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Clearwater, FL- The Bulls made their way down to the home rink of the University of Tampa Spartans on Friday, October 15th for their first match-up in the Battle of the Bay this season. The rink was packed with avid fans repping pink, red, white, green, and gold everywhere you looked.

The Spartans started the first period strong by putting up two goals within the first two minutes. The Bulls had a difficult time finding the net throughout the first period, even with USF having the main advantage of being on a power play throughout the majority of the period’s second half.

The second period was filled with penalties from both teams, and there was scrambling everywhere on the ice to keep the puck in the appropriate offensive zone. The Spartans were able to take advantage of a breakaway on their penalty kill and got the puck to the back of the net bringing the score up to 3-0. Two minutes later, UT rushed on USF goalie #31 Matthew Richard adding another goal to the scoreboard.

USF’s #9 Owen Welch was called for roughing at 6:11 giving the Spartans a power play. There was a pass from down low to the wide-open slot giving the Spartans a 5-0 lead. #7 Zach Slezak was called for tripping, and UT was able to get a rebound goal over the pad of #31 Richard, scoring the last goal of the night for the Spartans.

The third period had a slow start with only a few penalties being called on either team. #24 Kenneth Weightman was able to break the scoreless game for USF and give the Bulls something to hold on to for the remainder of the period. #31 Richard had 51 shots on goal stopping 45 of them. The Bulls closed out the night at UT’s house falling short with a final score of 1-6. 

 

Wesley Chapel, FL– On Saturday night, the USF Bulls hosted the UT Spartans at AdventCenter Ice. The Bulls showed up ready to fight after their loss the previous day. The starting lineup consisted of #4 Keith Moss, #13 Kelly Barlett, #14 Jackson McVay, #19 Tyler Young, #25 Danila Mikheev, and #33 Sean Jenal.

 

Three minutes into the first period, UT faced an interference penalty. #25 Mikheev scored a goal at 15:14 from #11 Holman and #19 Young, making the score 1-0 USF. #9 Welch received a penalty for cross checking with 14:46 in the first period. It was not until his penalty was over that UT’s #5 Needleman tied the score up at 1-1. USF was on the penalty kill after #6 King was called for tripping. With 9:04 left in the first period, UT received a penalty for cross checking by #2 Andrews. UT pulled ahead 2-1 after Needleman scored a second goal for the Spartans. Less than a minute after #5 Needleman’s goal, #5 Nelson brought the Bulls back 2-2 with the help of #10 Molinaro and #25 Mikheev. 

 

The score was stagnant throughout the entire second period, but the game remained entertaining as both teams worked hard. The Bulls began the period with 1:36 remaining on a power play. #17 Bronnikov was called for interference with 10:43 left in the second period. After UT committed an elbowing penalty, 4-on-4 hockey had to be played until the USF penalty expired with 8:43 left in the second period. About 6 minutes later, UT faced a tripping penalty. The second period ended with its beginning score of 2-2.

 

The third period kept the fans on the edge of their seats. UT moved the score to 3-2 only 2:58 into the period and scored again three minutes later. The score was now 4-2 UT, but this did not discourage the Bulls. #26 Hultberg was sent to the penalty box for tripping. Before his penalty expired, the Bulls managed to score a short-handed goal. Parker (#24) scored unassisted with 8:51 left in the third period. USF was now only one point behind with a score of 4-3 UT. Five minutes later, #13 Bartlett added a point for USF with assists from #19 Young and #25 Mikheev. The third period ended at a tie of 4-4, leading the game into overtime.

 

The two Tampa teams began overtime, 5 minutes of 3-on-3 hockey, meaning the next team to score would win the game. UT faced a slashing penalty halfway into overtime and later a bench minor penalty with just 41 seconds remaining. The assistant coach was also ejected at this time. The five-minute overtime ended without either team scoring, so the game finished with a tie of 4-4.

 

Saturday night’s game was a great time, despite closing with a tie. The players and the fans brought great energy from start to finish. The Bulls fought hard and left their supporters proud.

 

The USF Bulls are taking on the University of Miami for the first time this season at the Kendall Ice on Friday, November 5th at 9:15p.m., and on Saturday, November 6th where the time is still to be determined. 

 

Written by Jadyn McCarthy (Twitter and Instagram) and Kayla Deegan (Twitter and Instagram).