Written by: Mickey Gonzalez

The UCF Knights skated onto home ice for the last time this season for the Southern Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs.

Friday’s game against the FGCU Eagles was tinged with the knowledge its end determined the rest of each team’s weekend. The winner would move onto the next round of playoffs.  The loser would move onto battle for at least fifth place. Corey Altieri, assisted by Matthew Angiella, grabbed the first goal of the game for UCF. The Knights maintained their lead for much of the first period, but the Eagles tied the score up with seven minutes left. They scored again in the final 45 seconds of the period. The second began with an FGCU lead that only broadened when the Eagles scored two short-handed goals in the same penalty. UCF players fought through their all into catching up—catching a few penalties while doing so—but never quite managed it. The Eagles scored once more in the final few minutes of play, and the game ended 5-1, an FGCU win.

Sunday was the last home game of the season, and, for some, the last game on RDV ice ever. The pressure was to end as strongly as possible. Luckily, the game played out very similarly to the previous two games against the Miami Hurricanes. A few minutes in brought the first UCF goal, scored by Tyler Walkinshaw from Alexander Berg and Shane O’Donnell. Miami tied the score up a minute later, but it didn’t last long. The Knights scored four more times in the first period. Richie McGuigan started the streak with a goal assisted by O’Donnell and Berg. The power trio quickly struck again. This time O’Donnell, assisted by McGuigan and Berg, scored. Donovan McClellan grabbed goal four with assists from Altieri and Tyler Avron. And, a couple minutes before the end of the period, Walkinshaw scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Christopher Robinson and Johnny Brockman. UCF’s power streak was not yet done. The same trio— this time Robinson, assisted by Walkinshaw and Brockman—scored early in the second period. Altieri, with an assist from McGuigan, garnered yet another goal doe UCF before Miami managed to interrupt the streak with a power play goal. Even so, the game remained very much in the Knights’ favor. Despite beginning the last period with a lead of five goals, UCF players were set on making victory a certainty. Brockman secured his own goal from Walkinshaw and Jake Toale. Hunter Chard, assisted by Angiella and Rodney LaLonde, followed the goal with another soon after. In the final five minutes of play, O’Donnell grabbed UCF’s last game of the game, with assists from Berg and McGuigan. The Hurricanes scored once again, but stood no chance of catching back up. For the third time in a row, the game ended with a UCF win of 10-3 against Miami.

Strong play from the Knights ended in a nice win and somewhat lackluster fifth place in the SCHC.

Now the Knights turn their sights to the final ACHA rankings, and the possibility of Regionals. Right now, UCF rests at #10, the cutoff for allowance into the ACHA South Regional Tournament, and a chance at once again fighting their way to Nationals.

Saturday’s game ended well, but we hope we’ll get to see UCF players back out on the ice next month in Wesley Chapel.