By Nick Gimbel

Coming off of a disappointing two game set against the University of Tampa Spartans where Embry-Riddle only came out with a single point via an overtime loss at home, ERAU had to make a quick turnaround from falling to the #3 team in the ACHA D3 South, to focusing everything they had on their toughest opponent they will face all season long. When Florida Atlantic University showed up to the Daytona Ice Arena on Friday night, they brought an impeccable resume with them. A 13-0-1 record and the #1 rank in the ACHA D3 South set the Eagles up as the underdog in the weekend matchup, but they played far from it.

Embry-Riddle came out soaring in the first five minutes of the game, feeding off the energy given by the prominent Friday-night crowd, but a power-play goal from Alex Winokur put FAU up 1-0 halfway through the first period, sucking the life out of the building in the process. However, something that the Eagles have shown all year that is much different than past years is the ability to deal with adversity. Instead of rolling over and giving FAU the win after the opening goal, the Eagles battled back and popped a pair of goals in the final four minutes of the opening frame just 63 seconds apart from Wyatt Ebner and Brantley Miller giving ERAU a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

With the confidence instilled in them that they can play with the best that the ACHA South has to offer, the Eagles took to the ice in the second period with fire in their eyes ready to take on the #1 ranked FAU Owls, but at the start of the period the Owls proved their rank with a quick tying goal just 1:34 into the second period from Myles Davidson. After numerous power-play chances were missed by both sided in the middle portion of the period, the Eagles finally found the back of the net with seven minutes left with Jack Bokun giving ERAU their one goal lead back, which the Eagles would take into the locker room after two periods.

With only 20 minutes separating Embry-Riddle from their most impressive win in program history, the Eagles knew that a one goal lead was not going to be enough to keep the Owls at bay. ERAU kept their foot on the gas pedal, and earned a 5-2 lead after two goal came 23 seconds apart from Bokun getting his second of the match and Ryan Marks gathering his first of the contest. However, FAU showed that they would make it an all-out war until the final buzzer, and Shane Kearney’s goal with 7:10 left in the game proved just that. Embry-Riddle was able to withstand the Owls onslaught of pressure and kept pushing forward giving some offensive life of their own showing that they were finishing the game with the mentality of playing to win, not playing to not lose. Eventually, the hard work and determination payed off, and the Eagles were able to give FAU their first loss of the season by a score of 5-3, and goaltender Max Minerevini was a beast in goal for the Eagles earning his third win of the season. But the job was not finished. With a rematch on the horizon for the following day, head coach Bob Joyce preached for his team to have zero complacency and to never be satisfied, and his team heard him.

A new day brought a new challenge for the Eagles against the same FAU Owls. This set both teams up for different storylines. For the Eagles, it was a chance to prove that the previous night’s 5-3 win was not a fluke and that they belong at the top of the rankings. For FAU, it was a chance at redemption and to prove why they sat at the top spot of the ACHA D3 ranks.

The game started out with much of the same from the night before. A physical and fast start from the Eagles was eventually slowed down by Jake Friedman getting the go-ahead goal for the Owls just over five minutes into the game. At that moment, Jack Bokun, who had a pair of back-to-back goals Friday night, took the period into his own hands. 50 seconds after Friedman found the scoresheet, Bokun fired home the tying goal for ERAU. It took ten minutes for Jack to find the net for his second goal of the period with 4:35 left in the opening frame, setting us up for more of what we saw before with ERAU heading into the intermission up by one, but that wasn’t enough for Bokun. With 30.9 seconds left in the opening 20 minutes, Jack Bokun completed the natural hat-trick and gave ERAU a 3-1 lead going into the second period.

Consistent with the four previous periods, Embry-Riddle came out of the gate soaring to start the period, and the Captain followed in the rookie’s footsteps. Ryan Marks found the back of the net 5:41 into the period after a perfect pass from Bokun, who got his fourth point of the night and sixth of the weekend on the goal that gave ERAU a 4-1 stranglehold on the game, but it was far from over. After the Eagles failed to capitalize on excessive powerplay chances, including a 5-on-3 man advantage, Jake Friedman came fresh out of the box to cut the Owls’ deficit to two 10:48 into the period. It stayed a 4-2 game through both teams having several power-play chances when Ryan Marks added a second goal to his program-leading point total with 3:38 left in the second period giving the Eagles a 5-2 lead going into the final period of the fall semester.

A goalie battle ensued between Embry-Riddle’s Nico Prulhiere and Florida Atlantic’s Dane Bukovac to end the game, but the frustration began to mount for FAU. Both teams took several more penalties throughout the final frame, but twice the Owls tried to fight with one hand tied behind their back by taking retaliation penalties after there was already penalty calls coming against Embry-Riddle diminishing the amount of power-play chances the visitors would receive, the most impactful coming with 4:47 left in the game when ERAU’s Kyle Usiak had a delayed penalty call coming from the officials and FAU’s captain Clayton Cleveland took matters into his own hands and tacked Usiak to the ice and taking a roughing penalty of his own creating washed-out calls. In a last ditch effort, FAU pulled their goaltender Bukovac with two minutes left down 5-2, but miscommunication on the ice for the Owls gave ERAU’s Jeremy Kerson a breakaway from center ice to a yawning empty net with 1:51 left in the game that gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead all the way to the final buzzer.

Outscoring the top ranked FAU 11-5 through two games and sending the Owls back to Boca Raton, FL with their first and only two losses of the season thus far, the Embry-Riddle Eagles have not only solidified what they already knew about themselves, but proved to the entire ACHA D3 South that they are a powerful opponent, especially in front of a rowdy home crowd. The Eagles will take an 11-6-2 record into the Spring Semester when they host the Miami Hurricanes on January 10/11.

Follow the Eagles on social media to keep up to date on all news and updates through the holiday season, and come out to the Daytona Ice Arena next semester to support your Embry-Riddle Eagles in their quest for a national title.