New York, NY -- The mark of a solid team in any sport is the ability to overcome bad breaks to win games. The NYU hockey team proved their mettle on Sunday as they managed to hold off Drexel and the referees by a score of 9-5, boosting their record to 2-0 on the season.
Despite the score, this game was a battle from the beginning, as the Violets had to contend with 18 penalties called against them, compared to 12 for Drexel. As well, officials counted a questionable goal for Drexel when goalie Jay Lee was pushed out of the net and pinned by one of the Dragons.
"The refereeing started out very good, but it seemed to digress," said Coach Steven Hetherman. "The refs were a bit touchy after the first period; they should just let the kids decide the game."
But the Violets managed to withstand the suspect refereeing thanks to some overall good play, highlighted by a hat trick and three assists by sophomore Brian Friedman and solid play by the special teams.
NYU managed to hold off 11 of 13 power plays, some of which were two-man advantages for long periods of time. NYU also disrupted any setup of Drexel's power play while netting five power play goals of their own.
The momentum turned for the last time when sophomore Mark Branden set up Friedman in front of the net for a picture perfect goal with 4:22 left in the third period. The score froze a comeback by Drexel, which had closed the gap to 5-4.
"It showed a lot of character," Hetherman said of the Violets' stymie of the Drexel attack and their dealing with seemingly hostile officials. "Everyone played together as a team and they adjusted after the first period."
Those adjustments included playing a stronger style of defensive play and improved forechecking and long shots on net, which resulted in several goals off of weak rebounds by Drexel's goalie Justin Levin.
The game boosted team morale, Hetherman said, especially given the strength of the Drexel team.
"This is going to be a tough season," Hetherman said. "Drexel was a...Division I Club and we've scheduled many tough teams at the front of the schedule. But the kids are just playing hard, and they're starting to believe in themselves."