New York, NY -- When Dan Perry first stepped on the ice at the age of 6, he was in figure skates and had never seen a live hockey game.
"I fell, and I got a concussion," Perry said. "I split my head open. I didn't want to even skate anymore."
After falling repeatedly, he noticed other kids wearing hockey skates, which looked "cooler." He quickly switched skates, tried out for a hockey team and fell in love with the sport. From then on, he continued playing for competitive teams, twice helping his Delbarton High School team become No. 1 in New Jersey. Hockey became the most powerful thing in his life.
"There's no more exhilarating feeling than scoring a goal," said Perry, who has scored 90 in his career at NYU.
Over the four years he has been at NYU, he played in each of the hockey team's 117 games. This season, the team's best ever, he was named its Most Valuable Player. The Violets finished 20-1-3 and won the Super East Collegiate Ice Hockey League championship for their first league title. They placed fifth in the nation in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II championships, and Perry took home Honorable Mention in the ACHA Northeast division.
The team has greatly improved over the past four years. Teams that used to beat NYU handily are now forced to fight hard to keep the score even.
"Winning the championship this year is a testament to the growth that's happened," Perry said. "If you saw our team [in its] freshman years and said four years from now we're going to be in a better league, we're going to win it, and we're going to go 23-2, you would be called a liar to your face."
More than any other sport, hockey pulls teammates together, Perry said. In addition to working together towards putting the puck in the net, the violent nature of the sport makes players responsible for their teammates' safety. Perry guessed that they had sent over 500 "team e-mails" over the year, planning events and keeping in touch.
"Going to class is a lot easier, knowing afterwards you're going to go to the rink," he said. "You're just going to let out any steam you have and you're going to see all your friends in one place."
Perry and the team owe a lot to Head Coach Steve Heatherman, whom they could always turn to for advice and support. He remembers how Heatherman encouraged the team to enjoy their time off the ice with their teammates.
"He said, 'Live it up with your friends because you're only going to go to college for four years,'" Perry said. "'Get close to your teammates and you're going to play all that much better for it.' He touched every one of our lives."
The competitive arena of hockey has helped prepare Perry for the business world. He has a job offer from the brokerage firm, Hennion & Walsh, in Parsippany, N.J., and during his senior year, he worked at the mergers and acquisitions boutique Morgen, Evan & Company.
"I think a lot of people that play college athletics are really successful in the business world," Perry said. "It's not directly correlated, but I think that that competitive drive and the desire to win and succeed is so strong there, it can definitely carry over."
As the senior member of the team, Perry has proven to be a strong leader and role model for the freshman.
"Every shift, he goes out there and works as hard as he can," freshman Vincent DeSimone said. "He's a silent leader. You can see him working hard."
Perry believes the freshmen are full of promise and is sure the team will continue to grow and succeed.
"Our freshmen grew into leaders," Perry said. "Four years from now, they'll be great. It's going to be a lot more competitive."