On Saturday, Liberty University Men’s D1 Hockey Team faced off against New York University on Star Wars night. Liberty wore jerseys styled after Darth Vader for their 6-3 victory over the Empire — yes, NYU’s team is nicknamed the Empire — but they took the Star Wars theme to another level.
After forward Quinn Ryan scored to pull Liberty even at 1-1, defenseman Basil Reynolds led a celebration with the team bench by channeling the jersey’s namesake. Reynolds put the entire Liberty bench in a “Force choke” and lifted them, before releasing his grip and letting them fall back to the bench.
Video
Star Wars night is incomplete without a Star Wars type goal celebration. Well done. Those Darth Vader jerseys are sick too @LibertyHockey pic.twitter.com/lCeLzJUTPh
— Tyler McGillick (@TylerRichard93) February 9, 2020
For anyone unfamiliar with the Star Wars movies, the Force choke is most commonly associated with Darth Vader and was first seen in 1977’s Star Wars. Since its use in that movie, it became something of a signature move for the character and was an appropriate choice for the goal celebration.
And if you want to make a comparison between Vader and the 🔥 Liberty jerseys, the team’s Twitter account posted some close-up photographs of the design.
Photo: @LibertyHockey
This isn’t the first time that Liberty’s hockey team has used the Force during their Star Wars night games. In 2018, Liberty sported some X-Wing pilot-style jerseys and used a Force push celebration after scoring a goal.
If this has turned into something of a tradition, then we can’t wait to see what Liberty come up with for their next Star Wars night!
SATURDAY. 7PM. #RocktheRink pic.twitter.com/nPRy4kKwxG
— Liberty Hockey (@LibertyHockey) February 5, 2020
Headline photo courtesy of @LibertyHockey
