After back-to-back wins on the road last week to start 2016, the NYU hockey team began a three-week homestand before the best time of the year — playoff hockey.

On Friday, the Violets met their rival William Paterson University Pioneers, to whom they dropped an earlier matchup in a 4-2 decision.

Freshman Matthew Welch was slotted into the lineup to account for injured freshman Hamilton Whyte. A walk on from “midget hockey” (minor league hockey for children between ages 15-17), he felt “ready to go” mentioning the team’s earlier defeat to the Pioneers.

NYU got an early chance on the power play when the Pioneers got dealt a cross-checking penalty early in the first period, but ultimately could not capitalize. A couple of minutes later, senior forward Denis O’Hara was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Then quickly, the Violets were down two men as senior defenceman Gabriel Gollette got added to box. This proved to be the first frame’s turning point as WPU got the go-ahead goal on the two-man advantage.

An early quarrel of sorts in the second threw defensemen freshman Gabe Regan and junior Charles Arsenescu to the box along with a couple of WPU players to deliver some 4-on-4 action, but the score remained intact.

The game went into the third with the Violets still down by one, but Arsenescu quickly got the tying tally to make the game viable once again. The Violets successfully killed a couple more before the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

A moment that’s sure to be looked back on as a classic by the season’s end came when sophomore forward Mike Conslato scored the game-winning goal, unassisted, helping the team to successfully avenge their earlier season loss to WPU. The frequently penalized flyer Regan felt great about the game’s exciting overtime finish, especially given the opponent.

“In my opinion it’s huge,” Regan said. “We felt like we were on top of the world after that win and hopefully that feeling and the confidence we gained from it can stay with us and help us in our playoff push and run for a national title.”

The Violets took to the Sky Rink ice again on Sunday to face Boston College, who they beat in a 5-3 contest in Newton, Massachusetts earlier in the season.

It didn’t take long for freshman forward Mason Gallegos to score to put NYU in front. Then, a minute into the second, freshman standout John Kowalewski doubled the lead with a goal assisted by junior forward David Shaby and sophomore forward Steven Esposito. Freshman forward Keaton Baum got another at 5:27 to put the Violets ahead 3-0. Another goal by Conslato extended the Violet lead to 4-0. And to cap things off, freshman forward Jack Orne scored NYU’s fifth of the night, his first ever as a Violet. After the second period onslaught, the Violets comfortably cruised to a 5-1 win.

The Violets are home again next weekend, starting things off Friday at 8:30 p.m. against
Montclair State.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 1. print edition. Email Rachel Ruecker at [email protected].