A Pittsburgh police officer and Slippery Rock University graduate shot Saturday during the Tree of Life synagogue attack was released from the hospital earlier this week, just in time to attend a Penguins game Tuesday night.

The game was at PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins lost to The New York Islanders.

But according to Penguins’ VP of communication Tom McMillan, the main event of the night was an appearance from Officer Anthony Burke, who graduated from SRU in 2013, and Officer Michael Smidga, who also was injured during a standoff with a gunman on Saturday in Squirrel Hill that left 11 people dead.

“You’re honored and humbled to see them walk through the door. They were just facing death.” McMillan said. “They were quite emotional coming off the ice.”

The two walked out on the ice for a ceremonial faceoff. Burke had a bandage wrapping and cast on his right hand, evidence of a bullet that hit him during the standoff with the alleged shooter, 46-year-old Robert G. Bowers. He was taken to a UPMC hospital for treatment and on Tuesday Pittsburgh police put out a statement that noted Burke had been released.

Smidga was treated for a head wound from a shrapnel or bullet graze. The appearance from the two was a surprise for the hockey fans, McMillan said. And as the crowd realized who the two were, the standing ovation rose in volume.

“I’ve been doing this for 23 years and I can’t remember ever hearing that level of ovations,” McMillan said. And the officers “were overwhelmed by the response.”

During the game, Smidga and Burke watched from a suite and afterward were taken to the locker room where they met captain Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins team. McMillan arranged for the visit after hearing about the shooting and contacted the Pittsburgh police with an offer for any of the injured police to visit.

“By the end of the night, I’m sure their ears were just ringing with two words: ‘thank you.’”

According to SRU, Burke graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in education at SRU and played on the school’s football team in 2009 and 2010.