The Kushner Cobras faced off against the Rambam Ravens in a quarterfinal matchup that has seen these two teams face off against each other for the last three seasons. The Cobras had defeated the Ravens earlier in the season 5-2, but the playoffs always result in tougher competition.

This would prove true as the Ravens stormed out to an early 1-0 lead when Rambam captain Jonathan Yizchacky found himself with time and space in front of the Kushner net and netted a backhanded shot over Nathan Orbach to put the Ravens up 1-0. The first period saw strong play from both teams but both goalies stood tall to keep it 1-0 headed into the second. Shortly into the second period, after withstanding a barrage of pressure from the Cobras, Rambam climbed to 2-0 when Gavin Schechter collected a loose ball at the net front and stuffed it home. At this point, Rambam appeared to be ready to grind it out the rest of the way to protect their lead. However, Kushner finally managed to capitalize on their offensive pressure when Captain Josh Lando chipped the ball over Orlanski’s shoulder and made it a 2-1 game with three minutes remaining in the second. The second ended at 2-1 with momentum favoring the Cobras.

Three minutes into the third period was when the Cobras tied the game. Jesse Koppel kept in the ball at the blue line and passed it to Eitan Kaynan who took a snapshot, and Ben Orbach was there to put home the rebound, rewarding the Cobras for their hard work and knotting the game at 2-2. Both goalies stood on their heads, after this point, and it seemed like the game was headed to overtime with both teams locked together trading chances but not getting anything to go. With 3:59 to play, Lando won a faceoff that led directly to Max Orbach in front of the net, who despite fanning on the shot, rolled it in through the five hole and into the back of the net, making the score 3-2 Cobras and silencing the raucous home crowd.

This would be the ice-breaking, game-winning goal, as Rambam was unable to convert on any chances to tie and the Cobras pulled off the comeback against the Ravens. This was a thrilling game that lived up to the hype as the MYSHAL playoffs continue to be full of remarkable storylines. Kushner will now face off against the Ramaz Rams at their home rink for their first home playoff hockey game in school history.