Fresh off the heels of an AAU College Hockey Division II National Championship victory and an SEC title, the Florida Gators ice hockey club team is gearing up for a historic leap.
It’s a jump to the Division I level, where the competition is undoubtedly fierce. With their D II status in 2023, the Gators showed they could hang with the top teams in the club hockey scene.
“Just making sure that the guys aren’t afraid of this jump,” said Matthew Brkljacic, senior defenseman and captain. “We have done it, and we will continue to do it in Division I, but we have to go in there with the mindset that ‘Yes, we can, and we are prepared going into the games.’”
Florida’s success in its last campaign paired with another offseason spent together helped the Gators prepare for the new era of challenges ahead.
“Towards the middle and end of last season, I feel like we gelled really well, and we just had a really hot streak to end the season,” said junior defenseman Zach Zelmanski. “We know it will be a lot more difficult of a season in that aspect, but I think we’re all prepared, we're all ready to play that tougher competition and show we can stick with them and win.”
En route to their SEC Championship victory, the Gators knocked off three consecutive Division I opponents in March — Auburn, Georgia, and lastly, the AAU College Hockey Division I National Champions, South Carolina, in the SEC final.
However, the success was difficult for the team given the unique challenge it encountered. For many team members, practice takes place in rinks all across the state, though notably, not in Gainesville. The Gators club team trains and plays its games at a rink in Jacksonville, Florida.
“It is tough in Florida,” Zelmanski said. “Our nearest rink is Jacksonville, which is an hour and fifteen minutes away.”
With the team’s dedication, distance fails to affect its success. Through the offseason, it focused on staying sharp to ensure it was well-prepared for the upcoming division jump.
“We’ve been skating all summer, staying active and staying in shape,” said sophomore winger Michael McCoy. “We’re really gearing up, getting our cardio back.”
As a club team, the day-to-day agenda for the players and coaches differs greatly from other UF athletics. Many of the players see it as an advantage allowing them to balance a college lifestyle while playing the sport they love, McCoy said.
For players like Brkljacic and McCoy, the mission is to be the best team possible and eventually get an ice hockey rink on campus.
“What I’ve been trying to do since being president last year and this year is that I’m going to prepare this team to push the boundaries and continue to grow,” Brkljacic said. “There’s competition happening off the ice as well as on the ice, so we [are] making sure that we are competitive in all areas so that you can push those boundaries and get the team to new heights.”
With the Gators’ success last season, the UF club team has gained more attention as one of the nation’s premier amateur programs, boosting its off-ice following with just over 14,000 followers on Instagram. The UF running club, another well-known club team, only has just over 2,000 followers.
This newfound recognition extends beyond social media onto campus, where the team’s merchandise exploded in popularity. UF club hockey jerseys have become a top seller in recent months.
“It’s pretty unheard of for a club sport to see so many people wearing your merchandise,” Brkljacic said. “It’s a knock towards how much we are growing, and it really hits you in a soft spot when you’re putting in all the hours.”
Ultimately, the team’s goal is to help grow the game of hockey at both UF and in the state of Florida.
“We’re just trying to help push that growth and get this sport the recognition that it deserves,” Brkljacic said. “The end goal for us, and what we are trying to do, is that we want to grow the game in the south, and hopefully the school recognizes us for what we’ve done.”
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
