That’s when Lannon knew things were going to work out.

“We could have easily come in here and butted heads,” Lannon says, citing their similar backgrounds as defensive superstars. “But [after Welch said that], that’s when I realized that it wasn’t going to be competitive, and I thought that was pretty cool.”

* * * * * *

Three years later, the two are anything but competitive.

On the ice, they play as differently as two defensemen can—Welch is much more of an offensive threat, while Lannon is a stay-at-home kind of defender—making any comparison difficult. And they definitely aren’t fighting for playing time.

As for the only other thing guys usually compete over, well, that’s not a problem.

“The only big difference between us is when it comes to girls,” says Welch, who has been in a steady relationship since freshman year. “We are complete opposites when it comes to girls, but besides that, we are pretty much the same person.”

Lannon chuckles at this, and insists his lack of a serious girlfriend is not his fault.

“Girls just notice the fact that we’re always together,” Lannon says. “So they tell me, “Oh, if someone wants to date you they pretty much have to date Noah, too.” So that’s the problem. The girls don’t like Noah.”

Considering how similar he is to his roommate, that shouldn’t offer much consolation.

They have the same favorite movie (Good Will Hunting), the same favorite wrap (chicken caesar with no cheese), the same thick Boston accents and laid-back attitudes.

Their AOL instant messenger screennames—which they’ve both had since high school—are the exact same combination of initials, names and hockey number. “It’s kinda scary,” Lannon says. “There have always been little things like that that kind of throw me off.”

They were even drafted by the same NHL team—the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But most of the time, the pair revels in its shared personality.

Last year during winter exam period, the two were sitting in DeWolfe, studying for exams and writing tutorial papers. Their desks—of course—were set up so their backs were to each other, otherwise neither would get any work done.