Gasparilla weekend has now come to a close in Tampa Bay, and this time, it’s the Gators’ ship that sank.
The Florida Ice Hockey Club was swept by the Tampa Spartans over the weekend, losing 7-3 on Friday and 4-2 in the Sunday matinee.
Finding goals against the Spartans was always going to be tough. Entering the series, Tampa had only allowed 42 goals on the season, tying them with first-place Georgia for best in the conference.
Though not reflected in the final score, neither team truly dictated play in game one— the only difference was the Spartans finished their chances, while the Gators did not. Tampa took an early two-goal lead, capitalizing on Florida's failed chances in the offensive zone to score on the counterattack while the Gators’ defensemen were still out of position.
While UF sophomore winger Keegan Lampinen managed to get one back for Florida early in the second period, ricocheting a shot by junior defenseman Zach Zelmanski into the net, the momentum didn’t last. Only moments later, Zelmanski sent the Spartans to the power play by way of a trip, and Tampa scored to make it 3-1, setting the lead back to two.
That was how it went for the Gators — they had the chances, but through a mix of careless mistakes and bad luck, the pendulum never swung their way.
After Tampa scored another goal to make it 4-1 late in the second period, the Gators entered the final frame rejuvenated, controlling puck possession for the first time all night.
After cleanly carrying the puck through the neutral zone, UF junior forward Max Thellab caught his own rebound and shot the puck past junior goaltender Kyle Myer, who was left scrambling in the net. Though the net seemingly dislodged in the chaos, the goal was allowed to stand, much to the complaint of Myer.
Once again, though, Florida’s hopes at a comeback were quickly dashed when Tampa senior forward Ryan Andrews responded with a goal of his own, just barely zipping the puck past the shoulder of UF sophomore goaltender Connor Lee. Tampa then scored again less than a minute later to make it 6-2, effectively putting the game away.
Lampinen scored a second goal to cut the lead to three, but it didn’t do much for the Gators. To add insult to injury, freshman forward Alex Moeller scored a goal with just one second remaining, sealing the Spartans’ 7-3 victory.
The first game of the weekend was relatively penalty-free, with the officials letting the teams play. That was not the case in the second matchup.
There were more penalties in the first period than there were calls all game on Friday, culminating in over 25 total penalties between the two teams, including three 10-minute misconducts and six ejections.
The penalty fest began when Tampa was called for too many men early in the first period. Lampinen deflected a shot through traffic and freshman forward Liam Lecauchois was there to tap it in for the Gators, giving the team a lead for the first time in both games.
However, Tampa's senior defenseman Dillon Passero quickly snuck one past Lee to tie the game, once again derailing Florida’s momentum—a frustrating pattern for the Gators throughout the weekend.
Despite the Spartans spending the rest of the game shuffling in and out of the penalty box, it was another day of missed opportunities for the Gators. Tampa scored four unanswered goals over the next two periods, adapting seamlessly to the slow, gritty pace of the game, while the Gators were stuck wading through mud.
Florida managed to get one back in the final stretch, with junior winger Josh Weinstein sliding a shot just past the goal line to make it 4-2. However, once again, the Gators had just missed the boat.
In a fitting end for the weekend, the final moments of the game devolved into all-out chaos, resulting in several players from both teams being ejected. Tampa coach Nicholas Kuszlyk was among those sent off after being cited for abusing an official. After a couple of seconds of perfunctory 3-on-3 play, the Spartans officially took the 4-2 victory.
Despite the pair of losses, the Gators still clinched a spot in the College Hockey South Division I playoffs.
Florida currently enters the tournament as the fifth seed, though that can change depending on the outcomes of the remaining games.
The Gators will next see the ice for the first round of the playoffs on Feb. 7 at Classic Center Arena in Athens, Georgia. Florida’s next opponent and the time of the contest is still yet to be determined.
Contact Daniela Ortiz at dortiz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @danielaortizUF.
