After winning the Division II National Championship last season, the Florida Atlantic University hockey team is set to return to the ice once again for its 24th season. 

This season, the Owls are dual-registered to play in the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) as members of the College Hockey South Conference and the North American College Hockey League (NACHL). 

In June, the College Hockey Federation (CHF), which operated the American Athletic Union College Hockey (AAU), announced it would end its partnership. CHF has since affiliated with the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and is now operating as the NACHL. 

The 2025-26 regular season schedule for the Division II Owls is as follows: 

Games 1 and 3 – University of Florida 

Sept. 19 at 6:45 p.m. and Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m.

FAU opens the season against the University of Florida Division II Gators. UF announced the team will compete in both the NACHL and ACHA this year, joining the ACHA M2 division. 

The Division I team, coached by Frank Pasquake, finished its regular season 10-12-0 ranking sixth of seven teams. The Gators had the fewest penalty minutes in the league with 221. Their postseason ended in overtime against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, 5-4. 

Last season, UF beat FAU 4-1 with forward Brady Baehser scoring the Owls’ only goal. 

Game 2 – Georgia Tech 

Sept. 20, time TBD

The Owls will face the Yellowjackets at the Florida Panthers IceDen. Georgia Tech recently moved from the CHS to the Atlantic Coastal Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL), where it last competed in 1980. 

Georgia Tech’s head coach is Colin Roberts, in his fifth season. He led the team to a 5-16-1 record last year. Despite winning two pool games in the National Championship Tournament, the tiebreaker rules ended their playoff run. 

Games 4 and 5 – vs./at University of Miami

Sept. 26 at 6:45 p.m. (home, Boca Ice); Sept. 27 at 8:00 p.m. (away, Kendall Ice Arena)

The Owls will play one home game against the University of Miami at Boca Ice and one away game against them at Kendall Ice Arena. Miami announced via Instagram that it would be moving up from Division III to Division II for the 2025-26 season. Their head coach is Tom Immello. 

Last season, the DIII team was ranked 13th out of 16 teams and had a record of 4-12-3. They scored 57 goals in total last year, while having 99 goals scored against them. In the post-season, they played three pool games and lost all three, ending their playoff run. 

FAU played UM twice last season, winning both games with scores of 9-2 and 5-2.

Games 6 and 7 – University of Tampa

Oct. 3 at 6:45 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 9:45 p.m.

Tampa not only placed first in their conference but also made history by winning the national championship against Farmingdale State College, 5-2. This season, they are returning to the ACHA and playing at the Division II level. Their head coach is Nick Kuszlyk.

The Spartans finished last season with a 17-4-1 record. FAU played Tampa at the beginning of last season and split the series with one win and one loss. 

Games 8 and 9 – at/vs. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. (away); Oct. 11 at 6:45 p.m. (home)

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will be competing this season as a Division III team in the ACHA. 

The ERAU Division II team was ranked 13 out of 14 teams last season and had a record of 5-16-2. They were tied with Lynn University and the University of Alabama Huntsville for Power play goals against, with eight goals against them. In the post-season, ERAU played three pool games, winning one and losing two. 

During the regular season, FAU beat ERAU in both games, 7-1 and 8-1.

Games 10 and 11 – at/vs. Florida Southern College

Oct. 17, time TBD; Oct. 18 at 9:45 p.m.

Florida Southern College will be competing as a Division III team in the ACHA. Their head coach is Gilles Richard, who has been with the team since its inception in 2019. 

Last Season, FSC Division II was ranked 12 out of 14 with a record of 4-11-3. The Mocs had the most short-handed goals of the season with 11. FAU beat FSC 11-3 last season with 46 shots on goal against FSC’s 38. 

Battle at the Beach Tournament

Oct. 25 – 26, times TBD

FAU will defend its title in the Battle at The Beach Tournament at the Panthers Ice Den after taking home the championship last season.  

Games 12 and 13 – Clemson University

Nov. 14 – 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Clemson drops from Division II and will be heading to the ACHA to compete as a Division III team. Head coach Casey Brown’s team finished last season 10-4-0, ranking seventh. 

Games 14 and 15 – at University of South Florida

Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 23 at 1:00 p.m.

USF will also compete in both the NACHL and the ACHA as a Division III team this season. Last season, the Bulls’ Division II team went 20-6-1 and played three pool games and one quarterfinal game; they fell to the High Point University Panthers 5-3. 

FAU lost against USF last season 3-4, while tying their other game 4-4. 

Games 16 and 17 – at/vs. University of Miami

 Jan. 10 at 8:00 p.m. (away, Kendall Ice Arena); Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (home, Baptist Health Iceplex)

Coming back from winter break, the Owls will once again match up against the Miami  Hurricanes in the spring; one game will be away at the Kendall Ice Arena, and the other will be home and played at the Baptist Health Iceplex. 

Games 18 and 19 – University of South Florida

Jan. 16 at 9:45 p.m.; Jan. 17, TBD

The Owls will play against the USF Bulls once again at home, with the Jan. 16 game being held at Boca Ice and the Jan. 17 game being held at the Panthers IceDen. 

Games 20 – 22 at Farmingdale State College

Jan. 23 at 6:15 p.m.; Jan. 24 at 9:15 p.m.; Jan. 25 at 8:30 p.m.

The Owls will be traveling to Farmingdale State College to play at the Northwell Health Center in New York. The Rams will be moving from AAU Division I to compete in the ACHA Division II league, along with joining the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League. 

Last season, the Rams were ranked first out of five teams with a record of 19-6-2. They went on to win the Empire Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship, making it their tenth championship in program history. 

Games 23 and 24 – at University of Tampa

Feb. 6 at 8:30 p.m.; Feb. 7 at 3:00 p.m.

The Owls and the Spartans match up again in the spring for games 23 and 24 of the season. They are set to play both games away at the AdventHealth Center Ice.

Games 25 and 26 – University of Central Florida

Feb. 13 at 9:45 p.m.; Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

UCF will compete as an ACHA Division III team under head coach Chris Brewster, promoted after the departures of Anthony Mariani and Shane O’Donnell. The Knights were ranked 10 out of 14 in the division, finishing 8-15-2. 

FAU beat UCF back-to-back last season, 8-2 and 4-3. 

Postseason

The CHS Playoffs will be held from Feb. 20-22 at the Panthers IceDen. The NACHL Nationals will be held from March 11-19, also at the IceDen; times for both to be determined. 

Rayne Welser is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email her at rwelser2024@fau.edu or DM her on Instagram @_morgan.ray.