Yale Athletics

When the puck dropped on the 2021-22 season, it had been nearly 600 days since the Yale men’s hockey team had taken the ice for an official contest. 

Since then, six current seniors — Will Dineen ’25, Briggs Gammill ’25, Luke Pearson ’25, Dylan Herzog ’25, Kieran O’Hearn ’25 and Connor Sullivan ’25 — have endured COVID-19 cancellations, conference struggles and injury-plagued seasons. But they also orchestrated stunning upsets, helped create a welcoming team culture and, as head coach Keith Allain ’80 put it, “epitomized what it means to represent Yale hockey in the right way.”

After over a year away from competition, in late 2021, the Bulldogs hit the ice with a young, inexperienced lineup. In the home opener that season, only nine Yale skaters had played a prior collegiate game. The team’s first win that year — a 4-2 defeat of Vermont — showcased their scoring depth, as four different skaters found the back of the net.

A string of early blowout losses in the 2022-23 campaign left the Bulldogs reeling. But in 2023-24, they began to show signs of renewal. After a 1-4 start to the season, the Bulldogs bounced back in a 5-2 win over Merrimack and went on a four-game undefeated run, including a 3-1 win over Brown.

This year, the Bulldogs opened their season against No. 1 Denver and fell in two competitive games, but rebounded spectacularly in December, toppling powerhouse Boston University 7-5 in a packed Ingalls Rink.