The Bearcats dropped two on the ice to the University of Tennessee on the Feb 11-12, being outscored 22 to 9 in the two games. The previous weekend they split with Vanderbilt, winning in come-from-behind fashion, spurred by a 29-save effort from Chris Deutsch on Saturday night. John Puhl scored two goals and Brandon Kiley scored his team-leading 20th goal on the year. The Bearcats found their way into the number ten spot in the Central Region of the ACHA in the final ranking of the season, but will mostly likely not qualify for the National Tournaments held in Pittsburgh.
They will finish the season Feb 18-19 against Division II’s Kentucky Wildcats, but their record will not put them in the top four in the region.
Sophomore defenseman Brandon Kiley proved to be one of the top two performers on the team and was not only the team’s best defenseman but also put up the best numbers offensively. He and Travis Slater, a center who also put up strong offensive numbers, were important parts of the team’s strong season.
Senior goaltender Chris Deutsch was 7-5, with a 4.90 Goals Against Average (GAA), and came through for the Bearcats when they needed him. This season was the team’s second and has built on their 2003-04 record of 11-13-3 (including two overtime losses). They look forward to improving it again next year.