On the biggest night of the season thus far, and one of the biggest in its club history, the NYU hockey team lived up to the nights high expectations. Friday, Jan. 30, riding the energy of #DaleyStrong night, a night devoted to raising money and awareness about goaltender Sam Daley’s brain tumor and surgery, the Violets pulled out a 5-3 win against their fierce rivals, William Paterson University.

The win, made sweeter by the fact that they dropped their last contest against William Paterson 3-2, came in front of a raucous crowd of students and parents at the Sky Rink in Chelsea Piers. Many chants of “NYU” could be heard after goals and big hits, and students were on their feet banging on the glass of the arena for the entire second and third periods.

But even before the game started, the night was a win, as Daley finally rejoined his Violet teammates at their home arena. Head Coach Chris Cosentino knew how much Daley’s presence meant to his teammates.

“Having Sam walk the team onto the ice before the game was a great scene,” Cosentino said. “With him in the building we knew we would get a special effort out of our guys.”

On such a big night, however, nerves may have gotten to the Violets early as William Paterson got off to a better start. They jumped out 1-0 almost immediately in the first period. But the Violets did not crumble. Freshman Jack Nebe regrouped and stood tall in front of net, going on to stop 47 of WPU’s 50 shots.

“Last night was a great team effort and it started with the play of Jack Nebe in net,” Cosentino said. “Jack showed a ton of poise under a lot of pressure at times, and he made several big stops.”

After the slow start, the Violets put an onslaught of goals in the Pioneers’ net. They fell down 3-1 in the second period, but rattled off three straight goals to head into the final intermission with a 4-3 lead. Senior Davy Johnson netted their fourth goal with just under a minute to go in the second period—and then added one more in the third period for good measure.

While the offense was clicking, the defense had its hands full. NYU accrued 14 minutes of penalty time, forcing them to kill  power play on seven different occasions. Despite the Pioneers vaunted power-play offense this season, they were stifled on Friday night thanks to the effort and sacrifice from defenders like junior Denny O’Hara, who dove in front of several shots to keep them from reaching Nebe.

“Denny O’Hara came up with some huge shot blocks late in the game that you won’t see on the scoresheet,” Cosentino said.

Fans walking into the arena were immediately greeted with a donation table for the #DaleyStrong fund, which is raising money to help the Daley family pay for the medical expenses of Daley’s unexpected surgery. Each fan who donated was given a puck with a number on it, which they then used to enter a raffle by throwing the pucks onto the ice between the second and third periods.

“It was great to be back with the team and see the boys,” Daley said. “Obviously it’s tough to have to watch from the stands when I’m used to being in net, but we have a couple other great goalies on our team.”

Daley was just as thrilled as the rest of the crowd on Friday night after their big victory over WPU.

“Any time we play WPU is an exciting game,” Daley said. “I think it’s safe to say we both have a genuine dislike for each other and it is a really great rivalry to be a part of. The support from our fans on Friday was unbelievable and I definitely think it was a factor in how well we played.”

The Violets’ momentum carried over into their game the next day when they steamrolled Northeastern, 6-0. They will look to keep their Daley-inspired streak alive as they take on Keene State College at the Sky Rink next Friday, Feb. 6.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 2 print edition. Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected].