New York, NY -- The NYU men's ice hockey team racked up two more wins and one loss last week after a string of away games, bringing NYU's overall record to 16-3.
Sunday night's game against the State University of New York at Stony Brook, one of the Violets' chief rivals, was the highlight of the weekend. Much like in the teams' last meeting on Nov. 8 (a 6-1 NYU win), the Violets jumped out to a big lead and maintained it until the final buzzer. Stony Brook couldn't cut into the lead, due in part to a pair of goals by forward Justin McDermott.
After the goal, NYU's defense tightened its hold on Siena, keeping the puck out of the zone and allowing the puck out of the zone and allowing the offense to make numerous runs on Siena's net.
A stellar performance by goalie Brian Kenney, a freshman, kept Stony Brook from gaining any more than a foothold in the game, as he saved 47 of the 49 shots on goal.
"It was just one of those nights where you get in the zone," Kenney said. "The whole team played great, and I just did my job."
Friday night's game against Marist College was more of the same. While there were fewer heroics than Sunday's game, a pair of goals by defenseman Brian Gilmore gave the Violets the upper hand and the victory.
Yet the team found itself on the tough end of a blowout in the first game of the weekend. Siena College, a team NYU beat 7-4 on home ice only four days earlier, ravaged the Violets.
While the game was relatively close at the end of the second period, NYU simply fell apart in the third. Strong play by Siena increased NYU's defecit from two to six, and a series of injuries obliterated the Violets' comeback chances, as the team fell 7-1.
"They came out on fire, and they spanked us," captain Dan Nemchek said. "They wanted it more than we did, and they won because of it."
Still, with two more wins and the Super East playoffs only four games away, the Violets are looking at the bright side of last week's performance and preparing for the road ahead.
"We're looking forward to playoffs," Nemchek said. "We're looking forward to playing Siena and Penn State again. And after that, we're really looking forward to taking nationals this year."
squad.The Violets' next game is at home against Montclair State University. Opening face-off is Friday at Chelsea Piers.