Varsity Hockey vs. Yorktown

Koller’s Clutch Goal Lifts Boys Varsity Hockey to 1-0 Rivalry Win Over Yorktown

By Club Writers Andreas Millradt (Class of 28) and Vinny Brinkman (Class of 2028)

Senior captain Jordan Koller’s goal proved to be the difference in Friday’s highly anticipated hockey matchup, as the Knights defeated rival Yorktown, 1-0, on senior night. 

With two minutes left in the second period, Koller weaved past a Yorktown defender and fired the puck into the back of the net, sending the O’Connell crowd into a frenzy. 

Goalie Logan Rudolph (Class of 2028) delivered an outstanding performance, recording 26 saves and preserving the shutout. With 59 seconds left, Rudolph denied Yorktown’s Bennett Haas from point-blank range. Seconds later with mere milliseconds left on the clock, Yorktown’s John Chistolini fired another close-range shot, but Rudolph blocked it as the final horn sounded. 

Before the game, seniors Jack Kelly, Jordan Koller, Michael Lowen Jr, Zack Martin, and Wyatt Turbock were honored in a senior night ceremony. Head coach Jim Wisniewski started all five seniors to commemorate the night as the game began.

The Knights held the edge in save percentage (100%-95%), while Yorktown led in shots on goal (26-22) and face offs won (25-22).

Entering the arena, tensions were already high. The rivalry between the O’Connell Knights and the Yorktown Patriots has escalated dramatically in recent years, fueled in part by the schools’ close proximity (just a mile apart). 

The first period mirrored the tone of the game, as both the Knights and Patriots came out of the gate very physical, delivering heavy checks and landing hits on each other. O’Connell created many opportunities to score, but Yorktown goalie Gunnar Obitts kept the Knights off the scoreboard, ending the period scoreless.

Early in the second period, Yorktown’s physical play sent O’Connell’s Aris Batres (Class of 2027) crashing onto the ice, resulting in an injury which ended his night with no penalty called ending his night. By mid-period, the simmering tensions reached a breaking point when an altercation between O’Connell’s Thomas Burke (Class of 2027) and Yorktown’s Peyton Dunn quickly escalated as additional teammates joined in. Dunn was shoved onto the ice and into the wall as the crowd cheered them on and officials scrambled to intervene. This immediately resulted in both Burke and Dunn being sent to the penalty box to serve a 10-minute major penalty. 

Shortly afterward, Jordan Koller scored the first goal of the game. He maneuvered around a defender and flipped the puck past Obitts to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

Through the third period, as the clock ran down and time ran out, Yorktown became more desperate and aggressive to reverse the game’s momentum in their favor. Following a glove save from Rudolph to stop play, Yorktown’s Alex Olsen shoved O’Connell star Jordan Koller, prompting O’Connell’s Dylan Gaspard (Class of 2027) to step in and throw Olsen away from Koller and onto the ground, defending his teammate from further harm. Moments later, Rudolph made the game-sealing save to secure the 1-0 shutout, as the arena erupted in cheers while the horn sounded. 

The loss drops Yorktown to 6-3 on the season, while the Knights improved to 5-9. The boys now look to build momentum as they enter the final stretch of the season.