Not many teams start their season facing a top-three opponent, but last weekend, Colgate University men’s ice hockey got the privilege of doing just that. Traveling to Boston, Mass. for a weekend series, the men’s hockey team took on then-No. 3-ranked Boston University (BU) after only playing one exhibition game prior.
The team knew they were in for a challenge. Senior Andrew Takacs, goaltender, reflected on their goals and expectations going into the big weekend.
“Our exhibition game the weekend prior against Union College made the guys on the team hungry to ‘finally hit someone else,’ as [Head Men’s Hockey Coach Mike Harder] would say,” Takacs said. “We knew it would be a difficult first opponent, but if we want to be in consideration for one of the best teams in college hockey, it’s teams like that you have to compete with.”
With these goals in mind, the team put up a good fight in their first game of the series. Though they eventually fell 5-2 to the Terriers, they held their own, posting two periods with only one goal against.
The Raiders used the opening loss as a learning opportunity heading into Saturday’s rematch, explained junior defender Antonio Fernandez.
“After the first game, we knew we didn’t bring our best at all,” Fernandez said. “We were afraid to make plays and wanted to get rid of the puck too fast when there were plays out there to be made. After the big idea was just to trust our system and our confidence because that is what makes us an elite team. We also wanted to go into Game 2 with a dog mindset, meaning get pucks by their [defense] and hunt them back, be really physical against their skill and get pucks to the net.”
With a chance to recollect and restart for Saturday play, the men’s hockey team took it to the Terriers. Colgate gained the early lead, before the two teams broke even at 2-2 to end regulation. Though there was a brief scare to end the third, an overturned BU goal ensured the Raiders could hold off the Terriers until overtime.
After a hard-fought five minutes of extra play, the tie game went into a shootout, where Boston University ultimately won two goals to none. While the Raiders didn’t pull away with the win, they held their own through regulation, earning them a point for their in-season play.
Sophomore defender Michael Neumeier reflected on what the tight game revealed about the team’s potential.
“It was fantastic to see us in such a tight match with one of the best teams in the country,” Neumeier said. “It really puts into perspective how good of a team we have and how, being a tight-knit group, we can play with anyone on any night. It really helped us start the season on the right foot and now we just have to focus on being as consistent as possible for the full 60 minutes of a game.”
Following the series against Colgate, the Terriers rose to No. 1 in NCAA rankings, proving all the more just how much potential the Raiders have as they move into their season. The Raiders returned home this weekend for their home-opening series against Canisius University. They split the weekend, losing Friday night 4-2 and winning Saturday night 5-3. They’re back in action next weekend for a pair of games at the University of Maine.
