Now, after a senior year where Dineen posted a team-leading 12 assists in 30 games, he signed a professional tryout contract with the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League affiliate — the Laval Rocket (41–16–3–1) — on March 13.

“Laval had some injuries the past couple of weeks, and they approached me after we lost out in the playoffs,” Dineen told the News. “Spring break had just started and I was still at school because I didn’t have any plans. They approached me … and I met the team in Utica the next day. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to keep playing”

Dineen, a native of Lake George, NY, has deep roots in pro hockey. His father, Kevin, played almost 1,200 NHL games during 21 seasons, and he tallied 760 points before retiring in 2002 and turning to bench duties. Moreover, Kevin’s father — Will’s grandfather — was an AHL Hall of Famer who won two Calder Cups before turning to the coaching ranks himself.

Before coming to Yale, Dineen played 80 games for the Sioux Fall Stampede in the United States Hockey League, and he recorded 37 points while captaining the team in his second season. In 2021, he won the Curt Hammer award as the USHL’s Gentleman of the Year. 

Over the course of his four years at Yale, Dineen has continued to exemplify the type of leadership, both on and off of the ice, that bodes well for a professional career in the hockey world.

“I don’t think anyone on the team was surprised when we saw that (Will) signed that PTO,” first-year standout Zach Wagnon ’28 said to the News. “He’s such a great leader and player [and] we all knew he deserved it. For us freshmen, it was so easy to look at him as a role model with the way he carries himself on and off the ice. Everyone around the rink loves him, and seeing how hard he works every day is so motivating. He really embodies what it means to be a Yale hockey player.”

Wagnon also detailed to the News how Dineen reached out to the first-year class this past summer in an effort to help them with the transition to Yale and Division 1 hockey. In addition, Dineen invited the entire team to his house in Lake George to build camaraderie before the start of the school year.  

Aside from steady contributions on the scoresheet, Dineen received the Malcom G. Chace award for outstanding sportsmanship, spirit and ability after his sophomore year. Then, in his junior year, Dineen was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team. This year, Dineen notched a personal high of 18 points in 30 games and was solid defensively all season long.

“[He]was a huge part of our team all year,” said sophomore Will Richter ’27. “I’ve played with him for two years now, and he’s one of those guys who always leads by example both on and off the ice. This season he was a rock for us; every time he stepped on the ice he would give 100% and would give everything for Yale hockey. I definitely look up to Will, as he is someone I try to model my game after.”

Joining Laval means that Dineen has stepped right into the best team in the entire AHL. Currently, the Rocket have the best winning percentage (.705) in the league. For Dineen, the team’s success was a major draw.

“Laval has a great coaching staff and the team is ranked first in the league currently. The opportunity to learn from the people and players in the organization was a no-brainer for me,” Dineen continued.

After signing on March 13, Dineen jumped right into the team’s practices — which meant adjusting to a faster game where there is “way less time” to make plays than in the NCAA. Just eight days after signing, Dineen took the ice in his first professional hockey game as Laval faced off against the Cleveland Monsters (30–21–5–5), the affiliate team of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“I had my first two games this weekend,” Dineen said. “It was great to get some pro experience and play in a sold-out building. The fans in Montreal are so passionate about hockey and it makes the energy in the building amazing.”

With just 11 games in a 72-game season for Laval, the team has added Dineen in the hopes that he can provide some depth for a potentially lengthy playoff run. Against Cleveland, Dineen played right wing on the team’s fourth line, and his ability to slot in as both a centerman and winger will be a useful asset for the Laval coaching staff. In addition, his 6-foot-2,194-pound frame, combined with his high-end skating ability make him a forward that can fit in anywhere on the line chart.

“I think [Will’s] game will translate very well professionally because he will be utilized in so many ways. He can score, he’s a great puck carrier and playmaker, great at faceoffs, play power-play or penalty-kill, and so much more,” said Yale forward David Chen ’26. “Will is the exact player and teammate that every team would want. He plays a 200 ft game on the ice, works hard in practice and lifts, and is always making sure that everyone else is held to that same standard.”

Later this week, Laval will take on the Toronto Marlies (32–20–3–6) at home on Friday before lacing up their boots against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (31–25–5–2) on Saturday. Although his playing days as an Eli have come to an end, Dineen’s impact on the men’s program will not soon be forgotten. 

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With the celebration approaching, coaches and players alike have reflected on how much has changed over the last four years.

“It has been wonderful to see the growth in these six young men during our time together, and each of them has been enriched by their experiences here,” Head Coach Keith Allain told the News. “Additionally, it is great to see how closely they have grown together. You bring in six guys from different places with different backgrounds, and they grow to become a close-knit family and develop bonds that will last a lifetime.”

Off of the ice, each member of this year’s graduating class – Will Dineen, Briggs Gammill, Luke Pearson, Dylan Herzog, Kieran O’Hearn, and Connor Sullivan – has a unique personality, but it is clear that there may not be a tighter knit group of guys on all of Yale’s campus. 

Briggs Gammill is “the biggest character,” according to Connor Sullivan, while Herzog is the “chilliest.” According to teammates, Sullivan is definitely the one who has opened up the most throughout his time at Yale.

“He came in super shy and quiet,” Dineen said. “I remember he wouldn’t even tell me it was his birthday because he didn’t want the attention from anyone.  Now, he’s one of our team’s most social and outgoing guys.”

While they each may have unique personalities, they do share one common characteristic that has helped them all leave a lasting impact on the program — their “toughness,” according to Allain. 

“Each guy has had to battle through significant painful injuries during their time with us, yet either played through the pain or worked diligently to return to the ice as quickly as possible,” Allain said. “Their courage was inspiring to all of us.” 

The seniors have gone through plenty of ups and downs together, but they have remained humble in victory and resilient in the face of adversity. 

Even while struggling at times this year, the Bulldogs persevered and played hard no matter the circumstances. 

Look no further than when the team snapped a three-game losing streak with their biggest win of the season over a top-ranked Boston University (18–12–2) squad in December. In fact, Allain said that his favorite on-ice memory of this senior class was actually that victory over the Terriers and the “special” atmosphere at Ingalls that night.

While on-ice success is always important, the six seniors have also made a massive contribution to the team by epitomizing what it means to represent Yale hockey in the right way. Their leadership and manner of conduct have definitely set a high precedent for their younger teammates.

“I just think the group of seniors we have are everything that I thought Yale hockey would be and more,” said first-year Micah Berger.  “They all truly bleed Yale hockey and have such a love for this place. It’s amazing to be around a group of guys who would do anything for each other and their teammates every day.”

Currently, the Elis are twelfth in the ECAC and will face fifth-place Dartmouth in the first round of the postseason. While the game against the Big Green this weekend will mark a milestone for the graduating class, it might also preview a future playoff game.

Both the Friday and Saturday tilts are slated for a 7 pm puck drop at Ingalls.

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Currently, the Bulldogs stand seventh in the ECAC, just behind No. 14 Princeton (16–8–1, 10–7–1 ECAC). As of Jan. 28, Yale has received three votes in the polling for USA Today’s Division 1 women’s hockey rankings, which puts them in close contention to join the top 15 national rankings.

Friday night lights at the Whale

In the Bulldogs’ matchup against RPI on Friday, three Elis scored, one during each period. In the first period, at 10:47, Cami Bell ’28 dumped a pass to teammate Emma DeCorby ’25, who shot the puck toward the busy goal. 

Mariya Rauf ’27 then deflected the shot into the net, soaring past the RPI goalie. This was Rauf’s sixth goal of the season, tied for fourth on the team.

The second period was a stellar defensive display. At 19:33, an interference penalty by RPI gave Yale an extra player on the ice. Jordan Ray ’26, who won the faceoff against the Engineers, aided teammate Carina DiAntonio ’26, who shot the puck off an RPI defender and scored the second goal of the game.

Going into the third period, Yale led 2–0. At 11:15, yet another assist by Bell led to a Bulldog goal. Stephanie Stainton ’27 sent Bell’s pass into the net with a gliding backhand, putting the Elis up 3-0. 

With the game’s conclusion, Pia Dukaric ’25 earned her second shutout of the season and her 21st overall. 

Day 2: The Elis continue their winning streak against Union

The next day, the Bulldogs turned around to face the Union College Garnet. In their prior 10 matchups, the Bulldogs had not lost a game to Union. They were eager to continue the streak.

Early on in the first period, Yale raced ahead. Just three minutes in, DiAntonio stole a pass from the Garnet offense, sending the puck down the ice to her teammate, Anna Bargman ’25, who scored with a backhand shot. Seven minutes later, the Bulldogs would score again on a soaring shot by Naomi Boucher ’26.

Down 0-2 in the second period, Union College soon cut into the deficit with a goal by forward Karianne Engelbert. Yale couldn’t answer this until the start of the third period at 1:53, when Stainton beat the Garnet goalie to the net and added insurance to the scoreboard for the Bulldogs. This was Stainton’s second goal in two games. A late cry was heard from Union, who tacked on another goal halfway through the third period. Nevertheless, it was not enough to secure a victory.

The Bulldogs skated off the rink victorious, 3-2.

This marked Head Coach Mark Bolding’s 100th career win. He is the first coach in program history to do so.

Up next, Yale hosts Dartmouth (4–17–3, 2–13–3 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. 

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“The biggest positive to take away from those five games is that when we are mentally and physically engaged, we can play with anyone,” said Head Coach Keith Allain ’80. “Our attention to detail when we are ‘on’ is very good, but we are not ‘on’ as often as we need to be. Success requires that we do the right thing over and over and over again.” 

In the first game of the holiday season on Dec. 29, the Bulldogs came ready to play. In front of a packed Ingalls crowd, Yale went toe-to-toe with national powerhouse BU and defeated them 7–5.

First-year Micah Berger ’28 led the way, notching a goal and two assists in his first game back from injury. Berger had impressed in the Bulldogs’ opening game as well, showing his offensive prowess against a different top collegiate squad, the Denver University Pioneers. After missing the following 10 games as he recovered, Berger picked up right where he left off.

“It was a huge relief to be able to contribute in my first game back,” Berger told the News. “It’s always a mix of nerves and excitement when coming back from an injury, so it was just a huge confidence boost knowing that all the work I had put in to get back was going to start paying off.”

David Chen ’26, who returned to the Bulldogs lineup in late November, also showed his value to the team. Chen led the team in scoring last season, and his offense hasn’t missed a beat this year. In the game against the Terriers, Chen scored twice and looked threatening all night long.

“David has made a huge impact on our offense,” said captain Will Dineen ’25. “He has stepped up for us in big games and has been a large reason for our power play’s success in these recent games.”

For both Berger and Chen, their seamless transition back into the high-paced Division I game has been a testament to the entire Yale hockey staff.

“Coming back from an injury is always difficult, but our coaches and trainers do a great job in preparing anyone who’s dealing with an injury to feel 100 percent once we are back to playing,” Chen said to the News. “I think what helped me the most was the progressive conditioning work that allowed me to feel up to speed once I was ready to get back into action for games.”

Sophomore Will Richter ’27 and first year Ronan O’Donnell ’28 also had multi-point games against BU, and they have both been regular contributors so far this year. O’Donnell currently leads the entire team in points, with Richter only a couple of names below in the stat chart. With their high-end skill, to go along with power forward Donovan Frias ’28 and crafty playmaker Zach Wagnon ’28, the Bulldogs have demonstrated the potential to have a high-powered offense, which the team has lacked in years prior.

“One of the biggest takeaways from this stretch and from the BU game in particular is that we have the ability to score much more than we have in years past,” Dineen said. “Our power-play has much improved, and it has shown throughout these past five games.”

The Bulldogs’ powerplay percentage currently sits at 18 percent, up five points from last year’s mark, and they are averaging more goals a game this year as well.

However, in many games this season, Yale has struggled defensively. Following the victory over BU, Yale lost to both RPI (9–10–2, 4–6–0) and Union (12–8–1, 6–4–0), giving up over four goals in both games. After a gritty 3-2 win over Dartmouth, the Bulldogs fell to Harvard (5–8–2, 4–4–2) 3-2 away in Cambridge.

Coach Allain and his staff have pinpointed the defensive side as the area the team must focus on the most in order to move up the ECAC standings in the second half of this season.

“We need to improve on all aspects of our game, but most specifically our team defense and the details of our game when we do not have the puck,” said Allain. “To be more consistent and predictable in this aspect of our game takes focus and discipline, and we need improvement here.”

The Bulldogs will try to take a step in the right direction this weekend in their home matchups against Clarkson (12–6–2, 6–2–0) and St. Lawrence (6–13–1, 2–5–1). In November, Yale defeated St. Lawrence 5–1 in Canton, NY, but was blanked by Clarkson 4–0 the following night.

Puck drop for both matchups this weekend is set for 7 p.m. at Ingalls Rink.

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The team opened with a 3-1 win against Princeton on Friday, tied Quinnipiac 1-1 on Saturday in the Mandi Schwartz Whiteout Game and closed the beginning of their season with a hard-fought 5-1 loss to Harvard and a 2-1 victory over Dartmouth.

In the Friday night win over Princeton, first-year standout Camryn Bell ’28 led Yale with two goals, opening her collegiate scoring late in the first period and adding a backhanded game-winner in the third. 

Yale’s defense, anchored by goalie Pia Dukaric’s ’25 23 saves, limited Princeton’s opportunities, allowing only one goal in the first period before controlling the game’s pace to secure the 3-1 victory. Anna Bargman ’25 added Yale’s third goal, putting the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 in the ECAC.

“Winning the first game of the season was great!” said Bell. “I was definitely nervous, but the seven of us freshmen are so lucky to have a group of such talented and hardworking players ahead of us. The positivity and excitement from these early wins will carry into the rest of the season and hopefully bring a lot of success.”

The Bulldogs returned Saturday for a 1–1 tie against Quinnipiac, honoring the memory of former player Mandi Schwartz ’10. Naomi Boucher ’26 scored first for Yale, but Quinnipiac tied the game in the second. 

Both teams fought through a scoreless overtime, ending in a 1–1 draw after Quinnipiac edged Yale in a 2-1 shootout. Dukaric stood out with 32 saves, keeping the Bulldogs competitive in a game defined by defensive strength.

“It’s always great to start the year with a few wins and play well as your season begins,” said Assistant Coach Grant Kimball. “But as we told the team, we haven’t accomplished anything. We need to keep working hard, and apply the lessons learned from each game.”

Following the tie, the Bulldogs faced Harvard, who handed them a tough 5-1 loss despite Yale’s dominating first period, in which they outshot the Crimson. Bargman scored for Yale, but three Harvard goals in the final period widened the gap, marking Yale’s first loss of the season.

Yale rebounded with a solid 2-1 win over Dartmouth. Mariya Rauf ’27 and Jordan Ray ’26 each scored to seal the victory, with Dukaric adding 18 saves to keep Yale ahead.

“We want to be a team that is relentless in our pursuit of executing our process at an extremely high level,” Kimball added. “As long as we accomplish that, success will come. We have a long way to go to get there but we’re confident we can with hard work and focused determination.”

The Bulldogs, now 3-1-1, will return home to face Cornell on Nov. 8.

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“I think our team grew as the weekend went on,” said Head Coach Keith Allain. “Keep in mind, Denver is not only the number 1 ranked team in the nation, but it was also their seventh and eighth games. Our guys adjusted to game speed at a very high level and got better with each period that we played.  I also like our compete level, we forced them to earn their ice and again this improved as the weekend went on.”

On Friday night, Jack Stark ’27 started strong, making 25 saves in his season debut. Yale’s first line consisted of captain Will Dineen ’25, junior forward Kalen Szeto ’26 and senior Briggs Gammill ’25.

With last year’s leading point-getter David Chen ’26 out of the lineup and facing off against a top collegiate netminder in Matt Davis, the Bulldogs struggled to capitalize on their chances. Friday’s game ended in a 0–6 shutout. Nevertheless, there were many positives to draw on for Coach Allain and his staff as they look forward to upcoming matches.

First, the power-play chemistry looked solid and showed significant signs of improvement over where it was at the beginning of last season.

“Our power play did a very good job despite having limited opportunities,” said Allain. “We did a good job creating scoring chances. Now we need to cash in, just be a little more precise with our passes and quicker and more accurate with our shot opportunities.”

One of the five members on the first unit power play was first-year Micah Berger ’28, who looked calm and composed in Friday’s matchup and led the team with nine total shots. He was joined by four other first-years who also made their collegiate debuts that night: Zach Wagnon ’28, Donovan Frias ’28, Julian Frias ’28 and Ronan O’Donnell ’28. For Allain, all five contributed positively to the team’s performance.

“I thought our freshmen did a good job jumping right into the deep end of the pool in NCAA College Hockey,” said Allain. “We played five on Friday and would have played all 5 again Saturday but had one get a little banged up.  It is an excellent class, a group that we feel raises both our skill level and our overall compete.  I expect each and every one of them to make a significant contribution before the season is over.”

On Saturday night, the Elis lost 5-1, but Denver was limited to only two even-strength goals all night by Stark and company. With the team playing so evenly matched against such a top opponent, staying out of the box will be critical in future games against the Bulldogs’ tough ECAC and out-of-conference schedule. That’s a message that Allain preached after Saturday’s loss.

“There are several areas that we are looking to improve heading into this weekend but key among them are our breakouts and our discipline,” said Allain. “We need to do a better job getting out of our end cleanly, it will limit the time we have to defend and increase our opportunities to create offense.  From a discipline standpoint we need to play a hard physical game but minimize the time we spend in the penalty box.”

Saturday’s lone Yale goal was scored by sophomore forward Will Richter ’27, who the team will rely upon this year to be a consistent contributor and two-hundred-foot player. Richter played well in both games, and his experience gained last year, and his summer training this offseason have prepared him to make a big jump in his sophomore campaign.

“My main focus in the summer was to become a more complete hockey player,” said Richter.  “I placed a lot of emphasis on working to get bigger, faster, and more conditioned. Our hard work in the summer and throughout preseason allows us to maintain intensity for 60 minutes every night.”

Richter and the rest of the Bulldogs will travel to Ithaca, NY, this weekend to face off against a top-ranked Cornell squad on Friday. They will square off against Colgate on Saturday in Hamilton, NY, at 7 p.m.

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On Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs hosted the Martlets in a preseason exhibition match at Ingalls Rink. By the end of the first period, Vita Poniatovskaia ’25 and Carina DiAntonio ’26 had each scored a goal for Yale. At the end of the game, rookie Cami Bell ’28 scored her first two collegiate goals, and captain Anna Bargman ’25 clinched the final goal. The win marks a promising start to the season for the Bulldogs. 

“The team always sets goals at the beginning of the season,” said Jordan Ray ’26. “This year, our goal is to win the Ivy League and the ECAC championship, then move on to represent Yale at the national level and bring home a national championship.” 

These goals follow a year in which the Elis “fell short,” according to Ray, in the playoffs. Now, two years after making it to the Frozen Four, the team is gearing up more intensely than ever for a successful comeback. 

In addition to practicing six days a week on the ice, the team trains off the ice up to five days a week in cardio, power training, agility work and shooting development. These drills are coupled with regular team bonding exercises, including service shifts at the Yale Community Kitchen. 

“We want to be a hard team to play against, and the team no one wants to see on their schedule. We know that the league is going to be extremely competitive, so bringing our best to every game is crucial,” Bargman, the team’s captain, wrote to the News. “With the majority of the team being returners, a lot of us are able to lead and exemplify what we need to do to push ourselves for the greatest season yet.” 

Olivia Muhn ’25 emphasized that balancing big-picture visions with fine-tuning smaller details of the game would be critical to reaching their goals. She also noted the underrecognized importance of maintaining a positive mindset that “alone can carry a team far.” 

While upperclassmen still make up a large portion of the team, many players acknowledged that the graduation of former captain Elle Hartje ’24, who was drafted into the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and standout forward Kiersten Goode ’24 left substantial gaps on the ice. However, they also noted that the large new class of seven freshmen demonstrated the skills, discipline and instinct necessary to fill their shoes. 

“Our freshman class is already integrating well into the team. They are a very strong group who will make an impact this season,” Ray told the News. 

The Bulldogs also commended the new upperclassmen stepping into leadership roles on the team. Four players told the News that there are two “main point leaders” fans should look out for this year: Pia Dukaric ’25, who recorded the most minutes and saves out of any goalie at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship and was the 2023 ECAC goalie of the year, and Bargman, 2023 ECAC All-Academic and Second Team All-Ivy recipient.

Dukaric said that the team gained valuable experience last year after losing key players like Claire Dalton ’23 and that they have a few “really good” games at the end of the season that they aim to build upon. The goalie also expressed her excitement about seeing the large class of freshman players “step up” to the rink. 

The freshmen highlighted the supportive energy and camaraderie within the team as consistent sources of motivation as they enter a year filled with high ambitions. 

“The culture of the team is fantastic,” said Naomi Baechler ’28. “We’re focused, motivated and always ready to support one another both on and off the ice. And the intensity of being in the rink and pushing for a win with my teammates is just unmatched.”

The Bulldogs will drop the puck on their first collegiate match of the season against Saint Anselm College on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Ingalls Rink.

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In Friday’s rivalry game against Harvard, the Elis scored the game’s first goal when first-year forward Iisai Pesonen ’27 notched his fifth of the year by deflecting a point shot from Ryan Conroy ’24 on the powerplay with twelve minutes remaining in the second period. 

However, just six minutes later, Harvard found the equalizer when another first-year forward, Ryan Fine, found the back of the net. Fine fired a shot pass into traffic and it bounced off a Bulldog D-man’s skate and slipped past goalie Jack Stark ’27. Sixty minutes was not enough to decide the outcome of this back-and-forth game, but the Crimson found the back of the net in overtime.

In the end, Harvard secured the extra point with the overtime win, but the game could have easily gone either way. Both netminders, Stark and Harvard’s Aku Koskenvuo, were impressive as they combined for 55 saves in between the pipes and came up with clutch stops all night long for both teams. 

On Saturday, Yale traveled up to Hanover, New Hampshire, to take on Dartmouth in both teams’ final regular season game of the 2023-24 season. Dartmouth came in on a five-game winning streak, and they showed no signs of slowing down.

Although the Bulldogs once again jumped out to an early lead, on a beautiful one-time goal from Ian Carpentier ’24, Dartmouth bounced right back with a power play equalizer. They then added one in the second, one more in the third, and an empty net goal in the waning minutes to secure a 4–1 home victory.

As the Bulldogs head into the postseason, they will need an offensive spark in order to extend their season past this Friday’s matchup against St. Lawrence. After all, the Bulldogs only managed one goal each in their last four regular-season games and registered the second-fewest total goals scored in ECAC conference play all year. That being said, there are some clear positives heading into the postseason.

In ECAC conference play, the Bulldogs only allowed 57 goals against in 25 games played – the third lowest in the ECAC, behind only nationally top-ranked No. 7 Quinnipiac and No. 13 Cornell.  

Furthermore, with Stark in the net, the Bulldogs have shown that they can compete with any team in the country, as the first year has been phenomenal all year. With him in between the pipes, the Elis know that they will always get solid goaltending.

When the Bulldogs lace up the skates against SLU on Friday night, their season will be on the line. If they win, they will advance to the league quarterfinals and face one of the top four seeds in a best-of-three-game series. If they lose, they will be packing their stalls at Ingalls the next day.

This season, the Bulldogs cruised to a 5–0 victory in their November home matchup against St. Lawrence, but fell 4–2 in the January game at Canton. The Bulldogs are 13–6–3 all-time against the Saints at home, but only 6–9–2 in games played at St. Lawrence.

With the two losses this weekend, the Bulldogs ended the regular season in the same place they did last year in the conference.

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Although the Bulldogs outshot the Tigers in every single period, it was special teams and the Elis’ struggle to capitalize on their opportunities that were the two deciding factors.

“The reasons we struggled were twofold, our lack of discipline and our inefficient offensive game,” head coach Keith Allain told the News. “We took three major penalties against a team that has the number two power play in the nation. That is not a recipe for success.”

Allain added that the Bulldogs “created some chances” offensively but stand to improve on “working early to get inside the game” — and the team plans to work on that this week as they head into the playoffs. 

For the Bulldogs, senior Nathan Reid ’24 got the start in net and he was solid all night long, putting together a 16-save performance. In the first period, the Bulldogs held Princeton scoreless and even killed off a five-minute major penalty.

In the second, the Bulldogs also carried the pace of play, but a sloppy turnover behind their defensive led to a wide-open one-time opportunity for Tiger forward Ian Murphy in the slot, and he capitalized to put Princeton up 1–0. However, Allain had only positive takeaways from the first two frames.

“I think the big positive of our game on Friday is that we played exactly the way we needed to the first two periods,” said Allain. “Although we were down 0–1 going into the third, I felt that we were the better team and if we continued on that path, we would have won the game.”

In the third, the Bulldogs were called for another five-minute major, but this time the top-ranked Tiger power play capitalized. Ian Murphy notched his second of the game just three seconds into the man advantage on a one-time slap shot from the top of the circle. 

Later in the period, the Tigers added two more tallies with a beautiful tic-tac-toe three on two goals, and then another Ian Murphy bury off a rebound in front of the net. Yale got one back late in the third when first-year Iisai Pesonen scored his fourth of the season late in the third but it was too little too late.

The Bulldogs will finish out the regular season with two away games this upcoming weekend. They will face Harvard (5–10–5, 5–17–5 ECAC) on Friday, March 1, and then they will travel to Hanover, New Hampshire to face Dartmouth (9–9–9, 7–6–7 ECAC). Harvard comes into the weekend with only one regulation victory in their last eight games played while a streaking Dartmouth team is unbeaten in their last four.

Currently, Harvard sits on 25 points in the ECAC, one more than Yale. The Bulldogs sit in tenth place in the conference, but only five points behind the sixth-place Union Garnet Chargers.

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“I cannot say enough about what this class has meant to our program overall,” head coach Keith Allain said to the News. “They stayed with us after the program was shut down their freshman year, battled through a sophomore season filled with COVID-19 pauses and depleted lineups in many of our games. They persevered and found a way to improve our team each season they have been with us. They truly leave Yale with the team in a better place than it was when they entered. Future Yale Hockey players owe them a world of gratitude.”

This group has battled through thick and thin together — through both success and failure. To their coach, they embody the values that he preaches to players every year.

“As men, they all have high character, a strong work ethic and a mental toughness that will ensure their success in any endeavor they are passionate about in the future,” Allain said. “They have developed a bond through shared success and failure that will last throughout their lifetimes. They make me proud every day.”

This season, the Elis’ emphasis on continual improvement and perseverance in the face of adversity has led to tangible results. Entering into the tilt on Friday, the Bulldogs come in with their highest winning percentage in the last four years. 

For senior and captain Reilly Connors ’24, one aspect of the team’s success this season has been especially noteworthy.

“My proudest moments have to be our come-from-behind wins this year,” Connors said.  “It rarely happened in the past during our career, yet this year we were able to battle back in games like LIU, Union, Sacred Heart and RPI that resulted in wins. It showed our resilience in tough situations and will pay dividends as we close out this year and enter playoffs.”

The Bulldogs’ team character and grit were on full display in their matchup last weekend against a 12th-ranked Cornell squad when they took the Big Red to a shootout at a packed Lynah Rink.

When they lace up the boots at the Whale on Friday, the Bulldogs will look to play with a similar sense of urgency, aggression and team spirit as they did in front of a sold-out crowd in Ithaca.

Ultimately, the class of 2024 has bonded through the ups and downs of the last four years, and they have come together as a group as much off the ice as they have while on it.  Sometimes, the off-ice moments can be ones that are the most cherished.

“My funniest memory has to be witnessing Nate Reid’s [’24] rendition of Roxanne by the Police during a team meal our sophomore year,” Reilly Connors said.  “During team meals we have a tradition where a player will recite a song of their choice, and Nate knocked this performance out of the park. Every team meal has a ton of laughs and great banter. I can speak for everyone in my class that team meals will be a huge aspect of being on this team we will miss.”

When asked his proudest memory with his teammates over his Yale career, Nik Allain ’24 told the News, “It hasn’t happened yet.” A win against Princeton on senior night and a jump in the ECAC leaderboard going into playoffs would certainly add to the tally.

The Bulldogs currently sit in eighth place in the ECAC with three games total remaining in the 2023-24 regular season. 

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