By Abby Doperak · CINCINNATI – The Ice Vols competed in the ACHA Southeast Regional Tournament this past weekend, defeating Indiana 6-3 in the first round before falli…
CINCINNATI – The Ice Vols competed in the ACHA Southeast Regional Tournament this past weekend, defeating Indiana 6-3 in the first round before falling to Florida Gulf Coast University 9-0 in the second round.
The No. 11-seed Ice Vols first opened the tournament against the No. 6-seed Hoosiers in what was considered a statement game for both teams. Tennessee was seeking redemption after a loss to South Carolina in the SEC championship game the previous weekend, while Indiana looked to rebound from an untimely forfeit in early February.
“Our mindset going into every game is that it is club hockey,” Tennessee wing Dylan Updike said. “It’s all effort here, and if we can put in more effort than them, then anything can happen.”
The game began with strong defensive efforts, particularly from Tyler Rose, Bryce Cooper, and goalie Patrick Green. With high-intensity play and effective use of the boards, Tennessee matched Indiana’s pace, resulting in a scoreless first period.
Indiana struck first in the second period when Jake Rock converted a penalty shot - the first against the Ice Vols this season. Tennessee responded with goals from Updike, Matthew Pavek and Henry Cohen to take a 3-1 lead.
The Hoosiers answered with back-to-back goals from Andrew Chambers and Barrett Bauermeister to tie the game at 3-3. With one minute remaining in the period, Updike scored again to give Tennessee a 4-3 advantage heading into the third.
“You want to play for your teammates and your coaches,” Updike said. “Whatever happens, you want to go down fighting.”
The third period mirrored the first, with balanced offensive and defensive play limiting scoring opportunities. With two minutes left, Pavek extended Tennessee’s lead to 5-3. He completed a hat trick with 48 seconds remaining to seal the 6-3 victory.
“We knew they were really good, and it was going to be a hard game,” Pavek said. “We came with a good game plan, stuck to it, and it worked out.”
After the first day of play, the bracket was reseeded, setting up a matchup between Tennessee and Florida Gulf Coast University the following day. The Eagles had beaten UNC Wilmington 7-1 earlier that day. Puck drop was scheduled for one hour after the start of the Olympic gold medal game.
The second game started with a noticeably slower start for the Ice Vols, who struggled to keep pace with FGCU. Just two minutes in, Shayne Tomlinson scored to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead, followed by a goal from Cole Bauman to make it 2-0.
Midway through the second period, FGCU scored three goals in a two-minute span to extend the lead to 5-0. Green was pulled and replaced in net by Lincoln Simons.
Despite the change, the Eagles added three more goals before the buzzer to take an 8-0 lead into the final period.
Tennessee held FGCU scoreless for much of the third, but spirits remained low as the final buzzer approached. Midway through the period, play was paused as fans celebrated the United States’ gold medal victory over Canada in the Olympic final. Fans stood, the national anthem was sung, and players briefly shared in the celebration.
After play resumed, FGCU scored once more with four minutes remaining to secure the 9-0 win.
“Although it didn’t show from the score, we were out there to have a good time,” Captain and senior Connor Frazer said. “We played for the name on the front of the jersey, name on the back, every guy to the right and left of you, and our two coaches.”
The shutout loss marked the end of the season, and emotions ran high as seniors took their final moments on the ice and in the locker room.
“We all had shared words at the end of the game in the locker room,” Frazer said. “It was super emotional. I definitely got teary-eyed, but it was just nice to have one last go with them.”
Despite the bittersweet ending, team leaders are already looking ahead to the fall and the start of next season.
“There is a lot of promising talent coming in,” Green said. “As we look ahead, there’s going to be some coaching staff adjustments as well that should result in a positive season moving forward into next year. There are a lot of things to be excited for.”
The Tennessee Ice Vols will return to the ice this fall for the start of the 2026-27 season.