Gators Continue to win and head to Nationals Feb. 22, 2010 The
Gators headed into the Regional tournament in Pelham, Alabama riding on
the coat tails of a fourteen game win streak and a ranking of sixth in
the South Region. The first game was against the #7 ranked ECU Pirates
and the Gators came out flat falling behind to a 1-0 deficit. However,
the Gators rolled through the final two periods of the game for a final
victory of 5-2 and a shot at nationals with just one more win. The
next opponent on UF's list was the #3 ranked Loyola (MD) Greyhounds.
The Gators had a battle on their hands going into the third period tied
at 1. With just 3 minutes left, captain senior Jon Pavlinec scored a
goal to put the Gators up 2-1. However, a string of penalties gave the
Hounds hope as they scored the game tying goal on a 6-4 advantage to
tie the game with just 30 seconds left. Florida's senior assistant
captain, Matt Chais, then played the part of hero netting the Gator's
third goal with just fourteen seconds left to give the Gators their
16th straight win and a trip to nationals in Estero, FL. Next weekend,
the Gators head to the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference
tournament in Pelham, AL where they take on the winner of the
Gerogia/South Carolina game for a shot at their first ever SCHC title
in the tournament's second year. Win streak extended to 14 as Gators head to Regionals Feb. 13, 2010 After
two hard fought battles with Embry Riddle, the Gators struggled in a
5-4 Shootout win against the Alabama Crimson Tide before destroying
them 12-2 in the next game. From there, Florida traveled to South
Florida to take on the (then ranked no. 12) FAU Owls. The first game
the Gators came away with a 9-3 win. The Gators then had their hands
full as they went on to win 7-5. These wins continued the Gators
current winning streak to fourteen straight games. Also, with such
dominating results over usual powerhouses in the South, the Gators
earned themselves the no. 6 ranking in the South district and a trip to
regionals. The Gators look to continue their winning ways as they take
on Eastern Carolina University on Friday night to kick off their first
regional tournament in nearly ten years. Gators win Thrasher Cup keep streak alive Jan. 18, 2010 After
nearly a month off the ice, the Gators looked forward to getting back
into their winning ways at the Savannah Tire Hockey Classic in
Savannah, GA. Friday night saw the Gators taking on a familiar foe in
the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Balanced scoring and a ferocious
work ethic saw the Gators come from behind to pull out a 9-7 win in a
game that see-sawed back and forth all night. Saturday night witnessed
the Gators facing off against the Seminoles of Florida State. Already
having split the first two games with the Noles, the Gators wanted to
take to the ice flying and did just that. Closing out the first 20
minutes with a 4-1 lead. However, the Seminoles would not relent and
it was a tie game going into the last seven minutes of the game. Kevin
Olsen played the part of hero after putting in a Chris Pavlinec shot
off the far post, for a 5-4 lead that held up for the remainder of the
game. With their two wins, the Gators found themselves in a rare
situation of rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs as they took on their
familiar rival Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs pulled off the upset with a
come from behind victory on a 4-0 third period snatching a 5-3 victory
from the jaws of defeat. This victory gave the Gators their first
Thrasher Cup in the tournament's 12 year history. These wins push the
current winning streak to 8 games as the Gators prepare for a tough
home-and-home series this weekend with Embry Riddle Aeronautical
University Friday and Saturday night.
New Florida Gators Hockey Merchandise Available Nov. 29, 2009 New merchandise has just arrived and is now available. Make sure to act quick to get all of your University of Florida ice hockey gear before the holiday season sneaks up. The Gators have added a brand new short sleeve t-shirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, new double-mesh gym shorts, a polo shirt and more to the already large variety of shirts and jerseys. Make sure to order before December 4th for Hanukkah and before December 16th for Christmas.
Florida Beats Up on FSU, Begins Long Break Nov. 23, 2009 Riding a five game win streak, the University of Florida ice hockey team faced off against 12th ranked FSU this past Friday night at Jacksonville Ice. The Noles won the first match-up of the season 4-3 a little over a month ago, and the Gators were looking for revenge. Florida came out strong and got to work quickly, scoring three goals in the first five minutes of play. The team didn't stop there as they continued walking through defensemen and scoring easily. The Gators were never contested and won the final game of the fall semester by a tally of 12-2, the largest margin for either team against each other in over five years. Nick Cortolillo, Scott Schilson and Jon Pavlinec led the way in scoring for UF as Matt Chais picked up a goal himself in his first game back from injury. The Gators now have nearly two months to rest, get healthy, and get prepared for their next games at the Savannah Tire Hockey Classic against the University of Georgia and Florida State.
Gators' Winning Streak Extended to 5 Straight Over No. 7 South Carolina Nov. 15, 2009 With a trip to Columbia, South Carolina, the Gators extended their winning streak to five straight with wins over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Friday night, the Gators won a close game by a score of 6-4. Coming out and dominating the play often and early, the game looked to be easily in hand, but poor play in the defensive zone haunted the Gators as South Carolina was able to stay constantly within reach. This game saw Freshman Scott Schilson get a hat trick including an empty net goal and Nick Cortolillo scoring two goals for the second straight game. Saturday morning, the Gators came out flying on short rest. Jumping out early to a 3-0 lead, the Gators won convincingly 8-4 with Nick Cortolillo's third straight multi goal game and defenseman Matthew Stankowicz netted two more goals of his own. Casey Ferris didn't have much work cut out for him in net for the Gators as the offensive pressure was strong and consistent throughout the weekend. This weekend the Gators close out their Fall schedule with a game against in state rival FSU who won the previous meeting 4-3 with a last minute goal. The upcoming game will be at Jacksonville Ice and is streamed online by Fast Hockey.
Florida Continues Winning Streak with 16-3 Routing of UNF Nov. 6, 2009 With the UNF Ospreys struggling at the start of their innagural season, the Gators saw a great opportunity to keep up their winning ways. The Gators didn't wait long to start the goal scoring, as UF jumped out to an early 5-0 lead halfway through the first period. However, UNF's back up goalie held the Gators scoreless for the remainder of the first period. UF jumped back into their scoring habits in the second period ending with an 11-1 lead. The third period saw even more scoring as the Gators notched 5 more and the Ospreys managed to get 2 more on Casey Ferris who came in cold after rookie Jake Lewis was thrown out of the game for fighting in his second start of the season. The battle for Jacksonville Ice saw nearly 15 penalties for the Gators to go along with the high scoring that was supplied from all aspects of the lineup. Freshman Mike Dutka led the pack with four goals while Senior Jon Pavlinec had a hat trick and Nick Cortolillo, Matt Stankowicz, and Adam Pietrafesa pitched in with two goals each. The Gators are headed to Columbia this weekend for two games against SEC rival South Carolina.
Early Goals Lift Florida Over Georgia Oct. 31, 2009 The University of Florida ice hockey team faced off against the number nine ranked University of Georgia Bulldogs this past Friday night in Jacksonville, continuing their tradition of playing each other the night before the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The Gators (2-4) came out strong with first period goals by Scott Schwartz, Jonathan Pavlinec, and Scott Schilson to put UF up 3-0 against the Ice Dogs going into the first intermission. The Gators were plagued by penalties during the second period and consequently let up two goals while on the penalty kill. The third period had the large crowd at hand holding their breath until Schwartz picked up an empty net goal with just minutes left to give him his first multi-goal game ever for the Gators. The Gators now look to pick up their third straight win against UNF in their first season of play. The game is Friday, November 6th at 9:45pm at the Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex.
Florida takes on UGA This Friday in Jacksonville Oct. 27, 2009
The University of Florida Gators ice hockey team will host the University of Goergia Ice Dawgs this Friday night at 7:30pm. The game will be played at the Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex. Get there within the first hour for a chance to meet and get your photo taken with Albert and Alberta, making their first appearance ever to a Gators hockey game! Admission is free for students and children, $5 for adults.
Florida Splits Two Game Series With Tennessee Oct. 25, 2009 The University of Florida ice hockey team went to Knoxville, Tennessee this past Friday for two games against the University of Tennesee Ice Vols. Still looking for their first win of the season after close losses to USF and FSU, the Gators came out strong in the first game - going up two goals to one at the first intermission. However, the early lead was not enough as UT stormed back in the third period to pick up a win in the first game by a score of 5-4. Saturday night the Gators came out strong again, scoring just 25 seconds into the game. The teams exchanged goals for the first two periods, with a score of 5-5 going into the final twenty minutes of play. Florida stormed out strong showing that they would not let the Ice Vols win another one late. Jonathan Pavlinec got the game winning goal and his first hat trick of the season while Nick Cortilillo put on the insurance marker for the Gators first win of the season by a score of 8-6 over the University of Tennessee. UF ice hockey looks to pick up their second win of the season against the University of Georgia on Friday night as the puck drops at 7:30pm at Jacksonville Ice. Admission is $5 for adults, free for students and children. In addition, the Gators will have brand new shirts, hoodies, hats, beanies, and more for sale at the rink prior to and during the game.
Noles Defeat Gators with Last Minute Goal Oct. 12, 2009 Coming off of two close losses last weekend to USF (2-2), the University of Florida Gators ice hockey team (0-3) was looking to pick up there first win of the season. On Friday night that Gators hosted the Florida State Seminoles (3-0) for their first of three meetings this season. FSU took the lead first as the Gators tried to play catch up all night long. Cam McGrath striked back picking up Florida's only three goals of the game and snagging his first hat trick of the season. But this was not enough as FSU went on to score with only 1:40 left in the game to squeak out a 4-3 win. The game is available to everyone to watch and is brought to us by FastHockey. The Gators will regroup this week before heading to Tennessee on October 23rd to take on the Volunteers.
Florida Drops First 2 Games to USF Oct. 5, 2009 The University of Florida Gators ice hockey team (0-2) lost their first two games of the season this past weekend to the USF Bulls (2-0). Friday night the Gators hosted the Bulls in Jacksonville for the team's home opener in front of a great crowd of fans. USF took the lead early and never let it go as USF took the first game in the home-and-home series 6-4. Saturday night UF was in Tampa for their first road game of the season. The Gators went down early again as the Bulls scored only 1:40 into the game. Much like the night before, USF and UF traded off goals as the Gators fell short once again to a final score of 6-5. The Gators look to pick up their first win of the season against FSU this Friday night at Jacksonville Ice at 7:30pm.
Watch Gators Home Games Online Oct. 3, 2009 University of Florida ice hockey has teamed up with FASThockeyto make all home games available to be watched online. FASTHockey is the premier online destination to see live streaming video of amateur ice hockey games from across North America. For only $7 per game you can watch the Gators take on USF, FSU, Georgia, UNF, Embry Riddle, and Alabama. Games are available live or in the archives that FASThockey has set up. Become a member today and watch the Gators all season long.
First Practice on Wednesday Sept. 14, 2009 The first ice practice for the 2009-2010 season is going to be held this Wednesday at 8:30pm at Jacksonville Ice in Jacksonville, FL. After picking up a number of new recruits, the Gators will take the ice as a team for the first time since the SECHC tournament last March. The team is getting in four ice practices before their season opener against USF at home. The Bulls finished 11th in the South Division of the ACHA last season barely missing the final spot for Regionals.
Informational Meeting on Sept. 9th Sept. 5, 2009 There will be an informational meeting on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:30pm held in the Reitz Union room 357. Any students interested in playing for the Gators should attend along with all current players. If you have any questions please contact team president Shane Fitzpatrick.
August 25th, 2009: Informational Meeting Date Announced
There will be an informational meeting onWednesday, September 9th at 7:30pm held in the Reitz Union, room 357. Any students interested in playing for the Florida Gators Ice Hockey team should attend along with all current players. If you have any questions please contact team president Shane Fitzpatrick
August 1, 2009: Shedule Posted for 2009-10 Season
The University of Florida hockey team will open the upcoming season at home on Friday, October 2nd against the University of South Florida Ice Bulls at 7:30pm. This season theGators will host USF, FSU, Georgia, Alabama, and UNF (in their first season). They will travel to Tennesee, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Embry Riddle and USF. In addition, the SCHC (Southeastern Conference Hockey Championship) will be hosted by the University of Alabama in Pelham, AL, on the weekend of March 5th-7th, 2010. Notable games are against Georgia on October 30th in Jacksonville, the night before the teams face off in footbalI, and the Savannah Hockey Classic in Savannah, GA. All home games will have a $5 admission fee; students and children are free. If you have any questions about tickets, game times or locations, please contact one of the team officers.