By Abby Doperak · KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Ice Vols return home to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum this weekend for a two-game series against the University of Ta…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Ice Vols return home to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum this weekend for a two-game series against the University of Tampa Spartans.
On Friday, Oct. 3, the Ice Vols traveled to Alabama to face the Frozen Tide. After a strong defensive showing, Tennessee came out on top with a 3-1 victory. Heading into this weekend’s matchup, defenseman James Goetz is looking to extend the team’s success on the ice.
“We are going to need to move forward with our momentum,” Goetz said. “We gelled pretty well together in Alabama, and we were communicating, so I think we need to continue that in order to win some games.”
The Spartans come to Knoxville after sweeping Florida Atlantic University, including a 9-1 win on Oct. 5. As the reigning AAU national champions, Tampa enters the weekend with a 5-1 record. Their only loss so far came against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Tennessee will need to maintain their strong defensive effort, as Tampa brings a potent offense with multiple high-scoring performances. Offensively, the Ice Vols will need to step up early, as they’ve struggled to take early leads in games this season.
“Tampa overall is a very skilled team,” Goetz said. “We are going to have to stick to fundamentals starting in the D zone. Scoring is just going to have to come naturally as we break the D zone down.”
The Ice Vols come into the weekend with a 3-3 record, showing steady improvement each week. Last season, Tennessee split its regular-season series with Tampa 1-1 and suffered an additional loss to the Spartans in the College Hockey South League tournament.
Now back at the Coliseum, the Ice Vols hope to feed off the energy of a larger home crowd.
“Playing at a home arena is always an advantage,” Goetz said. “Hopefully, we get some fans there to get us going and put Tampa down.”
The series begins Friday, Oct. 10, at 10:30 p.m. and continues Sunday, Oct. 12, at 1:15 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online or at the door. Admission is free for students with a student ID.