I have been playing ice hockey since I was four years old. I learned to skate at the Ice House, then at Mackay Ice Arena and graduated to playing in a spring league at Montclair State University. These were all great experiences and important to get me where I am today in my ability to play ice hockey. However, because of the lack of Sabbath observant leagues and teams, playing ice hockey consistently was a problem for me. There were some leagues and travel teams, but they required a more serious commitment than my parents or I could make at that time. This changed beginning in high school when I joined TABC and we started an ice hockey team. This idea was not unique to TABC; it was already happening in other yeshivas across the metropolitan area, giving ice hockey the attention it deserves.
The awareness of just how incredible this sport is was evident on Sunday, March 26, at the Mackay Ice Arena in Englewood. I was getting ready to play in another ice hockey game, yet this was to be a game unlike any other. I would be facing off against an entire team of yeshiva students as we enjoyed this historic moment in yeshiva league sports. Eighty five boys from six different yeshivas all gathered to participate in the round robin style tournament that will forever leave its mark on the yeshiva league competition. To make the night even more meaningful, JEC, SAR, Kushner, Frisch, Flatbush and TABC played to fundraise money for Friendship Circle and Project Ezrah.
On Sunday, I met kids who were just like me. They were wearing kipot, they keep kosher and are shomer Shabbat, and they were the ones lining up across from me, as opposed to my typical opponents in non-yeshiva leagues and tournaments. I know where these guys came from, I know the schools they go to and I will see them again. The camaraderie that developed was palpable.
Of course, there was pizza and Maariv to make sure the kosher aspect of the night was satisfied. I know I am speaking for all the players when I say thank you to all the coaches and schools that made this night possible. A special thank you to Ralph Abecassis and Ken Katz at Mackay. Thanks to the fans who came out and the friends and family who supported the teams. And a hearty mazel tov to the JEC team for their decisive 11-7 victory. I am hoping this is just the first of many such tournaments that will change the face of the yeshiva league forever.
By Elli Spinowitz
