New York, NY -- The NYU ice hockey team lost its home opener 6-3 to the Temple University Owls Saturday night at Chelsea Piers.
Senior forward and co-captain Tom Capotosta opened the game's scoring on the power play, 3:20 into the first period off a Kirk Shimizuishi pass. The lead was temporary - Temple defenseman Mike Molino scored with 19 seconds left in the first.
In the second period, Temple put up two more goals in a span of just over two minutes. John Matino scored shorthanded, and Andrew Gibbons hit the twine on the power play. Shimizuishi, a junior winger, answered with a power play goal at 9:41 on an assist from sophomore Prentiss Noyes and Capotosta bringing the Violets within one. Temple added two more late in the second period to begin the third leading 5-2.
Temple center Greg Watkins put the final nail in the Violet coffin with a goal 24 seconds into the third. NYU came bcak with a Prentiss Noyes goal off a five-on-three advantage. Dan Perry assisted Noyes.
The Violets decisively outshot the Owls by a 50-29 margin, but penalties may have had a greater impact on the final score. NYU and Temple compiled 30 penalties in all, resulting in numerous five-on-four and five-on-three advantages.
"I'm disappointed in the officiating of the game," said Violet coach Steve Hetherman. "I'm disappointed as well at the lack of defense we seemed to have." This is an area the Violets hope to improve on by Friday, when they play LaSalle University at Chelsea Piers.
Officials issued senior co-captain John Hsia a 10-minute misconduct penalty in the second perio for questioning the referees' decision to give him a two-minute roughing penalty. Hsia also served a five-minute major for charging earlier in the period. He spent nearly an entire period in the sin bin. His absence, coupled with the loss of co-captain Paul Leakis to an injured hand, exposed weaknesses on the Violet blue-line. NYU simply could not keep the puck out of graduate student goaltender Jason Nicoll's crease.
Temple goalie Mike Palermo shone for the Owls, with 30 saves on 32 shots in only two periods. He was relieved by Yuri Nadraga who saved all but one of 18 shots.
The Violets will travel to Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., following the game versus LaSalle. The Violets record currently stands at 1-1.