New York, NY -- The NYU ice hockey team racked up two exciting victories over the weekend, beating Bryant College in overtime on Sunday, 8-7, and Westfield State College, 3-2, on Friday, to extend its winning streak to 13 games.
Sunday night's game against the Bryant Bulldogs featured some of the hardest play by NYU all season. NYU's passing and puck handling was strongly improved from previous games, where missed passes often haunted the team. Junior Brad McGann scored the first goal of the game, but Bryant was quick to answer back with their first score.
The second period belonged to Bryant. Starting off with a fast breakaway goal, the Bulldogs took the lead and held onto it for most of the game. They scored three more goals, at one point distancing themselves from NYU, 4-1.
NYU didn't let the Bulldogs' strong defense stop them from taking plenty of shots, and was able to cut the lead down by two, bringing the score to a close 4-3 at the end of the second period. As Bryant scored two more goals in the third period, it appeared NYU was going to take its second loss of the season. But with seven minutes left in the period, NYU rallied, scoring three goals to tie the game.
While Bryant scored a seventh goal, a bad hit on junior forward Matt Weindel gave him a last-minute penalty shot. NYU fans jumped to their feet when he tied the game again, bringing NYU into its first overtime of the season.
The fans were happy when Weindel scored, but junior forward John Giardino's overtime goal sent them over the edge. Led by freshman defender Sam Rosen, who sat out the game with a concussion, fans jumped onto the boards and shook the Plexiglas walls of the rink.
Many players credited Weindel and Giardino for Sunday's win.
"We won because of guys like John and Matt," junior Drew DeWitt said. "We won because we have a lot of heart."
Despite the win, there was a sentiment of disappointment with the team's overall performance.
"We came in flat. I think we were a little cocky with our 12-1 record," said captain Dan Nemchek, a senior. "However, the third period is our period. Right now, we're showing teams we don't lose at home."
Friday night's game against Westfield State College was more subdued than Sunday night's goal-fest, but came to the same result.
The first period was marked by little action. Defense for both teams was cautious and fast. There were no penalties and Westfield scored the only goal of the period. In the second period, however, Weindel brought the fans to their feet as he took a breakaway and scored NYU's first goal of the game. Westfield answered quickly, however, and regained the lead, 2-1.
The play on both sides became rougher, which worked to NYU's advantage as it scored the only goals in the third period. With two goals, NYU won the game, 3-2.
"Our conditioning is really paying off now," Head Coach Lloyd Polanish said of the win. "It was a team effort, and we're just playing well."
NYU now has a record of 13-1. The next four games, leading up to winter break, are on the road. The next home game is Jan. 23 against Pennsylvania State University.