Dawgs club hockey team while it is in town to compete in the 22nd annual Enmarket Savannah Hockey Classic. At 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, the UGA hockey team and the Savannah Chapter of the UGA Alumni Association will host a meet-and-greet in the lobby of the Springhill Suites Hotel by Marriott across from the Savannah Civic Center. Fans can talk with players, take a selfie and cheer them on before they play Georgia Tech at 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

 (Originally published at https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/20200117/florida-state-overcomes-5-1-deficit-to-beat-georgia-tech-in-savannah-hockey-classic-opener)