Men’s club ice hockey (3-3) shut out Georgetown University 3-0 in their annual Battle of DC showdown in front of a rowdy crowd at Capital One Arena on Saturday, claiming the first victory of the crosstown rivals’ three matchups this year.
The victory marked the Revolutionaries’ first win in the Battle of DC in at least six years, snapping a losing streak that included back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Georgetown in 2023 and 2024. The win also extended the Revs’ momentum, giving them a two-game winning streak following their dominant 20-3 victory over Princeton University on Friday.
“It’s a long time coming,” senior captain Ethan Redden said. “I’m a senior. This is our first [Battle of DC] win. So it’s a good feeling. It’s really fun. Everyone showed up today.”
The matchup started off slow for ten minutes as GW struggled to fight through the Hoyas’ aggressive and sharp defense until freshman forward Reilly Piersimoni broke through their fortification and scored a goal with just under nine minutes in the first period. That goal came after the Hoyas blocked five previous attempts by the Revs and raised Piersimoni’s total to 12 goals in just five games, placing him firmly as the Revs’ top scorer early in his college career.
Fans supporting the Revs created an electric atmosphere after the first goal, with their screams filling the arena with energy and GW’s fanbase vastly outnumbering Georgetown’s. GW players said after the game the support boosted their confidence on the ice.
“It makes it 10 times more fun playing in front of these people, and we want to go out there and play hard for them,” junior goalie Sage Yoke said.
GW fell to Georgetown in all three of their matchups last year, which junior forward Denis Smekhov said made the win more significant — especially considering the two schools’ infamous rivalry. The 2023 Battle of DC was notably intense, defined by aggressive defensive play and heightened tensions between the two D.C. rivals, culminating in a commanding 3-0 victory for Georgetown. The previous year, the teams battled to a hard-fought 2-2 tie at Capital One.
“When you play such a big rival like Georgetown, obviously it makes it even more exciting, especially shutting them out 3-0, huge win,” Smekhov said.
The progression of the first period was quickly offset by the aggressiveness and physicality from the Georgetown defense in the second period, which featured many falls and skirmishes and a Georgetown player losing their helmet.
“These guys, we can’t take them lightly you know. We’re happy with the win right now, but they’re a pretty good team, and they work hard as well — they’re physical,” Redden said.
Still, the Revs were able to add two more to their scoring column in the second period, with one from junior Joseph Hecht with 8:40 left to spare to bring the score to 2-0.
The second period concluded with a final goal from freshman Robert Rich, who found the net with 7:12 remaining. It was a physical and chippy half, marked by heavy penalties on both sides. The Revs struggled to generate offense, managing just three shots on the Hoyas’ goal.
Senior Sawyer von Jess said the team was able to win the smaller battles against Georgetown by dominating the Hoyas in the corner and bringing the puck out “super well.”
“We didn’t really let them set up their fore check or get those shots in, which is something we’ve struggled with in the past, and it was really impressive tonight,” von Jess said.
Some Revs said after the game that the opportunity to play on the ice at an NHL stadium adds to the experience and the thrill of the game.
“I think it makes it so much more exciting,” junior and team president Kieran Laffey said. “You go out there, you want to play well, because there are 500 people watching it, so you’re playing for expectations, and it makes it a hell of a lot better experience.”
The Revs will face off next against St. Joseph’s University at The St. James on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Their next matchup against the Hoyas is scheduled for Oct. 24 at 9 p.m., also at the St. James.
