Homegrown player helping USC hockey club find success

Eric Patterson and hockey in Columbia have grown up together over the past decade, and both have improved measurably.

When Patterson, a senior at South Carolina, started playing hockey at the age of 5, Columbia didn’t have an ice rink. Patterson learned to play on inline skates before taking the ice several years later when Plex Indoor Sports opened in 2007 in Irmo.

“It started off with inline hockey. There wasn’t really much ice around us when we grew up,” Patterson said. “We played inline hockey until I was about 12 years old. Now, there’s an ice rink right near my house and I used to play at the Coliseum when they had ice.”

Patterson fell in love with hockey because the sport requires constant movement.

“It was just so different than every other sport,” he said. “You know, you’re always moving and I can get impatient in other sports. I want to play and I just like moving a lot.”

Coming out of Chapin High, Patterson was extended opportunities to play for Northern schools, but chose to attend USC and stay in the place that he calls home.

“I have friends that go here (USC),” Patterson said. “They have been my friends since I could talk and I just wanted to play with them and I like playing in the South. My whole family is from South Carolina and they all went to USC.”

Patterson, a forward, is arguably one of the most dominant hockey players in USC hockey club history. He’s led the Gamecocks in points and assists for three consecutive years. He holds the record for most goals in one season with 22 in 2013 and the most points in one game with seven against Tennessee in 2012.

USC defeated Clemson 9-0 this past Friday night in Irmo. Freshman Jake Tengi had a hat trick for the Gamecocks (3-4). Goalie Gray Marchese had the shutout with 25 saves. Patterson had three assists. Clemson beat the Gamecocks 4-2 in Greenville on Thursday night.

What makes Patterson a special player is that he has been able to improve his game and that of his teammates.

“He is very skilled and dedicated to becoming a better player and making everyone around him better,” said Brian Bauman, who coached Patterson in his freshman and sophomore years. “Growing up playing in the South is not an easy task, since hockey isn't the most popular sport. Despite that, he has been able to excel on the ice.”

Brett Topolski, one of Patterson’s teammates and friends at USC, says Patterson is “for the boys,” meaning he puts his teammates before himself.

“This past season we were in the (SEC Hockey Club tournament) semifinals playing against Alabama when the game was tied 1-1 late in the third. When Eric and I had a two-on-one, he made a great pass to me, I scored and we won the game 2-1 to go onto the championship,” Topolski said.

Patterson, a senior, recognizes that the end of his collegiate hockey career is quickly approaching. He hopes to continue playing hockey after he graduates. For now, Patterson is focused on building on last season’s success.

“I just want the team to do well. If it means me scoring or (my teammates) scoring, I just want to win as many games as possible,” Patterson said. “I think this season will be better than last year. I think we will go to Regionals and possibly make Nationals.”

USC plays at Central Florida on Friday and Saturday in Orlando.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Homegrown player helping USC hockey club find success."