Bulls Sweep the Knights to win War on I-4 in Front of a Capacity Crowd.
IMAGE CREDIT: JG Designs
Bulls Sweep the Knights to win War on I-4!
Written By Kayla Deegan, USF Hockey Staff Writer
Orlando, FL- The Bulls traveled to Orlando on Friday, January 20th for their first game of 2023 against University of Central Florida to start off the weekend of their War on I-4 Rivalry Series. USF started the weekend off with an exciting 3-2 win over the Knights.
The first half of the period flew by with both teams fighting for the puck, trying to keep it in their zone, and looking for any play where they could get the puck to the back of the net. With just under eight minutes to go, #27 Andrew Ward was able to start the Bulls off strong, and just within a minute, #28 Jonathan Cooper added another one to the board giving USF a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period.
Most of the second period was filled with penalties from both teams. UCF’s Scribner was called for slashing, and gave the Bulls a power play. Acting on their advantage, #18 Alden Spratt gave the puck to #22 Tyler Stowe and got it past UCF’s goalie giving the Bulls a 3-0 lead heading into the locker room.
With the third period coasting and a few more penalties from USF, the Knights capitalized off of their late power plays bringing the score to 3-2 and giving game one to the Bulls. USF’s #33 Sean Jenal helped pave the way to a USF victory by stopping 39 of 41 shots.
Tampa, FL- With a thrilling win over UCF on Friday night, the Bulls were looking to keep the same energy for their second game over the weekend with the Knights on Saturday, January 21st and claim the War on I-4 victory in front of a record crowd.
While the Knights were looking to split the weekend, the Bulls had a different idea in mind. USF started off the period with keeping the puck in their zone and getting pucks on net, and their effort began paying off. Breaking away from a UCF defender, #27 Andrew Ward gave the Bulls an early lead. USF’s #25 Danila Mikheev dangled through UCF players and sent a swift pass to #22 Tyler Stowe, bringing the Bulls up 2-0. Nearing the end of the first period, #22 Tyler Stowe was able to jab another one through and bring the Bulls’ lead up to 3-0.
The first half of the second period was a constant battle for the puck and getting shots on either goalie. Just before the halfway point of the game, #19 Tyler Young snuck one past UCF’s goalie to make the score 4-0. With just under a minute to go, #27 Andrew Ward tapped in a rebound shot from #13 Kelly Barlett, and #25 Danila Mikheev walked another puck straight to the back of the net to end the period 6-0.
Cruising into the third period, #27 Andrew Ward sniped the puck to the back of the net for a hat trick and the Bulls kept looking to keep the Knights at bay. With some more looks from the Bulls, #23 Charles Rongo fired a rebound shot past the UCF goalie making the score 8-0, and as a late birthday present to himself, #24 Zach Parker received a center feed from #11 Kevin Holman adding yet another one to the board. For the icing on the cake and giving the Bulls some double digits, #19 Tyler Young tracked another rebound to give the UCF goalie a run for their money, ending the War on I-4 10-0. USF’s #29 Tyler Leniek stopped 26 shots to shut out the University of Central Florida Knights.
The USF Bulls will be taking on the University of Miami Hurricanes for the second time this season at the Kendall Ice Arena in Miami, FL on Friday, February 23rd at 8:30p.m., and on Saturday, February 4th at 4:00p.m.
