The FGCU DII hockey team started the new year undefeated, sweeping the Davenport University Panthers on Jan. 10 and 11 at Hertz Arena. 

The Eagles opened the weekend night game with a dominant first period. Forwards Jake Court and Andrew Castello put the Eagles up by two, while goaltender Keegan Wise blocked all five of Davenport’s scoring attempts.

Around the three-minute mark, FGCU defenseman Shane Romback scored his third goal of the season to open up the second period.

 The Panthers followed with a goal by forward Cole Dixon. At the 9:10 mark, Eagles forward Jordan Comilla put the puck in quickly, followed by another goal by Shayne Tomilinson at the ten-minute mark. FGCU went into the locker room with a 5-1 lead.

Comilla and Court both netted another goal for the Eagles in the third. 

Colin Anna, a forward for FGCU, took advantage of a power play resulting from a tripping penalty on Panthers forward Gabriel Olenzuk. At the 18:37 mark, Dixon made his second and Davenport’s final goal.

To solidify their 9-2 win,  Court achieved a hat-trick with his third goal with seconds left in the period. 

“There’s times where, I think you ask anybody on our team, and they believe he [Court] could be the best player on the ice on any given night, and I think he showed that on Friday,” said FGCU coach Eric Mabie. “He was pretty dominant on both sides of the puck, and it was good to see him get going again. We’re hoping for a big second half from him.”

The Eagles retook the ice on Saturday, which resulted in another win against the Panthers.

Davenport’s forwards Dixon and Anthony Ott secured their team’s two goals for the period. With Tomlinson in the box, forward Jaiz Barner scored a shorthanded goal for FGCU. 

The Eagles kept pace, with Tomlinson scoring the second goal at the 11-minute mark. Forward Thomas Zebley netted another puck. Forward Shane Murphy put in another for the Eagles. This left the scoreboard at 4-2 for the first period.

Not long after the start of the second period, Panthers’ Ott scored. FGCU’s Court scored on a power play that resulted from an elbowing penalty from the opposing team’s defenseman Matthew Lyszyk. Barner closed the second period with a goal for FGCU, which put the score at 6-3. 

Seconds into the third period, Comilla scored on a power play for the Eagles. This resulted from Panthers’ player Ott’s slashing penalty in the second period.

Forward Lukas Lyszyk made another goal for the Davenport team. However, the goal was all for nothing as Romback and forward Nathan Mastrony for the Panthers traded goals to end the game. The Eagles won 8-5.

With an overall record of 16-4, FGCU will return to Hertz Arena Jan. 17-18 to face the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. The Eagles defeated the Wildcats earlier this season, 5-2, during the UMass showcase on Nov. 8. 

“New Hampshire is a quality opponent,” Mabie said. “They’re always a good opponent. They play with speed, they play physical, and they have good goaltending. So, it’s definitely going to be a good test.”