New York, NY -- The ice hockey season got off to a strange start this weekend after one opposing team showed up late and unprepared and another team didn't show up at all.
Friday night's game against the Westfield State College Owls, which NYU eventually won 6-1, was delayed about 40 minutes by the Owls' late arrival. Sunday's game was credited as a forfeit in favor of NYU after Marist College failed to show at Chelsea Piers.
Even after their arrival, the Owls had difficulty on Friday when some team members brought their home jerseys instead of their road jerseys, NYU junior goaltender Steele Filipek said.
When both teams took the ice for their practice skates, NYU wore its usual white-and-purple home jerseys, but Westfield had some players in their road jerseys and others in black sweatshirts with numbers taped on the back.
Once the first period started, it appeared jerseys weren't the only thing Westfield left at home. NYU played an aggressive, offensive game, bringing the puck to Westfield's zone repeatedly. In the first 11 minutes, NYU scored four goals.
The Owls scored their only goal of the game less than a minute after NYU's fourth goal.
The second period began with what would become the pattern for the rest of the game: rough hockey. Tempers flared as NYU's defense squashed all of Westfield's offensive attempts.
Both teams began to rely on hard hits to control the puck, as NYU's strong passing game began to deteriorate.
"We came out real strong," NYU co-captain Scott Zimmerman said. "But we still have to get into game shape with a stronger defense."
NYU rebounded in the third period, however, racking up two more goals before the end of the game.
"It's a great start for us," Head Coach Lloyd Polanish said.
NYU returns to the ice on Friday against the University of Dayton in Philadelphia.