For the UF ice hockey club, Friday night’s matchup against the FAU Owls was defined by missed opportunities and four clangs off the crossbar.
UF fell 6-3 to FAU, dropping to 5-3-1 on the season. The game was the first of a three-match weekend series against the Owls (5-4).
The loss was not due to a lack of effort, but a lack of finish. Florida entered the game without key contributors Nicholas Ho, Jackson Choi and Owen Waivada, leaving its offense noticeably shorthanded.
Even when the Gators found ways to screen FAU goalie Rocco Bruno, the Owls’ scrappy, shot-blocking style kept UF from finding a rhythm on offense.
FAU came out with urgency, looking to rebound from four losses in its previous five contests. Just 28 seconds into the game, defenseman Brady Baehser scored on a quick shot off the opening faceoff, immediately forcing the Gators to play from behind.
Florida had multiple scoring opportunities in the first period, including two shots that rattled off the post, but the goals never came. Instead, FAU maintained its pressure and extended the lead to X-X before the period ended off of a tally by Jackson Nieuwendyk.
Momentum shifted back and forth in the second, with the Owls fighting to hold their lead and the Gators pushing to erase it. Nieuwendyk scored his second goal of the night on a 2-on-1, but Florida responded quickly when rookie Brian Pine found forward Kegan Lampinen on the rush to break the shutout.
For a stretch, it looked as if Florida might stage another multi-goal comeback. The Gators controlled play and hemmed FAU in its own zone. After another shot off the post, junior defenseman Noah Horwitz cashed in, jamming a puck through goalie Rocco Bruno’s pads to cut the deficit to 3-2.
However, that momentum was interrupted when a neutral-zone collision between Horwitz and Danny Tovb left UF short-handed defensively. FAU took advantage immediately, and forward Shay Keating cleaned up his own rebound to restore the Owls’ two-goal lead.
Though Lampinen and Pine linked up once more, with Pine converting to pull UF within 4-3, the third period highlighted Florida’s ongoing trouble finishing. Despite sustained pressure in the offensive zone, the Gators couldn’t find the back of the net, with their best opportunity again striking iron.
Instead, an early penalty gave FAU its only power play of the night, and Nieuwendyk converted to complete his hat-trick, putting the game out of reach. Meanwhile, Florida’s power play— another sore spot on the season— remained ineffective, going 0-for-6.
A late goal from Danny Tovb then sealed the 6-3 final, giving the Owls a 2-1 edge in the series.
The Gators will remain in Boca Raton to face FAU once again on Saturday. The game is set for 9:45 p.m. at the Boca Ice Complex.
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.
