After a slow start in which it was winless in its first four games, the Florida Gators club hockey team has won 17-straight and most recently qualified for nationals at the South Regional Championship in Pelham, AL.

Given a No. 6 ranking going into the tournament, Florida rattled off a 5-2 win over No. 7 East Carolina before taking on the No. 3 Loyola-Marymount Greyhounds.

Up a goal (2-1) with 28.5 seconds left, the Gators gave up a score to Rob Summerlin. Just when it looked like Florida would have to go into overtime, senior assistant captain Matt Chais made a power move to the net and scored with 14.5 seconds remaining to give the Gators a 3-2 victory.

“We were huge underdogs, no other players, coaches or directors around the league thought we should have even been at regionals,” Chais told OGGOA reader Aaron H., who brought this story to our attention. “However, we’ve now won 16 games in a row [and haven’t lost] since October 23.”

Trying to capitalize on its success, the Gators took on and eventually fell to the No. 1-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 3-2 in the SEC Championship game, simultaneously snapping its 17-game winning streak.

Florida is one of four teams from the Southeastern region to earn a trip to nationals, where it will compete against 15 other squads for the 2010 American Collegiate Hockey Association D3 National Championship.

The Gators will face College of Canyons, Saginaw Valley State and Robert Morris in pool play at nationals from March 10-13 at the Germain Arena in Estero, FL.

Tags: ACHA, D3 National Championship, hockey, Matt Chais, South Regional Championship

1 » Playing college football at the University of Florida is not the only thing five-star safety Matt Elam (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) and former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow have in common anymore. Elam, like Tebow in 2005, has been named Mr. Football for the state of Florida. He will be presented the award at halftime of the Florida vs. South Carolina Gamecocks basketball game on Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

2 » Averaging career-highs in minutes (34.4), field goal percentage (.584), free throw percentage (.754), rebounds (9.7) and points (13.7), former Gators forward/center Al Horford is tearing it up in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks. He has already compiled six 20-point games in 2009, and his coaches believe that much of his success can be attributed to the extra work he puts in at practice. “He’s one of those guys that’s going to continue to work and add something to his game every year,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “When you do that, that’s when you become an All-Star and a player in this league that everybody respects.”

3 » The Florida club ice hockey team took home the Thrasher Cup this past weekend after defeating both the Georgia and Florida State club teams. Standing at 8-4 on the season, UF’s squad won the Savannah Tire Hockey Classic in Savannah, GA, for the first time in team history. The club team competes in Division III in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

4 » Though, as OGGOA previously reported, four-star safety commitment Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes, FL) has plans to visit both the Florida State Seminoles and USC Trojans over the next two weekends, he told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel that he is just doing his due diligence. “I’ve been to Florida several times on unofficial visits,” Dorsey said, “but I figured I’d take a couple of visits just to make sure Florida is where I want to go to school. [The Gators are] still on top, they’re still my No. 1. They aren’t going anywhere. I’d say right now they’re about 90-95 percent.”

Tags: Al Horford, American Collegiate Hockey Association, Atlanta Hawks, Demar Dorsey, Florida State Seminoles, hockey, Matt Elam, Mike Woodson, Mr. Football, NBA, O'Connell Center, Savannah Tire Hockey Classic, Thrasher Cup, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, USC Trojans