*Editor’s Note: Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not the Kentucky Kernel as a whole.*
Kentucky hockey is gearing up for a return to action in back-to-back crucial contests against Liberty on Oct. 18 and 19. The Cats will hit the road to Lynchburg, Virginia, where the fate of the season may very well be on the line following a much-needed two week recess.
Eight games into the 2024-25 season, this Cats squad has been uninspiring to put it bluntly.
UK’s four total losses, including two in overtime, exhibit the group’s mediocracy, and if these first months have told us anything, it’s that, if Kentucky drops both games to Liberty, it can wave its hopes of a bid to the National Tournament goodbye.
Liberty historically produces talented teams and has one squad competing in each of the three American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) divisions compiling for a 13-3 record — one less loss than Kentucky’s single team.
Its Division-II program, which competes against Kentucky, is sitting pretty at 6–1.
This weekend will be a valuable midseason test for Head Coach Tim Pergram and his team to see whether or not they have what it takes to top one of the better teams in ACHA Division-II.
So far, it’s hard not to be critical of the style of play the squad has been running with this season.
In the first few games, it seemed that it put up positive performances, but there were some issues with its production on offense. Against a team like Liberty, the holes in its game will be at extreme risk of exploitation.
Kentucky has implemented much more aggressive play this season than shown in previous years, and this commitment to physicality has only ended up with guys in the box more often, compromising the team’s defensive efforts.
UK is second in the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL) in penalty minutes with 178 behind only Cincinnati with 199 minutes, though the Bearcats have more games played. To make matters worse, the offense has failed to put the puck in the net at a consistent rate and, with only 28 goals scored this season, its play has been short of expectations.
On the bright side, the combined goalie play from Arley Cutler and Riley Allen has been solid, allowing only 17 goals in their eight contests. It’s safe to say that they have kept the Cats in some close games prior to the break.
Currently sitting sixth in the TSCHL, two additional losses to Liberty would drop UK’s record to 4-6, and its season would realistically only go down from there.
Luckily, the Cats will have their best opportunity to win some games in the following three weeks versus Indiana, Bowling Green State and Ohio State, but, unfortunately for them, they will more than likely lose five or six of their last eight games against Dayton, Louisville, Ohio and Michigan if play stays the same.
If it continues down the path it is on now, Kentucky most likely won’t see more than ten wins for the first time under Pergram, and if it doesn’t turn it around fast, that spot in the ACHA National Tournament will bid adieu.