On Jan. 8—a night that saw several key players sidelined due to Covid protocols—the New Rochelle hockey team was forced to call upon its younger players to provide a little offensive firepower. Fortunately for the Huguenots, the squad’s young skaters came up big, propelling the hosts to a 7-2 victory over Rye Town/Harrison.

Despite missing nine players on Saturday night, the Huguenots wasted little time putting pressure on the Titans, controlling the puck and jumping out to a 4-0 lead by the middle portion of the second period.

Senior goalie Sam Glusker—who finished with 20 saves on the night—said the lion’s share of the credit was owed to New Rochelle’s young skaters who stepped up in the absence of a few senior leaders. 

Although senior Daniel Ostrager led all Huguenots with two goals, two members of the team—Alex Tetro and Dylan Kelly—recorded their first varsity goals during the contest.

“We knew the underclassmen had to step up today, and they really did,” said Glusker. “I think the lines we had today worked well together and that’s a big reason we were able to come away with the win.”

New Rochelle was firmly in control throughout the proceedings, aside from a slight hiccup in the second period when Tyler Tse was able to get the Titans on the board with a goal scored during a four-on-four scenario. But the Huguenots answered right back as senior defenseman Peter Cordaro found the net a few minutes later. 

“I knew I had to score in that situation, we couldn’t let them get back into it,” said Cordaro. “So I just had to do whatever I could to score there.”

For New Rochelle, the victory couldn’t have come at a better time. After winning their season opener, the Huguenots came into Saturday’s tilt having lost four straight. With a slate of winnable games—and a Jan. 18 rematch with the Titans (4-6)—on the horizon, New Rochelle will look to climb back to .500 before facing a stiff test on Jan. 28 against the 7-2 Cortlandt Rebels.

The Titans will look to regroup on Jan. 11—after press time—when they take on a 5-1 White Plains team.

“This game is built on chemistry for sure, and the biggest thing is we have to take this momentum and roll with it,” said Glusker. “This is such a game of momentum; the lines that we had today worked pretty good and everybody contributed to the win.” 

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