Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s hockey team (7–10–0, 5–6–0 ECAC) has started the 2024 calendar year off with a bang. After an up-and-down start to the season, the Bulldogs put together a dominant 5–1 victory in an exhibition match on New Year’s Eve against McGill University (17–9–2) and have followed that up with three wins out of four games this January. 

“I think there are several reasons for the turnaround; chief among them is that our practices have been very good,” head coach Keith Allain told the News. “The guys have been engaged, focused and the work ethic and attention to detail has been solid. This will be the foundation for any success that we may have moving forward.”

In the win over McGill, first-year goalie Jack Stark ’27 allowed only one goal on 35 shots and proved that he is more than capable of anchoring this team on the back end. That game has sparked an outstanding run of form for the netminder, and he has been key for much of the Elis’ January success.

“Jack has been very good during this stretch, when your goaltending is solid it gives the group confidence to play their game knowing that every mistake doesn’t end up in the back of your net,” said Allain. “We are fortunate in that both Jack and Nate Reid [’24] have the ability to be difference makers back there for us.”

In the first game of the new year, Yale took on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (7–13–1, 4–6–0 ECAC) and prevailed with a 2–1 victory in a back-and-forth affair. The Yale tallies came from sophomore star David Chen ’26 and senior d-man Ryan Conroy ’24, while Stark stood solid in net with a 20-save performance. 

The Chen goal was particularly impressive as he wove through four RPI players, displaying great puck protection and poise, and finished with a wrist shot off his back foot that snuck under the blocker of the opposing goalie. Conroy also notched a highlight-worthy goal as he walked the blue line and fired a laser glove-side high.

Yale then traveled to Schenectady the following night to complete the second half of their New York road trip.  In a tight game against the Union Garnet Chargers (9–11–1, 4–5–1 ECAC), the Bulldogs once again prevailed with a 4–2 victory. Goals came from four different skaters, including a power play snipe from Chen as well as another tally from his centerman Nik Allain ’24. Senior Teddy Wooding ’24 also capped off an outstanding weekend with a goal and two assists, helping him win ECAC Forward of the Week for the first week of January.

Stark also received some much-deserved recognition after another strong game against Union, and he was tabbed as ECAC Rookie of the Week. Over the course of the two games, he posted a .940 save percentage and made 47 saves.

For Stark, the Bulldogs have found recent success because they have been more focused on consistently improving rather than on just the wins and losses.

“Early on we weren’t getting the results we wanted, but as a group, we have stayed committed to coming to the rink with the mindset of getting better every day to put us in the best position come playoffs at the end of the year,” Stark told the News.

While the team’s long-term mentality and Stark’s hot play have both been crucial aspects of the team’s victories, the sound defensive structure that Allain has focused on implementing has certainly been paying dividends as well. Throughout the four games so far this month, the Bulldogs are averaging one goal against per game – a recipe for success no matter the competition.

“We have been stingy on defense for a variety of reasons,” Allain said. “Jack has been excellent in goal, we made some adjustments to our team defensive structure, and everyone in our lineup has made a real commitment to being good defensive players.”

The stingy team defense was on full display in the third Bulldog victory this January, a 5–0 shutout against Dartmouth (4–6–6, 2–3–4 ECAC) at Ingalls Rink. Five different Bulldogs found the back of the net in their return to The Whale. Nik Allain scored a potential goal-of-the-year candidate with his goal in the second period. Allain picked up a loose puck in the defensive zone, banked a pass to himself off the boards, flew past four Dartmouth skaters and buried it five-hole on the Dartmouth goaltender.

Allain’s linemate and Yale’s top point producer this year, David Chen, also scored. So far this year, the Yale coaching staff have consistently turned to the line of Chen, Allain, and junior forward Briggs Gammill ’25 when the Bulldogs need to get on the board. However, for Coach Allain, every line and every forward has a significant role to play.

“The line of Briggs, Nik and David have been able to consistently produce offense for us and it has been important to the success of the group,” Allain told the News. “They play well together and find ways to create offense while still being reliable defensively. The other key is that each of our other lines have contributed as well and we need everyone to win on a regular basis.”

The following night, on Saturday, Jan. 13, the Bulldogs fell 1–0 to rivals Harvard (2–10–3, 0–3–1 ECAC). Both teams were held scoreless during even-strength play, but the Crimson tallied a powerplay goal at the 8:09 mark of the first period. Stark made 29 saves, and subsequently earned his second-straight Rookie of the Week honor.

The strong start to 2024 has put the Bulldogs in a strong position to challenge for a spot in the four-team ECAC Tournament. Currently, Yale sits tied for fourth place in the standings with only seven points separating the teams in second and last place in the conference. 

The Bulldogs will return to the ice this Friday, Jan. 19 when they travel to Potsdam, New York for a conference matchup against Clarkson.