It was an all-rookie showcase at the Community First Igloo on Sunday night.
The University of Florida Ice Hockey Club (2-0) wrapped up the weekend with a commanding 6–2 victory over the Embry-Riddle Eagles, led by standout performances from its youngest players.
Freshman goalie Zach Shield made a strong impression in his debut between the pipes, while fellow freshman Brian Pine contributed with a goal and a key second-period assist. The spotlight, however, belonged to first-year forward Sully Swiersz, who netted his first two collegiate goals to cap off the Gators’ dominant performance.
“[The upperclassmen] have definitely cheered me up on the bench,” Swiersz said. “That’s the biggest thing, is having those people that can show me the ropes and who know how to battle that adversity.”
The Gators opened just as they had on Friday: full throttle from the drop. When Eagles senior defenseman Jayden Yawkey was hit with a five-minute major less than halfway through the first period, junior winger Kegan Lampinen took advantage, ripping a shot from the point to get on the scoreboard.
Embry-Riddle survived the rest of the penalty, but it was the Gators who carried the momentum through the period — and the rest of the game. Most of the damage was done in the second frame, where Florida piled on four goals to Embry-Riddle’s one, capitalizing on the Eagles’ weak defense in transition.
Rookies Swiersz and Pine exchanged early goals, taking advantage of the wide-open ice in front of the crease to build a 3-0 lead. Embry-Riddle called a timeout in desperation and capitalized on a power play, but Lampinen quickly answered, finishing a slick cross-slot feed to restore the three-goal cushion. Swiersz then added another before the break, firing a one-timer to close out the period.
For the second time in three days, the Gators held a 5-1 lead against ERAU going into the final frame. But this time, it was to the cheers of the Florida fans at the Igloo.
UF held strong in the third despite a late push by Embry-Riddle, with senior winger Jackson Choi scoring a greasy insurance goal for good measure. Though the Eagles pulled one back with a snipe from senior forward Darren Szanto, the Gators shut down any further chances, holding on for a 6–2 final score.
The Gators rolled through the handshake line to the tune of We Are the Old Boys of Florida, sung by the Jacksonville faithful. They won’t get to play in front of their home crowd again until Nov. 21 against Tennessee — but Swiersz says that doesn’t matter one bit.
“I think no matter where we're at, we're going to keep our foot on the gas and play like we always have,” he said.
Florida plays again on Sep. 19 against the Florida Atlantic Owls at the Boca Ice complex in Boca Raton. Puck drop is set for 5:15 p.m.
Contact Daniela Ortiz at dortiz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @danielaortizUF.
Daniela is a junior sports journalism student and the enterprise/hockey beat reporter for Fall 2025. When not writing an article, you can catch her drawing or playing with her roommates' cats.
