The t-shirts read like the jerseys at Catholic Youth Organization basketball games, infused with a sense of sportsmanship as a reminder of the greater values at stake both on and off the court.

“Rivals Today, Friends Forever.”

But these are no sixth-graders down at the local parish gym, and the clothing is no hollow Abercrombie-style fashion statement.

Sitting in the stands at Bright Hockey Center, sporting the shirts side by side, are the parents of freshmen Dylan Reese and Grant Lewis, who—if they weren’t on the ice—would likely be equally inseparable in the stands. But right now they’re about as far apart as can be, divided by 87 feet of red line and a battle for ECAC playoff positioning too important to be ignored.

Lewis’ Dartmouth squad has a tenuous hold on a second-place tie—and a first-round bye—while Reese’s Crimson looks to shore up sixth place and a home-ice series.

It’s only the second time the two former teammates have gone toe-to-toe, with their first matchup held earlier in the season in Hanover, N.H. ending in a 2-2 draw. But they’re on course for another first.

“I pinched in, the Harvard [forward] left me,” says Lewis. “I actually hit Dylan, and that was probably the first time we came into contact on the opposite team. It was something small and probably no one noticed, but it was a great feeling.”

Though Reese probably wishes he had been the one to dish out the opening blow, more than a decade of shared experience prevented him from harboring even the shortest of grudges.

Even when he didn’t get the chance to get in a matching lick.

Midway through the 4-0 Harvard victory, Grant broke his thumb and was removed from the contest. He was later taken to a local hospital for evaluation, where Reese, not surprisingly, quickly followed.

“Dylan,” Lewis said, “has always been a big brother to me.”

Ever since they first met, back when they were five-year-old rapscallions living just one block apart, brought together by the friendship between Lewis’ sister and Reese’s brother.

“The first year we moved into our new house,” Reese said, “our families just immediately became best friends.”

Though too young for hockey, the pair became chums, making the short trip to one another’s house a daily adventure.

And as the children bonded, so too did their families, growing so close that the two units would take regular vacations together, sharing a house at the selected destination.