JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida’s ice hockey club is making history on Wednesday as the Ospreys are playing in the AAU National Championship Tournament for the first time.
The Ospreys are looking to clinch their first national title in ice hockey, and they’ll be doing it in familiar territory.
The Community First Igloo on Philips Highway, the rink where UNF plays its home games, is hosting the 17-team, double-elimination tournament.
UNF is taking on St. John Fisher University, a school out of upstate New York, at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The tournament runs through Sunday.
The club team is fully funded by the players and does not get any money from the university.
Making the tournament is a big accomplishment for the Ospreys, who have won 15 games this season, the most victories they’ve had since they joined the AAU league three years ago.
The Ospreys went from seven full-time players on the squad last year to 25 this season, and won more games in 2026 than in their first two seasons combined.
Team captain and president Jeremy Diaz and coach A.J. Mangine, who is in his first season with the Ospreys, both say they feel there was a change in the team’s culture this year that helped in its success.
“A lot of guys, they were a lot more bought in this year,” Diaz said. “This year, having a full team, guys were more brought in. They want to win this year.”
Mangine said the players are “easy to coach.”
“I have a great group of kids here. They want nothing but success both on the ice and off the ice,” Mangine said. “For me, it was just building relationships with guys. I want to help them succeed on the ice and off the ice.”
George Brkljacic, a freshman left wing who set a single-season record in the league with more than 60 goals, said the team feels like family.
“That’s what hockey does. It brings people together,” Brkljacic said. “I would definitely say, past that three- or four-week mark, everyone started buying in a little bit more.”
If you are planning to head to Wednesday night’s game at the Igloo, you’re asked to bring a non-perishable food item, which will be donated to Feeding Northeast Florida to help the thousands of people who are food insecure in our area right now.