Just as the clock struck midnight on February 10, 2024, the Virginia Tech Men's Ice Hockey team's season had concluded with a 4-2 loss against rival NC State in the ACCHL Playoffs. A year that had contributed to inconsistency and struggle in all phases of the game was finally over and a new slate was presented for a team eager to get revenge.
Flash forward ten months to December. The Hokies are 17-1-1 heading into the break, where they will then prepare for their first outdoor game in program history. Head Coach Joey Mullen is leading his fourth regionally ranked and seventh nationally team to a historic season individually and as a program. Two top five players, including the leading scorer in the entire ACHA, are Hokies. The rookie class brought in is arguably one of the best in the country as well, contributing to what has turned out to be the best turnaround performance in the 38th year of Virginia Tech hockey.
So how did this happen? The 2024-25 Hokies were not a team built overnight. This is a team four years plus in the making led by an experienced coaching staff who dedicates their time and effort to teaching these kids about the great sport of hockey.
There is no short story to narrate about the rise of the Hokies. As mentioned, this story goes back several years. Specifically, to the 2021-22 offseason where a young Virginia Tech squad had to cope with the loss of key veteran players.
The season saw Tech win the ACCHL regular season title with a 17-4-1-1 record. Coach Mullen secured his first career ACCHL Coach of the Year award, as well as newcomer Gavin Peduzzi winning league Rookie of the Year. The year also saw freshman Dom Fantozzi, Kevin McAfee, Matt Veneri, Dean Suregnt, and Ian Kee all make their debuts for the Hokies.
"You could tell the talent level started to change with that freshman group," stated Coach Mullen in an interview. "We knew as a staff if we could keep getting kids from similar programs it would start a huge shift in game results."
Therefore, in hopes of building on a successful season, Tech pushed through the long summer break scouting and recruiting top high school skaters.
Many individuals are unaware that at the club level, there are no scholarships or NIL incentives for players to come and compete at the university. The recruitment process in club college hockey is based on who you know, and how you can reach them. Fortunately, Tech did not have to look too far, as the team brought in skilled talents such as Matthew Tullo, Trevor Kellogg, Thao Lanagan, Arthur Seng, Chris Kube, and Shane Cook.
Tullo was recruited by Coach Mullen and Tech after sending an email of interest containing footage of him playing. A short time later, a response from the staff was sent and received quoting that the now-junior from Southwick, Massachusetts would fit right into the program.
"I was nervous about the decision I made [to come to Tech]," said Tullo. "I didn't meet or talk to anyone on the team until I got to campus in the fall of my freshman year. Once I met the boys, I knew I ended up where I was supposed to be."
Heading into the 2022-23 season, a loaded Hokies squad looked to repeat as league champions, with the clear mindset of attending regionals.
After starting the year hot, Tech finished with a 9-14-3-1 record, losing to North Carolina State in the first round of the ACCHL Playoffs. An Ablysmal second half of the year saw the Hokies win two out of their last nine games, and four out of their final 15.
"The biggest thing was that the entire team was divided," said Fantozzi. "There were more cliques more than anything, which translated on the ice...there was only a few of us that thought we could win games consistently."
To make matters worse, the team was one spot away from regionals. What imaginable hope there was about making it far into February was diminished as Tech would have to refurbish its roster.
The Hokies welcomed nine freshmen to the team for the 2023-24 season. Improvements were made on the offensive end with the emergence of eventual ACCHL Rookie of the Year, Kam Khazai on the first line along with Gavin Peduzzi who was on his way to breaking several program records. Although the team performed better cohesively on the ice, inconsistencies in all three phases showed blatantly against stern competition.
Off the ice, a new culture was being implemented by the leaders of the locker room.
Although a regional appearance was marginal in the slightest, Tech gained momentum with wins over NC State and Duke to close out the regular season. The win over the Icepack snapped a seven-year losing drought thanks to an overtime goal by Peduzzi. A long shot at best, the Hokies' only chance of making it to regionals rested on getting through the ACCHL playoffs in Winston-Salem.
In the unlucky occurrence, Tech squared off with NC State in the first round of the playoffs. A familiar foe, the two teams battled each other hard for sixty minutes until the stroke of midnight ended the Hokies' chances of a regional appearance with a 4-2 loss.
Nothing more last season hit as hard as the loss against NC State in the playoffs. What had seemed like momentum, hope in some cases, had ceased in one night.
"We knew we could beat them as we proved two weeks before," said Kee. "Losing in the first round and ending our season when we had a good group of guys definitely stung."
Instead of wallowing in their sorrows, Coach Mullen and his staff immediately began working on their game plan for the 2024-25 season.
"We felt like we struggled a lot in the defensive zone, and so we focused on trying to bring in high-quality defensemen," said Coach Mullen. "We also wanted to balance the scoring, and we did with the freshman forwards we got."
On the defensive end, Tech brought in rookies Max Sullivan, Bryan Rice, Dhruv Thakare, Brandon Anderson, and JH Lages, a 21-year-old freshman who previously played in the Junior leagues. To complement on the offensive end, Mullen continued to build scoring depth with the likes of Austin Hyrn, Zack Stewart, Camden Glaubitz, and Shane Siwik. The cherry on top? Adding Tucker Forrest to an already competitive goalkeeper room.
The stars were aligned in Blacksburg, yet only one man knew of what it would become.
"We felt like this could be our best overall class ever," said Mullen back in September on The Gobbler Effect on the VTHN YouTube channel.
The culture between the team grew with the addition of rookies, as well as a new leadership group headed by Peduzzi, who was named captain of the Hokies.
"Getting named captain was an honor due to the fact it showed the trust the coaches had in me," said Peduzzi. "This group had formed a culture like I have never seen before...I truly believe our success on the ice has been enhanced by our relationships and attitudes off the ice."
With a new team and year approaching, the Hokies geared up for their greatest semester in program history.
The goal was the same as in seasons past to make a regional appearance. A mindset this team knew they would overcome with the philosophy of playing one game, one period, one play at a time. Years passed of being plagued by inconsistency, egoism, and disunion were all behind them now. Destiny was on Hokies side, and they were never going to let it go.
Game one of the 2024-25 season would be an immediate test as the Hokies welcomed the Icepack to The Lot. Although Tech lost 3-2, flashes of talent and cohesive playing paved the potential for what could be a successful season.
The Hokies struck back 24 hours later with their first win of the season in Northern Virginia against James Madison. From there, Tech finished the month of September undefeated with a weekend sweep over UNC-Charlotte that saw the Hokies outscore their opponents 16-1.
October was much of the same as Tech swept the month, going 8-0. Along with the winning came historical landmarks, both program and individual. Coincidentally, on the same night against rival West Virginia, Coach Mullen broke the all-time ACCHL Head Coaching wins record, and Peduzzi became the program’s all-time leading scorer.
As the season went along, the Hokies continued to perfect their performance on the ice. Wins came easy as the team set a program record 13-game winning streak in early November before losing to Penn State in overtime. The one bump in the road would prove no worries, as Tech would finish out the semester on a four-game winning streak.
That brings us to today. The Hokies, amid a historic season, are preparing to hit the ice for the first time outdoors in Charlotte under the bright lights of Truist Field. Peduzzi leads all ACHA (M1, M2, M3) scorers in points, Khazai right behind him in third also leads the nation in short-handed goals. Garlock is tied for first in the country with nine power-play goals, and Coach Mullen, eclipsing his 200th career win earlier on, leads one of the best teams in the country.
There are many catalysts as to why this Hokies squad has been successful this season. That said, this team was not built overnight. Through trial and error, this Tech team looks to be one of the best in program history.
Will they be able to sustain their success in the second half? Will the goal of regionals be realized and more?
The only individuals who can tell that story? The Virginia Tech Men’s Club Ice Hockey team.
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