MARIETTA, GA– Owls club ice hockey increased its winning streak to six games with a series sweep over Alabama at the Atlanta Ice House to put the club in prime position as school entered winter break.
The series’ opening game on Nov. 22 ended in a 3-1 victory for Kennesaw State thanks to forward Sebastian Zamborsky, defensemen Bradley Burton and forward Chris Scott all scoring goals.
The series’ closing game on Nov. 23 was forfeited by Alabama due to numerous player injuries. In place of the scheduled game, the Owls ran a team scrimmage game with free admission for fans in attendence.
The Owls are rolling as of late, winning their last six games after starting off the season 3-3.
The conclusion of the series came at the end of the Owls’ season for the Fall semester, with their next series coming against Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 17 and 18.
At the break, the Owls sit with a 9-3 record on the season and in the third spot of the College Hockey South Division 3 North standings.
With their series win against Alabama, the Owls earned four points, jumping the Crimson Tide and Georgia.
With their third place spot in the standings, the Owls would earn themselves a spot in the D-3 playoffs, if the season were to end today.
The Owls now find themselves behind South Carolina (7-0, 14 points) and division leading Tennessee (8-1-1, 17 points).
The top five teams in the division standings will earn spots to the D-3 playoffs, which means that as of now, the Owls would join Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama as the representatives from CHS’s North division.
The Owls also find themselves in good standing with division rankings.
In the latest rankings from Nov 27, KSU is ranked 13th among D-3 teams, one spot below Alabama despite beating them in their previous matchup.
The top 16 teams in D-3 rankings, by season’s end, will receive an invite to the national tournament.
The Owls are one of six CHS teams that would be represented in nationals, if the season were to end today. They would be joined by South Carolina (third), Tennessee (seventh), Florida Atlantic (eighth), Alabama (12th), and Georgia (14th).
In matchups against their fellow ranked opponents, the Owls are 2-2 with a series sweep against Alabama and being swept by Tennessee in their third series of the season. The Owls will play against South Carolina and Georgia in their final two matchups of the season, both series that will have a pivotal impact on playoff seeding.
Zamborsky has been highlighted as one of College Hockey South’s stars for Division 3 North for the month of November.
In five games played in November, Zamborsky totaled 10 goals and seven assists for a total of 17 points.
Players stepping up like this will be key for the Owls as they look to finish the season strong and punch their ticket to the postseason when the season resumes on Jan 24, in a two game series on the road against South Carolina.
