It was a bittersweet night on Friday at Chelsea Piers as the NYU men’s hockey team took to the ice for their last regular game of the season. For seniors Denis O’Hara, Curtis Fisher, Beau Lardner, Sam Daley and captain Gabriel Gollette, it would be their last time suiting up at home.

Facing off against a University of New Hampshire team out for redemption after a loss to William Paterson University the previous night seemed like a challenging feat. However, the crowd, which included many players’ parents and friends, made success seem like less of a hope and more of a definite outcome.

With a starting lineup of all the seniors along with sophomore forward Steven Esposito, it took NYU just over four minute to net their first goal of the night. It came from junior forward David Morgan, assisted by Lardner and junior defenceman Evan Ripley.

Later on in the first period, freshman forward Mason Gallegos got the Violets’ second goal of the night with the assist going to junior forward David Shaby along with Gollette. The frame ended with 4-on-4 action when freshman defenseman Gabe Regan and a UNH player each got thrown in the box late for slashing. NYU outshot UNH 11-5.

Once the game was back to 5-on-5, Morgan got another, this time unassisted, netting the Violets’ third unanswered goal. This prompted a UNH goalie change, which was met by plenty of “back-up” chants from the Violets’ loyals.

UNH managed to get one past Daley, but this night was very much about the Violets. On a UNH hooking call, Ripley scored the team’s fourth and final goal of the night. Helpers came from freshman forward John Kowalewski along with Esposito.

Though there were no more scores in the game, the action was far from over. Midway through the second period there was a UNH tripping call, which was shortly followed by pure madness: O’Hara, junior forward Pete Jorgensen were tossed in the box for roughing, with NYU serving a double minor because Jorgensen was called for boarding as well. However, it all worked out as the Violets got the kill.

The third period was mostly an exercise in letting the seniors soak in their last home game after an exciting journey donning the NYU Violet. Though this wasn’t like the seven-goal showings of last week, a 4-1 win was not a bad way to cap off an exciting regular season, in which the Violets have now won 10 straight. The season ends at a time where the team suffered numerous injuries, but stood tall in the face of such adversity.

“The thing that stands out the most is that with all the tough injuries we have right now, guys are stepping up in a big way,” head coach Chris Cosentino said. “Each player in our lineup is finding a way to add value and that’s what this whole thing is about.”

For players like Lardner, who was awarded the hard hat for Player of the Game, senior day was especially meaningful. With his parents in the stands for the first time in two years, the experience was memorable.

“To have the first game they’ve seen in two years, and the last home game of my college career go so perfectly, it was a really special night,” Lardner said.

The Violets now head into next week’s Super East Collegiate Hockey League playoffs in Montclair,
New Jersey.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 16 print edition. Email Rachel Ruecker at [email protected].