New York, NY -- Just a few ticks of the clock remained in the game against Marist College when Marist forward Frank Fumo skated toward NYU junior goaltender Paul Lenti with the puck and no defender in sight. The scoreboard read: NYU 9, Guest 3. About 100 screaming voices shook the cold air inside Chelsea Piers arens in anticipation of the hockey team's second win this season.
Fumo made a nifty move when he reached the net, but Lenti, exercising reflexes that had been on point all night, stretched out his pad and deflected the puck away as the game's final horn sounded.
"If that had gone in, it would have really ruined my night," Lenti said.
It was that attitude that characterized the Violets' play Friday night and helped them cruch the Red Foxes in what was an important game against a divisional opponent. The Violets responded to last week's loss to Siena College with relentless goal-scoring against Marist, but relapsed on the road against the College of the Holy Cross on Sunday night, losing 3-2. NYU is now 2-2 this season and 2-1 in the Super East Collegiate Hockey League division.
It's hard to believe a Marist goal in the final seconds would actually have ruined Lenti's night. The backup goaltender started for the first time this season, and he made 22 saves, several of which wowed the crowd. His perfectionist mindset and unwavering focus became contagious, and the rest of the NYU players followed suit, skating with verve and shooting with gusto through the last minutes of the game.
The Violets' emphasis on sustained energy on the ice stemmed from the tough loss to Siena, during which they surrendered three separate leads.
"It was a lesson learned: Never slow down," said senior Artem Agafonov, the team's assistant captain. "We wanted to play hard the entire game [against Marist]. It also helped that all the lines got to play. It helped keep us fresh and put more pucks in the net."
Freshman Josh Anderson had no problem putting the puck past Marist goalie Tim Fleming, scoring three times. He completed a well-executed tic-tac-toe play by burying junior Tom D'Agostino's saucer pass over a defender for the Violets' second goal of the game. He then added two more in the second period. His five goals this season lead the team.
Anderson has also benefitted from playing on NYU's top line, alongside the talents of D'Agostino and senior Matt Weindel. The trio was an offensive juggernaut Friday, as Weindel notched two goals and three assists while D'Agostion added two assists as well.
After Marist forward Daniel Doremus cut NYU's lead to 2-1 early in the second period, the Violets responded with four unanswered goals that gave them a hefty lead that proved insurmountable for the Red Foxes. Violet sophomore Mike Martin, who leads NYU with 10 points this year, scored twice in the final period.
On Sunday, NYU bombarded Holy Cross with 38 shots on goal, but could not extend its 2-1 lead and watched it vanish. Holy Cross scored twice in the last eight minutes, including the game-winner with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Violets face Bryant University on the road this Saturday, and a highly anticipated matchup with divisional rival Pennsylvania State University on Nov. 5 looms in their sights.
Getting healthier in time to face a tough divisional foe could give the team a boost. Seniors John Walpole and captain Mason Donley have been sidelined after both suffered shoulder injuries in the first game of the season. It is uncertain whether they will be back on the ice for the Penn State game.
Meanwhile, NYU's healthy players need to reinforce their discipline in the offensive zone and limit the number of odd-man rushes for the opponent, Agafonov said.
"We need to keep on playing solid hockey, play with that jump that we had on Friday night, [and] play with a bit more discipline," he said. "If these things become second nature, then I don't think that Penn State should be a problem."