The scratch of blades against the ice cut through the stadium as the crowd held its breath. The hope of victory still lingered, but it was fading away with every passing second.
The University of Tampa was up 5-3 with one minute remaining in regulation. The clock ran out, and the final buzzer blared. Florida played its last game of the 2025-26 season and hung up its skates. Meanwhile, the seniors lived out the final moments of their college hockey careers.
Senior defenseman Zach Zelmanski and senior winger Jackson Choi have been part of the UF Ice Hockey Club for four years. Both were part of the AAU Division II National Championship-winning team in 2024.
Zelmanski, referred to as “Zelmo” by his teammates, said his favorite memory with the team was taking home that championship win. The final games were played in West Chester, Pennsylvania, starting before and running into spring break.
“We were spending our time up in cold Pennsylvania instead of on a beach somewhere, but we won, and that made it all worth it, and I had a great time with my boys,” Zelmanski said.
Leading up to the win, Zelmanski said the team practiced, spent nights in the hotel recovering with ice baths and enjoyed team bonding.
“We’d get all the ice from the ice maker and pour it in the tub and take turns,” Zelmanski said. “We watched UFC fights one night, so we had a good time. It was a lot of fun.”
Choi, a reliable scorer and leader for the team, had his own highlights from his four years with Gators hockey.
His favorite memories with the team were made on their bus trips during the Fall semesters. The hockey team would follow Gators football to away games, traveling to Tennessee, South Carolina and Mississippi.
Now, as graduation inches closer, Choi and Zelmanski reflect on the past four years.
”I'm excited. It just went quick, though. You think you're going to be in college forever and all of a sudden, it's like, ‘You gotta graduate in a month, and where'd all the time go?’” Zelmanski said. “But I'm definitely happy with the four years I had, and I'm ready to get out into the real world and start doing my thing.”
This year, the hockey team inherited nine freshmen players, the largest number on its roster since Choi’s freshman year.
“It was nice to see this new freshman class — bigger,” Choi said. “I told them, it's always cliche and corny to say, but you really do have to cherish every moment that you’ve got. The four years go by quicker than you think.”
Post graduation, the players have to face the reality of a nine-to-five job.
For Choi, his hockey chapter continues. But this time, he will shine behind the scenes.
Following in his uncle’s footsteps working for the NHL, Choi is set to move to Tennessee and work with the Nashville Predators. About a month after his graduation, Choi said he will start his role in their sales development program as an inside sales representative.
Nashville will not be the Maryland native’s first time starting fresh in a new city.
“I wouldn't say Nashville is the city that I thought I'd end up in. Probably one of the last cities, I'd say,” Choi said. “But I said the same thing about Florida.”
Choi said that since coming to UF, it has become the state he would most like to return to in his future and one he will definitely miss.
Zelmanski’s future lies closer to home. Having grown up in Orlando, he will take on a role in Deerfield Beach with JM Family Enterprises Inc. in a nine-month program, followed by a placement into a full-time job in cybersecurity, network engineering or software engineering.
His hockey career also isn’t over. Despite finding a different career path, Zelmanski said he plans to continue playing hockey and join a men’s league.
“It's always a good way to meet people in the area and make some friends,” Zelmanski said.
Both seniors leave behind an irreplaceable presence on the hockey team and pass on valuable lessons to the returning players.
Florida captain and junior defenseman Noah Horwitz said both seniors led the team in different ways, with Zelmanski dominating in physicality and Choi being a sharpshooter.
Describing Zelmanski as a teammate and leader, Horwitz said he has a contagious sense of humor.
“Zelmo is one of the funniest guys in the room; his presence is always felt,” Horwitz said.
Even as their president, Horwitz said he felt he learned something from each of them.
“I think Choi, being the director of recruitment when I was coming in as a freshman, was really big in my coming to the team and feeling so welcomed,” Horwitz said. “Zelmo was an older defenseman. He was able to show me the ropes of what it means to play in a college environment and take the next step up.”
Horwitz said Choi is a strong leader and has been a player his teammates look up to, even as an underclassman.
As the final weeks of the semester come to a close, Horwitz looks to the future and the next generation of leaders.
“I think it has to do with just a continuation of what the past leadership has left to us to continue the culture and the ways of the team,” he said.
Horwitz said he plans to enter the next season with expectations to win the Savannah Hockey Classic and the SEC Championship.
Contact Nicole Scura at nscura@alligator.org. Follow her on X @NicoleScuraa.
Nicole is a sophomore journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator and she is the beat reporter for the University of Florida Ice Hockey Club. In her free time, Nicole enjoys figure skating, watching football (Go Bucs!), traveling and linedancing.
