Hooligans and Crocodiles Seize Control of Sunshine Race as Pegasus Future Clouds in Naples

by Anthony Flynn

The PIHA Minor Sunshine Division returned to Veterans Community Park in Naples, FL on Saturday, December 13, for its second festival of the season, and the stakes were considerably higher this time around. With just one Sunshine event remaining on the schedule and a coveted No. 1 seed — and corresponding first-round playoff bye — on the line, all four teams knew this weekend would go a long way toward deciding the divisional pecking order.

By night’s end, the Unify Hooligans and Gainesville Crocodiles had firmly positioned themselves at the top of the conversation, combining for seven wins and handing the Labeda Naples Kaos a tough 1–3 day. The South Florida Pegasus, meanwhile, saw their on-floor struggles compounded by a pair of late forfeits, casting uncertainty over their status for the remainder of the 2025-26 Minor campaign.

Game-by-Game Snapshot

Unify Hooligans 4, Labeda Naples Kaos 2
Unify opened their day with a statement win, riding a fast start and timely finishing to double up the Kaos.
Gainesville Crocodiles 7, South Florida Pegasus 0
Gainesville turned in a dominant performance at both ends, overwhelming Pegasus and posting a shutout.
Gainesville Crocodiles 4, Labeda Naples Kaos 3
In one of the day’s best games, the Crocodiles edged the hosts in a tight, high-tempo contest to move to 2–0.
Unify Hooligans 5, South Florida Pegasus 2
Unify piled on four first-period goals and never looked back, handing Pegasus their second defeat of the afternoon.
Gainesville Crocodiles 2, Unify Hooligans 1
The Crocodiles won a low-scoring grinder, tightening the top of the table and giving Unify their only loss of the day.
Labeda Naples Kaos 1, South Florida Pegasus 0 (FF)
Pegasus were unable to go, resulting in a forfeit win for the Kaos.
South Florida Pegasus 0 (FF), Gainesville Crocodiles 1
Another forfeit against Pegasus officially went into the books as a Crocodiles victory.
Unify Hooligans 6, Labeda Naples Kaos 3
Unify closed their night with another convincing win over Kaos, capping a 3–1 on-rink performance.

Team Storylines

Unify Hooligans

Unify looked every bit like a team eyeing the top seed, finishing the day 3–1 on the floor with wins over Kaos (twice) and Pegasus, and a single one-goal loss to Gainesville.

Their identity remained consistent all night: aggressive forecheck, layered offense, and a goaltender they trust behind them. They scored four or more goals in three of their four contests and showed they can both run-and-gun and grind out lower-scoring games when necessary.

Between this event and the earlier Naples festival, Unify have clearly established themselves as one of the Sunshine Division’s standard-bearers.

Gainesville Crocodiles

If there was a big winner in the standings, it was Gainesville.

The Crocodiles went a perfect 4–0 on the day (three on-rink wins plus the forfeit over Pegasus), highlighted by:

A 7–0 shutout of the Pegasus.
A 4–3 comeback-style win over the Kaos.
A tight 2–1 decision over Unify.

With balanced scoring and sturdy goaltending, Gainesville left Veterans Park looking like the team most likely to wrestle away the No. 1 seed heading into the final Sunshine festival.

Labeda Naples Kaos

Hosting again in Naples, Kaos could not replicate the form they showed earlier in the season. A 1–3 day (with the lone victory coming via forfeit) leaves them under pressure in the race for the top seed and potentially even the top two.

On the floor, they were competitive in stretches — pushing Gainesville in a one-goal game and creating chances against Unify — but struggled to get the key stops and timely goals they needed. The Kaos still have the talent to be a factor, but they will need a much sharper showing at the final Sunshine event to secure advantageous playoff positioning.

South Florida Pegasus

For the Pegasus, it was a difficult and potentially pivotal night.

After dropping a 7–0 decision to Gainesville and a 5–2 game to Unify, roster and availability issues led to forfeits in their final two scheduled contests. The combination of on-floor results and forfeits not only hurt them in the standings but also raises real questions about their ability to complete the season.

If the Pegasus can stabilize their lineup before the last Sunshine festival, they still have an opportunity to play spoiler — and possibly salvage a better seed — but their margin for error is now minimal.

Individual Performance Highlights

Unify Hooligans

Brad Hamel – One of the standout skaters of the festival, Hamel recorded multi-point efforts in multiple games, including a two-goal performance in the opener and a four-point night in the 5–2 win over Pegasus. His speed through the neutral zone and touch around the net drove the Hooligans’ attack all evening.
Rich Duncan – A steady offensive presence, Duncan chipped in goals and primary assists in Unify’s wins and was consistently involved in key scoring sequences, particularly in the 6–3 victory over Kaos.
Jordan Skaggs – Provided secondary scoring and energy, with important goals in both wins over Kaos and strong work on puck retrieval.
Jeffery Coughanour – Logged a heavy workload in net and responded with multiple 20-plus save outings, including a standout effort in the tight 2–1 loss to Gainesville.

Gainesville Crocodiles

David Stenzel – Backstopped Gainesville to a shutout of Pegasus and followed it with strong performances against Kaos, Unify, and again in the late forfeit-credited win. His calm play in goal was a major reason Gainesville surrendered just a handful of goals all day.
Austin Rice – Key two-way defender who factored into several Gainesville goals, including point shots and outlets that led directly to finishes.
Tristan Roost & Joel Stevenson – Consistent playmaking threats who were all over the score sheet in the 7–0 and 4–3 victories, driving Gainesville’s transition game.
Lewie Schacht – Contributed both offensively and defensively, including a highlight-reel goal in the 4–3 win over Kaos.

Labeda Naples Kaos

Max Stek – The most dangerous offensive weapon for Kaos, registering goals and assists in both close losses to Gainesville and Unify and shouldering much of the scoring burden.
Tommy Whitney & Saeger Olsone – Added depth scoring from the back end and forward group, helping keep Kaos competitive in their tighter contests despite the overall 1–3 showing.

South Florida Pegasus

Michael Krch & Daniel Ioannou – Provided the offensive sparks in Pegasus’ early games, including the goals in the 5–2 defeat to Unify.
Grey Russo – Faced significant shot volume in the Pegasus crease and battled throughout, particularly in the opener against Gainesville.

Sunshine Division Outlook

With just one Sunshine festival remaining:

Gainesville Crocodiles leave Naples in the best position, riding an unbeaten 4–0 event (including one forfeit win) and a growing goal differential.
Unify Hooligans remain right on their heels, going 3–1 on the floor and earning the season series edge over Kaos.
Labeda Naples Kaos will need a bounce-back performance at the final event to stay in the hunt for the top seed and to avoid slipping further down the bracket.
South Florida Pegasus must first resolve their roster and availability situation; their ability to participate fully in the final event could influence both their seeding and the broader playoff picture.

The math for the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye is still alive for multiple clubs, and with head-to-head records and goal differential in play as potential tiebreakers, every game at the last Sunshine festival will carry postseason weight. If the action in Naples was any indication, the race for that top spot is going to be fast, physical, and anything but predictable.