Friday night ended in chaos: bodies piled in front of the Gator net, cream sweaters tangled with orange and blue as tempers flared, and Tennessee skated off frustrated after racking up penalty minutes.
By Sunday, the dynamic had flipped.
In another penalty-heavy matchup, the Tennessee Ice Vols (8-9) overwhelmed the UF ice hockey club 11-2 to even the weekend series, breaking the game open with a dominant eight-goal third period.
UF (8-6-1) played with a slightly different lineup, filling several roster spots with call-ups. Blueliner Maddox Olenick drew in, and freshman goaltender Tytus Janke made his first collegiate start.
The changes, however, did little to mitigate Tennessee. The Vols controlled possession from the opening puck drop, striking first midway through the first period on a goal by Kyle Stober.
Florida responded with one of its few cohesive stretches of the afternoon. Nicholas Ho buried a loose puck to tie it, and minutes later, Michael Katz snapped a shot into the top corner to give UF a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
However, the Vols quickly took back control in the second. A Will Schneider deflection off a faceoff made it 2-2, and defenseman Finn DeStefano’s point shot late on a Tennessee power play put them ahead for good.
Florida generated chances of its own, including back-to-back power plays drawn by forward Brian Pine, but couldn't capitalize. After those missed opportunities, the offense stalled. The Gators struggled with zone entries and puck control, and their rush-based approach never fully materialized.
By the third period, Tennessee controlled nearly every shift, with the Gators rarely holding the puck long enough to create meaningful pressure. The Vols scored twice in the opening three minutes to push the lead to 5-2, and Florida never recovered.
The floodgates opened from there. Tennessee went on to tally eight goals in the final frame.
Stober and Tyler Iles each scored twice, with Stober completing his hat trick. Mitchell Spranklin, Connor Frazer and Matt Pavek also found the scoresheet, with Kyle Oakley capped it off with 13 seconds remaining in the period.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, the result can not be attributed solely to Janke’s performance in net. Many of Tennessee’s goals came on extended offensive zone shifts where the freshman was given limited defensive support.
Those structural issues became clearer on special teams. UF took repeated penalties, allowing four power-play goals while failing to convert on its own man-advantage opportunities— a step back after a stronger showing on Friday.
UF’s Pine was one of the few bright spots on offense, generating breakaways and drawing penalties even as the Gators’ attack stalled. However, his efforts weren’t enough to shift momentum.
Florida will now take an extended break before returning to action at the Savannah Hockey Classic, scheduled for Jan. 16-18 at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.
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.
