By Abby Doperak · KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Ice Vols hit the ice Friday for their season opener against the Auburn Tigers. After several major changes to the co…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Ice Vols hit the ice Friday for their season opener against the Auburn Tigers.
After several major changes to the coaching staff, roster, and infrastructure of Tennessee College Hockey, the Ice Vols will return to the Knoxville Coliseum eager to begin their season.
“I think everybody is really excited,” senior defenseman and captain Bryce Cooper said. “Obviously, we have a new coach, a lot of new faces on the team, and I think over the last couple of weeks we’ve done a really good job of bonding, practicing hard and raising the standard from last year.”
Tennessee ended last season with an 8-11 regular-season record. While the Ice Vols struggled with consistency last season, the team hopes their complete organizational makeover will help it become one of the most improved teams this season.
Because the Ice Vols have a delayed start to the season, Auburn has six games under its belt and sits at a 2-4 record. The Tigers have two losses to Florida and two losses to South Carolina this season, both teams Tennessee defeated last season.
“A big part of Coach Rod coming in is he really emphasizes you have to focus more on us rather than the teams we play,” Cooper said. “As long as we play our game, I don’t think we need to be too worried about anything. We can’t get outworked, and if we play our game, I think we will be just fine.”
The Ice Vols and Tigers met last October during the 2025-26 season, when Tennessee swept Auburn with back-to-back shutouts at home.
Eleven new rookies will make their debut as Tennessee Ice Vols this weekend, led by four new captains: Bryce Cooper, Tyler Rose, Patrick Green, and Marius Angelin.
“I’m a little jealous,” said Cooper. “I’ve only got so much time left with this, and they’ve got three to four years ahead of them. They’ve really bought in, been at all the team events, been practicing. So, I am really excited to see what they bring to the team. It should be a good year.”
Changes are being made not only on the ice for fans to watch but also off the ice for fans to experience. Tennessee has dedicated a theme to each home game at the Coliseum this season.
Fans are welcome to attend Friday’s game at 6:30 p.m. for Figure Skating Night, where they will see a performance from Tennessee’s Figure Skating Club during intermission.
The second game of the series will be played Sunday at noon, when the Ice Vols will host their Salute to Service game along with Kids Day! A ceremonial puck drop, live performance of the national anthem with a joint color guard, intermission games and a player meet-and-greet after the game will make Sunday a busy game for fans.
Fans can also look forward to lowered ticket prices this year, with tickets costing $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and younger. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.