Dropping Gloves Against Cancer

Four Central Florida college hockey clubs will team up this Friday to raise money for two children battling pediatric cancer at the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den in Orlando this Friday.

The Rollins College Tars will face the University of South Florida Ice Bulls and The Central Florida Knights will host the Embry Riddle Eagles. Face off for the Rollins-USF game is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. and the UCF-Embry Riddle game will begin at 10:14. The games will play out simultaneously on RDV’s twin rinks.

The games will serve as a fundraiser for the medical trusts of Madison Goss and Drew Kruszynski. The teams will raise money through donations at the gate and raffles throughout the games.

Madison is a three-year-old girl who lives in Atlanta and is battling a rare form of liver cancer. She recently underwent a liver transplant. Treatments have also damaged her hearing and she is currently being fitted for hearing aids costing over $6,000.

Drew Kruszynski is also 3 and has a form of cancer called Stage IV Neuroblastoma. It attacks different systems primarily through the nervous system. Drew must travel from Atlanta to New York City on a regular basis for treatment.

Both families are struggling with the financial burden brought on by this horrible disease.

The teams will raffle over $2000 worth of merchandise donated by local businesses and individuals, including two round trip vouchers on American Airlines good for any destination in the continental U.S., Mexico or Canada.

Other items include: Two tickets for the Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns on November 1o, two lower bowl tickets for the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins on December 1, restaurant gift certificates, RDV skating passes, autographed Tampa Bay Lightning items gift baskets and other prizes.

UCF and Rollins student and Greek organization will also participate in fund raising contests.

For directions to RDV, go to www.rdvsportsplex.com

The 2007-2008 hockey season is 4 games in, and your UCF Golden Knights are 3-1-0. Over the first weekend of the year the Knights secured a one-goal victory against USF at home and a heartbreaking loss to the Ice Bulls on the road. This past weekend, the Golden Knights rolled over South Carolina 9-5 and Georgia Tech 8-0. Following their best 4 game start in 4 years, UCF Hockey has an opportunity to secure sole possession of 1st place in the South Region with another victory over the USF Ice Bulls on Friday, October 12th at 10:30 PM at the RDV Sportsplex IceDen. Both teams are tied for 1st with a 3-1-0 record and each with a home win over the other. This is the most important game of the season for the Golden Knights, so come out and show your support. Remember, UCF Student get in FREE with ID, Children are FREE, and all other Adults pay $5.00 admission. GO KNIGHTS!

First Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 206 of the Rec & Wellness Center (first room on the left, past the check-in counter) on WEDNESDAY at 11:00PM. We only have an hour and will be starting up right away because of this, so please be on time. Bring a copy of your class schedule and student ID. We will cover everything from player/coaches expectations to player dues and fund raising.

March 7th Knights Finish the Season Ranked #14 in the Country!

The UCF Ice Hockey team traveled up to Ft. Wayne, IN for the weeklong National Championship Tournament. The top 16 teams in the country were invited to Ft. Wayne for a chance to go home National Champs.

UCF opened the tournament agaisnt agruably the #1 seed in the tournament, Hope College from Michigan. Hope was a great team and jumped out to a 2 goal lead halfway through the 1st period. Hope took a big lead in the 2nd period, going up 6-0. The Knights were able to bounce back in the 3rd period and actually won the period 2-1 on goals by Richard Furlong and Matt Heyens. With the loss the Knights national title hopes were gone, but the team kept their head up knowing that they played a very good team, and they never quit.

The 2nd days game was against the #2 seed from the Pacific region, San Diego State. The game was filled with penalties for both teams. San Diego State was able to take a 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd period with 3 power play goals. The Knights began to claw their way back into the game late in the 2nd on a blast from freshman Matt Heyens that slid through the goalies legs. Despite not playing their best game, the locker room was very up beat and confident in between the 2nd and 3rd period. The Knights came out strong and were able to pull to within one goal on a PP goal by defensman Jimmy Hand. The end of the game was marred with multiple penalties for both sides and the Knights were unable to get the equalizer.

Coming off 2 losses the Knights knew that they needed to make a statement. They were matched up against the #1 seed from the Atlantice region, California University of Pennsylvania. The Knights trailed for much of the game. The knights were down 2-1 heading into the 3rd on a goal by Sr. Nick Roefaro. They were able to get a quick Power Play goalie by Thomas Moore to tie the score. Once that goal went in, the Knights began to tilt the ice and you could tell that it was only a matter of time before the Knights took the lead. Sr. Tony Bonk scored a terrific goal that combined hard work and finese. Cal pulled their goalie late in the game and the Knights made them pay with 2 empty net goals, one by Jimmy Hand and the other by Moore. The Knights were able to feel much better about themselves after picking up a 5-2 win against a #1 seed.

Saturday morning the Knights came to the rink with a chance to go a respectable 2-2 on the tournament. They were playing the #1 seed from the South, the University of Tennessee. UT was able to get an early 2 goal led, but the Knights did not quit the entire game. They were able to battle back from behind several times, tying the game late in the 2nd at 4-4 on a goal by Sr. Nick Roefaro. The 3rd period saw the Knights fall behind 6-4, but they refused to quit. Freshman standout Matt Heyens scored his 4th goal of the game to pull the Knights to within 1. The Knights had several chances as time ran down to tie the game, but they ran into a hot UT goaltender, who made several point blank stops. The Knights lost the game 6-5, but they were very proud of the way that they played.

The Knights family would like to wish the best of luck to their Seniors, Captain Nick Roefaro, Assistant Captain Tony Bonk, Josh Haupt, Nate Earle, and Jason Malak. Best of luck to all of you and were going to miss you.

We hope every has a safe summer and comes back ready to make another run to Nationals next season!!

Feb 7th Knights make Nationals!!!!

For the 2nd straight year, the UCF Knights Ice Hockey team will be playing in the National Tournament. UCF really turned it up the 2nd half of the season to qualify as the #4 seed from the South. This is a great acomplishment for the team and a huge step towards building a great program. Last season the Knights went 2-2 at Nationals, losing a a sudden death shootout to #3 in the country Penn State Berks. The Knights finished #10 in the country last year. They look to build on that this year and finish higher. The Knights will head up to Ft. Wayne, Indiana on February 27th for the National Tournament.

Feb 5th UCF Finishes 3rd

UCF came into Saturday nights game agaisnt KSU with high hopes. They were able to keep their hopes alive for almost 2 periods...playing KSU to a 1-1 tie. However, late in the 2nd KSU's offense exploded and all but put the game away. UCF lost the game 9-1....even though it was mor hard fought than that for half the game.

On Sunday morning the Knights took the ice in the 3rd place game at regionals against their bitter rival USF. USF struck first and staked a 2-0 lead. The Knights were able to fight back with two 2nd period goals by Ben Rzymek and Jon DiFrisco. The Knights had all the momentum heading into the 3rd period. The 3rd was very hard fought, with both teams getting some chances. Russ Pittman came up huge for the Knights in net. With 1:09 left in the game, Thomas Moore was able to find the back of the net for the Knights and give them the win. The Knights are now left to sit back to wait and see if the rankings commitee will vote them into nationals for the 2nd straight year. Stay tuned for updates.

Feb 3rd UCF downs Loyola again!

The Knights came to Atlanta for the South Regional Tournament hoping to secure a return trip to Nationals. They opened up the tournament against #2 Loyola College. Last weekend in Richmond UCF beat Loyola 7-0. The Knights knew that they would face a much tougher Loyola team this week.

UCF came out a little bit slow, trying to shake off their bus legs. The Knights were able to burry 2 power play goals in the first period to get the ball rolling. Richard Furlong got the first one and Freshman defenseman Peter Mueller got the 2nd one on a blast from the point. With a 2-0 lead the Knights were able to take control of the game. A powerplay goal by Nate Earle put the Knights up 3-0 as they started to pull away.

After 2 periods the Knights were up 5-1. UCF finished out the game with 2 goals in the 3rd. One by Furlong, his 3rd of the game and the other by Nick Roefaro.

The Knights play in the semifinals tonight against #3 Kennesaw State at 8p.m.

Jan 29th Knights win Rumble in Richmond!

The Knights woke up while it was still dark out Thurday morning and boarded the bus for a 12 hour ride to Richmond, VA. The Knights opened up action on Friday afternoon against the host University of Richmond(#5). UCF jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Richard Furlong and Nick Roefaro in the 1st period. Richmond would battle back in the 2nd and the Knights went into intermission up 3-2. Playing without 4 regulars, the Knights were begining to wear down. UCF simply ran out of gas in the 3rd period and were unable to hold off a very hard working Richmond team. Richmond scored the tying goal with 11 minutes left in the game on the powerplay, and they were able to take the lead a couple of minutes later. UCF was unable to muster anything offensively as the game winded down.

Knowing that their season was on the line, UCF regrouped and came back with a new game plan and a new attitude on Saturday night against #2 ranked Loyola. UCF played a strong first period, as freshman Jon DiFrisco got the Knights on the board first. UCF played an awesome team game and never let up. They were able to put a frustrated Loyola team away. Sophmore goaltender Russ Pittman played solid in net, earning his first career shutout. The Knights were led with 2 goals by DiFrisco, Matt Heyens, and Thomas Moore. Nick Roefaro added the other goal for the Knights. Sophmores Richard Furlong and Jimmy Hand set up 3 goals each. Thanks to the big win, the Knights were now in position to win the tournament.

After playing a late game Saturday night, the Knights were up bright and early and back on the ice less than 9 hours later for a huge game agaisnt #4 Georgia Tech. Once again UCF was able to get on the board first with a goal by Sr. Captain Nick Roefaro. Late in the first, freshman Jon DiFrisco gave the Knights a 2-0 lead off of a nice feed from Richard Furlong. DiFrisco, who has not seen much ice time this season, stepped up huge with this weekend. Playing with a short bench, DiFrisco saw his ice time increase and he took advantage of it, leading the Knights with 4 goals on the weekend. Within one minute early in the 2nd period,defenseman Jimmy Hand scored 2 goals to give the Knights a 4-0 lead. The game looked very similar to the game the night before. The Knights continued to roll offensivley and to play tight defense. A late 3rd period goal spoiled Pittman's 2nd straight shutout attempt. The Knights rolled to a 7-1 victory and put themselves back into the national tournament hunt.

Along with winning the tournament, Sophmore center Richard Furlong was named tournament MVP. Furlong had 2 goals and 7 assists in the 3 games, and played great 2 way hockey. Goaltender Russ Pittman won the most outstanding goalie award for the 2nd straight year. Playing in 2 games, Pittman gave up only 1 goal on 46 shots.

The Knights put together a great team effort as everyone contributed and played as one. After a long bus ride home, the Knights will be back on the road early Friday morning to Atlanta, GA for the southeastern regional tournament. UCF opens up their action at 9:30 Friday night in a rematch against #2 Loyola College. Stay tuned for updates.

Jan 27th UCF Has Mixed Weekend

The Knights started the long weekend with an opportunity to prove themselves. They came to rink more focused than they have ever been for a big home game against #2 Kennesaw State. Early in the season the Knights blew a 2 goal lead late in the 2nd period and the game against KSU in the third. The Knights felt they had something to prove. They came out skating hard and were able to skate stride for stride with a very good KSU team. Halfway through the 1st period the Knights started to wear down, and KSU took advantage. Unlike UCF, KSU buried every scoring opportunity that they had and staked to a 4-0 lead. The Knights were much tougher in the 2nd period, tying the period 1-1 on a nice goal by sophmore defenseman Jimmy Hand. The Knights went into the locker room with a flicker of hope. That flame was quickly put out as the puck bounced over a UCF defender's stick and a KSU forward took advantage of the opportunity and sucked the life out of the Knights less than 1 minute into the period. UCF skated hard the rest of the game, but they were unable to get back into the game. A late goal by Thomas Moore off of a nice feed from sophmore Richard Furlong was all that the Knights could muster.

The Knights were back in action on Friday night against a much improved Florida State team. UCF was able to take control from the get go, and the put the game away in the 2nd period. Goaltender Curt Petersen was able to follow up a stellar effort against KSU with another great game. Offensively the Knights were led by senior, Nate Earle and freshman Matt Heyens, sophmore Richard Furlong, and sophmore Jimmy Hand who had two goals apiece. Anthony Esposito and Nick Roefaro also netted goals for the Knights.

On Saturday night, the Knights came out a little bit sluggish, but were able to pick up the intensity, and a 9-1 victory over FSU. Goaltender Curt Petersen played well again and was relieved by freshman Kenny Heim in the 3rd. Heim was solid and net, and did not allow a goal. Offensively the Knights were led by freshman Anthony Esposito's hat trick. Thomas Moore added 2 goals and 2 assists. The other Knights who were able to find the back of the net were sophmore Jimmy Hand, senior Josh Haupt, senior Nick Roefaro, and sophmore Greg Langlois, who also added 2 assists in his first complete game at forward.

The Knights hit the road on Thursday as they head up to Richmond, VA for the Rumble in Richmond. This tournament is a huge weekend for the Knights, if they have any hope for a return trip to nationals, they need to win this tournament. Stay tuned for updates.

Jan 14th UCF Returns to Action

The Golden Knights returned to Orlando a couple of days early from Winter Break to take on D2 powerhouse Grand Valley State. The Knights came out hard and were able to keep up with the very fast team from Michigan. However, the Knights found themselves in penalty trouble from the get go and surrendered 3 power play goals in the 1st period after killing 2 5 on 3's. The 2nd period did not go well for the Knights as Grand Valley all but ended the game with their fast paced offense. Trailing by 11 late in the 3rd the Knights were able to avoid the shut out. Grand Valley was a great team, and the entire UCF Ice Hockey family would like to thank them for making the trip the south.

The Knights were able to bounce back in a huge way the following weekend against an undermanned Citadel team. The Knights took the first game 21-4 and were able to follow up that performance with a 17-1 win on Saturday. Every player on the team was able to contribute offensively. The Knights were led by Sr. forward Josh Haupt's hat trick in the Friday night game. As usual, the trio of Thomas Moore, Richard Furlong, and freshman standout Anthony Esposito paced the Knights offense, as all 3 are now among the top 20 in the country in points.

The Knights return to the ice this Thursday night at 10 p.m. with a home matchup against top ranked Kennesaw State, this is a huge game for the Golden Knights, and they would love to have all the fan support that they could. The Knights also take on FSU on Friday and Saturday night as well.

Dec 4th UCF domintes UF

Coming off of a tough win the night before, the Knights were back at the rink on Friday night to take on the Florida Gators. The Knights came out quick and did not stop. The Knights were led offensively with 5 goals from Thomas Moore. Sophmore Curt Petersen played great in net, earning the first shutout of the season for UCF.

The Knights finish up their first semester action this weekend with a home and home against rival USF. These games should have a big impact on the rankings. The Knights hope to head into the holiday break on a 6 game winning streak.

UCF downs Colorado 6-4

The University of Colorado Buffaloes flew across the country to take on UCF and FGCU this weekend. Colorado is traditionally one of the top programs in the country and a previous National Champion. At last years National Tournament, Colorado topped the Knights 9-1.

It was a different story Thursday night at RDV. The Knights jumped out to an early 2 goal lead with scores from Thomas Moore and Richard Furlong. Colorado answered early in the 2nd period with a goal of their own. 2 minutes later, the Knights regained their 2 goal lead with a nice goal from Sr. Assistant Captain Ryan Pratt, who scored his first goal of the season. The Buffs and Knights excahnged goals in the middle of the period. The Knights goal was scored on a nice breakway by Furlong. Colorado drew within 1 goal late in the period on a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game early in the 3rd period with another shorthanded goal.

The Knights took the lead for good with 14 minutes left on a rocket from the point by freshman standout Matt Heyens. Freshman Anthony Esposito sealed the win for the Knights scoring an empty net goal with 30 seconds left in the game.