TABC Wins Varsity Hockey Championship
On Sunday, March 13 the undefeated TABC varsity hockey Storm took on the HAFTR Hawks in the championship game in Lawrence Middle School. Everyone knew this would be a game to remember. The two teams met on December 26, 2015 in a classic battle played at HAFTR, where the Storm came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime.
Fans from both schools packed the gym and the crowd was loud well before the drop of the puck. The first period got under way with quality scoring chances on both sides. However, Shua Beilin of TABC and Ryan Gluck of HAFTR stood tall in net. The game remained scoreless until the second period when Storm captain Calev Minsky sent a three quarter court wrist shot that sailed over Gluck’s glove and into the top of the net, sending the TABC fans into a frenzy. Only minutes later, HAFTR’s captain Jake Berger scored his own three quarters court blast that bounced off the back wall and rolled in off Beilin’s back. The intensity continued during the period and remained a 1-1 tie, with TABC hitting 2 posts, until Captain Shua Naor gave TABC the lead. Off of a feed from captain Ari Fuchs from behind the TABC net, Naor carried the puck down the right side to the half court line and sent a blast in stride into the top corner of the net. TABC went into the locker room up 2-1, knowing that the last 12 minutes were going to be the toughest 12 minutes of the season.
Shortly into the third period, HAFTR’s Daniel Lichter tied the game up with a beautiful move followed by a nice finish that found its way to the back of the net. The back and forth continued with both teams getting quality chances. With less than 4 minutes left in the third period, TABC’s first line was back at it. Fuchs carried the puck up the left wing and fed a pass to captain Daniel Levy in the middle. Levy drew the defenders and found his four-year linemate captain Yair Knoller, who buried the puck in the top corner of the net, completing the spectacular tic-tac-toe goal. This gave the Storm the 3-2 lead. The TABC fans erupted. Following a timeout by HAFTR, TABC clamped down on defense and continued to control the puck in the offensive zone. With the fans singing “Mishenichas Adar” for the last 30 seconds, the Storm took the 3-2 victory to complete their undefeated 17-0 season. MVP honors went to captain Yair Knoller. Coach Mo Fuchs and Assistant Coach Yak Apfelbaum led the TABC Storm varsity hockey team to victory.
By Jonah Ganchrow
