Hockey heats up in the South: SEC club teams to compete in Nashville's Frozen showcase
Ice hockey is gaining ground in the heart of SEC country, with club teams from several Southeastern Conference universities set to take center stage at the inaugural Southeast Collegiate Frozen Showcase in January 2026.
While the SEC and NCAA do not officially sanction the sport, club hockey programs representing Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, and Mississippi will compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division II event at the Ford Ice Center in Nashville from Jan. 9-11, 2026. The showcase highlights the rapid growth and increasing competitiveness of non-varsity college hockey across the South, with many of the team's who's institutions are of members of the Southeastern Conference having great success on the ice.
The Texas Longhorns, fresh off a standout season, are among the featured teams. Texas punched its ticket to the ACHA Division II National Championship after a dramatic run at regionals in Colorado, including an overtime victory against the University of California, Berkeley. The Longhorns' success reflects a broader surge in interest and achievement for hockey programs at SEC schools, many of which compete in the ACHA or the AAU's College Hockey South Conference.
Club hockey in the region has seen significant expansion, with College Hockey South now comprising 50 teams from 30 schools across eight states. Some SEC programs, including Ole Miss, Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama, are exploring the formation of an all-SEC hockey league, citing increased interest and recruitment. 'There's been a lot of discussion around SEC, ACHA and other options,' said Max Mona, head coach of the Vanderbilt Club Hockey team. 'We've given our players the flexibility to decide on leagues and scheduling.'
For now, the Southeast Collegiate Frozen Showcase will serve as a marquee event for SEC hockey enthusiasts, offering a glimpse of the sport's rising profile in the region and the potential for even greater growth in the years ahead.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
11 minutes ago
- USA Today
Scottie Scheffler explains how he chose his fill-in caddie for Ted Scott for the BMW
Ted Scott has been on Scottie Scheffler's bag for all 17 of his victories since they started working together in late 2021. OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Nathan Hubbard, the brother of veteran pro Mark Hubbard, may have described Scottie Scheffler's dominant stretch this season best in a humorous tweet: 'The only thing beating Scottie Scheffler head-to-head right now is his hairline.' Scheffler has won four times, including two majors, and hasn't finished outside the top 8 in his last 12 starts, the longest stretch of such form since Tom Weiskpof did so more than 50 years ago. But Scheffler will have a new twist to deal with this week as he pursues his fifth victory of the season at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club. He'll be without caddie Ted Scott, who is dealing with a family matter. Scheffler didn't want to speak about whether Scott might return for next week's Tour Championship but said, 'I think Ted's where he needs to be right now, and I think caddying is probably the last thing on his mind, as it should be.' He added: 'I've been able to talk to him a few times. The family is in good spirits. Everybody seems to be doing well. I'm not going to comment any further on anything going on with his family.' Scheffler had Brad Payne, a Tour chaplain and president of College Golf Fellowship, fill in on the bag on Sunday for the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He shot 67 and finished T-3, one stroke shy of a playoff. 'That was definitely a bit more of a surprise for me and Ted,' Scheffler said of Scott's departure on Saturday evening. 'Brad did a great job stepping in, but Brad is a friend, he's not a professional caddie.' Who will be Scottie Scheffler's caddie at the BMW Championship? Scheffler has elected to use Michael Cromie, an All-SEC golfer at University of Georgia and winner of the 2014 North & South Amateur at Pinehurst, as his caddie this week. Cromie works for his former Georgia teammate Chris Kirk, but was available to step in for Scheffler because Kirk finished 51st in the FedEx Cup standings and failed to qualify for the BMW, an event where only the top 50 advance for the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. 'Mike's a great guy,' Scheffler said on Wednesday during his pre-tournament press conference. 'He's just going to try to fill in as best he can this week. Just asking little stuff. A lot of it is just more routine, like, 'Hey, how do you like me to give you the numbers?' When I say I'm hitting a hold shot, he's like, 'Well, what does that mean?' Just little stuff like that that we're figuring out as the week goes on. I'd say most of it is just little stuff like that. He's like, 'Hey, what's your hydration?' When do you like to eat?' Just little stuff like that. I think there's a lot of little stuff that caddies do that go kind of unnoticed throughout a round, and Michael is doing his best to try and figure those things out. I'm trying to also help remember what those things are as well.' Several caddies reached out to the Scheffler camp offering to help the world No. 1 with Scott on the sidelines but Cromie received the Scott seal of approval. 'Ted's good buddies with him. I always liked him. He's a young guy, works hard,' Scheffler said. 'Chris was very nice to let Cromie come work with me this week. He had a good finish to the season. He was a little bit on the outside looking in, but played really good and was close at the end. It was really nice of him to lend his caddie for the week. That was very kind of him.' Scheffler noted that he had to walk off his numbers on Sunday just to double check what Payne came up with and that having a professional caddie by his side will remove some of the stress for him. 'Doing the numbers myself, it's just a bit more work doing that over a four-day event, and that can take a toll on you. It's nice for me to be able to walk up to the ball, see the shot that I can imagine hitting, and then when the numbers come, we start trying to really dial it in,' he explained. 'I think when you have a professional on the bag, it's a bit different, and Michael is someone -- it's not that I don't trust Brad to do the numbers. It was just something that I think both of us probably thought it was a good idea to be double-checking each other.' Scheffler will be in good hands this week but it still marks a significant change and something worth keeping an eye on in regards to how Scheffler handles being without Scott, who has been on the bag for all 17 of his victories since they started working together in late 2021.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit
ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit originally appeared on The Spun. This week is turning out to be a pretty memorable one for ESPN host and reporter Laura Rutledge. Rutledge started her ESPN career in 2014 as a SEC reporter. She was eventually named the host of "NFL Live" in June 2020. While she'll continue to host that show during the 2025 season, she'll also have to carve out time in her schedule for an elevated role on "Monday Night Football." It was reported on Tuesday that Rutledge will join Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and Lisa Salters for every "Monday Night Football" game this season. "Rutledge, now a two-time Emmy recipient as the host of NFL Live and reporting for SEC on ABC, has joined Buck, Aikman and Salters for marquee MNF regular season games and ESPN's Wild Card and Divisional playoff games for the past few seasons, sharing the sidelines with Salters more than a dozen times," ESPN's press release states. "In those same seasons, Rutledge was the sideline reporter with Fowler, Orlovsky, and Riddick for select MNF dual game weeks. This season, in addition to appearing on MNF each week, fans will continue to see Rutledge host NFL Live and SEC Nation on Saturday mornings." Instead of celebrating her promotion, Rutledge showed love to her "Monday Night Football" teammates. "Congratulations to Lisa who continues to set the standard in our business. Class, talent and professionalism personified," Rutledge wrote on X. "So excited for you two, Katie George and Peter Schrager." Just a few hours after landing this promotion, Rutledge hopped on the set of "NFL Live" to conduct her usual role. She wore a dress that clearly grabbed people's attention. "Goodness, Laura. You look amazing," one fan wrote on X. "Wow, Laura. Also congrats on the MNF gig," another fan said. "Ok Laura has definitely been in the gym. Great job," a third fan commented. It's safe to say Rutledge is a fan favorite at ESPN. Football fans will get to see plenty of Rutledge this fall due to her roles on "NFL Live" and "Monday Night Football." The NFL season officially begins on Sept. 4 when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit first appeared on The Spun on Aug 13, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida star QB DJ Lagway's injury raises concern about College Football Playoff run
It doesn't matter how it happened, only that it did. And that the long- and short-term future for one of college football's top young players is now in question. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is quickly becoming Mr. Glass. Shoulder, hamstring and core injuries in his first year in Gainesville, and now a calf injury in fall camp. 'I'm not an injury-prone guy,' Lagway said last month during SEC media days. Then a left calf strain arrived before the start of fall camp, and now the inevitable is here: when and how could the glass crack again? Lagway missed time or didn't participate full-go throughout the entire offseason, multiple injuries not only stalling his development - but also leaving the Gators' 2025 resurgence in question. In one short year, Lagway's injury timeline has moved from unlucky to unnerving. Whether it's increased level of competition, intensity of training or just plain bad luck, four injuries (two relatively serious) before the start of Lagway's second season is cause for concern. More problematic: it's not a long or difficult a jump from calf strain to a much bigger problem. Especially since we've seen it of late among the greatest athletes in sports. Aaron Rodgers and Tyrese Halliburton dealt with calf strains in the last two years, and both strains preceded season-ending Achilles injuries. Kevin Durant's Achilles injury in 2019 started with a calf strain, too. But before we go down that rabbit hole and scuttle the season for a rising star quarterback and a team with College Football Playoff hopes, before we make too much of Lagway wearing a compression wrap on his left calf in practice, maybe he's not Mr. Glass at all. Maybe he just got dinged more times than most. 'The whole injury thing, for the most part, is relatively new for me,' Lagway said last month, and he hasn't spoke to media since. 'I feel better than I ever have right now.' It was last month when Lagway admitted to USA TODAY Sports that the throwing shoulder injury didn't occur during his breakout freshman season as most believed, but that it was something he dealt with the entire season. A season in which he won every game he started and finished. His 6-1 record overall as a starter included a lone loss to Georgia, where he left late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury — with the Gators leading 10-3. Other than that, Lagway's freshman season (even with modest numbers) was high-level production in the nation's most difficult conference. He has had soreness in the shoulder since high school, and has typically used rehabilitation instead of surgery to overcome pain and stiffness. The shoulder injury (and the core injury) forced him to miss throwing in spring practice. Then the calf injury showed up before fall camp, and despite the soreness, Lagway has been throwing and looks sharper than ever. The only question now: will the calf hold up? 'The guy's been working hard all summer,' Florida coach Billy Napier said earlier this week. 'Certainly, hopefully, he'll be able to do more and more as we go day-to-day.' That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it's also all Napier and Florida have to hold. Because with Lagway, Florida is a legitimate threat to reach the College Football Playoff. Without him – and with sixth-year nomad Harrison Bailey or former walk-on Aidan Warner playing quarterback – the Gators may have problems reaching bowl eligibility. Earlier this week, former Alabama coach Nick Saban – speaking during his Nick's Kid's Foundation event – said five teams could win the SEC this season. One of those teams was Florida. ARCH MADNESS: Rumors with Nick Saban and Cleveland Browns are plain dumb TOUGH ROADS: College football toughest schedules based on preseason poll Even with the uncertainty of Lagway's health, or the nation's toughest schedule. Which, frankly, Napier and the team are getting tired of talking about. Spot the ball, they all say now. Doesn't matter that the schedule includes games away from Gainesville against Georgia, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M and Mississippi, and home games against Texas and Tennessee, Florida played the same schedule last year. And by the end of the regular season (and with a healthy Lagway), the Gators were playing as well as anyone in the SEC. There's a lot to like about this Florida team, one that Napier has patiently and organically built through high school recruiting instead of relying on the crapshoot that is the transfer portal. An experienced and deep offensive line, some of the SEC's best young skill players and a defense that developed last year with Lagway. In the six games Lagway started and completed, the Florida defense gave up an average of 13.1 points per game. In the other seven games, the Gators gave up an average of 31.5. 'He makes everyone better,' Napier said. 'That's what rare players do.' If they can stay on the field. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida faces DJ Lagway injury concern ahead of playoff run
