FAU entered the weekend having lost four of its last five games, looking to reset its momentum. The Owls did just that, taking Friday’s opener 6-3.
Saturday offered Florida an opportunity to respond — instead, it resulted in a second straight loss and a late-game disqualification.
UF fell for the second night in a row, dropping to 5-4-1 and marking its first two-game skid of the season. On Friday, the Gators skated with a shortened bench: they began the night down two forwards and a defenseman, then lost blueliner Zach Zelmanski to a game disqualification with under seven minutes remaining.
That combination of a thin roster and the strain of playing a second game in as many days showed immediately. From the opening puck drop, FAU dictated the pace, forcing Florida into ineffective dump-and-chase hockey and entering the zone with ease.
Four-on-four play only widened the gap. Midway through the first, coincidental minors opened up the ice, and FAU benefitted. Florida managed just one clear before Jackson Nieuwendyk buried his fourth goal of the weekend.
In the second period, the pattern continued. The Gators generated more push, but again, it was the Owls who converted. A quick turnaround shot from Christian Cuccia slipped past UF goaltender Zach Shield to make it 2-0.
Florida finally broke through on the power play. After going 0-for-6 the previous night, the unit looked much sharper, and a Noah Horwitz shot pinballed through traffic to cut the deficit to 2-1 — his third goal in four games against the Owls. But the momentum evaporated almost instantly, as a point shot by Nick Oliverio restored FAU’s two-goal lead a minute later.
Down 26-16 in shots entering the third, UF caught a rare bounce. A routine dump-in from Zelmanski landed directly onto the stick of Ronny Kemly, who snapped it over the shoulder of FAU goaltender Rocco Bruno to make it 3-2.
The goal woke up Florida. The Gators generated a 2-on-1 rush that forced a sliding save from Bruno, and moments later, an Ayden Georgiano finish that would’ve pushed FAU ahead 4-2 was wiped off the board for offside — the kind of lucky break Florida had been without all weekend.
However, Florida’s penalty kill faltered again. A minor against Michael Katz put UF shorthanded with under 10 minutes to play, and Nieuwendyk scored his second of the game to make it 4-2.
Tensions finally boiled over. After chippiness all night, a fight broke out between Zelmanski and FAU’s Danny Tovb. While Tovb received only a two-minute minor, Zelmanski was hit with an instigator and a game disqualification, leaving Florida down yet another skater.
Even then, the Gators made it interesting, as they’ve done all season. Kegan Lampinen, who posted two points Friday, found space late to cut the lead to 4-3. When FAU took a penalty with two minutes remaining, UF pulled Shield for a 6-on-4 push.
But Bruno stood tall, and FAU closed out the 4-3 win, handing Florida another narrow loss.
The Gators will play the final game of the series Sunday in Boca Raton. Puck drop is set for 6:30 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.
