By Alexandra Savage
On Sunday, September 25th, the GW Men’s Ice Hockey Team had their yearly exhibition game against Georgetown at Capital One Arena, located right by the Chinatown metro stop. Every year, students from both schools make the trip to see these rivals face off on the ice. Right before the GW vs. GT game, the Washington Capitals had their first preseason game of the year against the Buffalo Sabres. With a one-time special deal on tickets offered by GW, I went to Capital One Arena to watch both events.
Watching the Capitals play the Sabres was my first preseason game, so I was initially surprised to see that major players such as wingers Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie weren’t on the roster. According to Bleacher Report, coaches use preseason games to test out new players and formations before the real season begins. As a result, this game featured players that have joined the team more recently, such as Anthony Mantha and Joe Snively.
According to the NHL Website, the Capitals scored in the first period and maintained an on-and-off lead for most of the game until the Sabres scored near the end of the third period to tie the game 3-3. The Capitals lost 4-3 in overtime. Despite this loss, it was still interesting to see some of the newer players.
Aside from the overtime in the Caps game, the true excitement of the evening came from the GW vs. Georgetown game.
The score remained close throughout the game, and students from both schools showed up in droves to support their team. In the first period, neither team managed to score, as GW Goalie Graham Roy and Georgetown Goalie Mark Peracchia both blocked plenty of shots.
The second period of the game held more excitement. First, Georgetown scored a goal against GW. After, GW forwards Shawn Montgomery and Clendenin Stewart both scored against Georgetown, eking out a 2-1 lead for GW.
The third period had a few more instances of fast-paced action. Towards the end of the game, GW Forward Cameron Bernard was ejected from the game for shoving a Georgetown player into the boards. As a result, GW had to serve a five minute penalty, which means the team has to play with one less player. A few minutes into this penalty, GW received another penalty. Having two penalties at the same time means that Georgetown has two more players on the ice than GW. In hockey, this imbalance of players is known as a “power play.” In this game, Georgetown took advantage of these two penalties to score a goal and tie the game 2-2. Because Capital One Arena did not allow overtime, the game ended in a tie.
Despite the somewhat anticlimactic ending, the game was full of exciting moments, and GW Men’s Ice Hockey still has plenty of games ahead. Goalie Graham Roy had post-game commentary.
“It was a great game and a better experience. It’s always a great time getting to play in front of our friends and family, and we’re proud of the performance we gave them,” he said. “We have a really strong team this year and hope to see more GW students come out to games this season.”
For more information about GW Ice Hockey, including schedules and tickets, you can check out their website. As for me, I’m excited to see how this season unfolds both for GW and the Washington Capitals.
