Still, 10 minutes into quiet time, Lannon turned around and asked Welch if he wanted to play a game.

“I had so much work I should have said no, but I was so fired up because I knew he had something good in mind,” Welch says.

And boy did he.

The game was simple. Each person had five minutes to come up with the craziest outfit using only the items in their bedroom. Then, the two would meet and whoever made the other one laugh harder won.

Welch put on two different shoes, 20 different ties and a cowboy hat, but lost because Lannon had wrapped himself in toilet paper and Christmas lights, then plugged himself into the wall.

“Yeah, I think he won,” Welch says.

*****

Watching the two of them together, it’s clear they’ve both won.

They’ve won an ECAC title and twice advanced to the NCAA tournament. Welch may even be a Hobey Baker finalist this season.

They have fun no matter what they do. They laugh all the time, maybe even too much. They are teammates and best friends.

It’s kind of like they are eight-years old all over again. Except now, they get to have sleepovers every night.

—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu.