Honors Memory of Evan Levy, a”h
An ice hockey team comprised of Moriah School of Englewood fourth and fifth graders went undefeated at the President’s Cup Ice Hockey Tournament this past weekend at The Pond Ice Arena in Newark, Delaware. The team outscored its opponents 22-5 over a four-game stretch. They won a nail-biter of a championship game over the Nassau Cubs 3-2 on February 15, when Gabriel Hornblass broke a tie and completed his hat trick with 1:31 left in the game. The team dedicated the victory to the memory of Evan Levy, a”h, brother of Moriah fourth grader and defenseman Max Levy.
The Moriah team, along with its participation in the Delaware tournament, was organized by Zvi Rudman, whose son Asher contributed to the team’s victories. Tiran Nahari, whose son Gabriel plays defense on the team, catered the weekend. The boys all play together as a team at Englewood Field Club and are undefeated there, but they wanted to play together to represent the Moriah School. The players themselves decided to dedicate the weekend—and their championship win—to the memory of Evan Levy.
The team played four games over the weekend, the first started shortly after Shabbat ended. The team won every game behind a combination of scoring from a high-powered offense and a staunch defense. The goaltending tandem of Gabriel Volodarsky and Eitan Rosenblatt was a virtual brick wall, surrendering only five goals over four games, and locking down the championship after the team fell behind 2-1 in the second period of that game. The Moriah team beat other teams from the New York-New Jersey area, including the Protec Ducks from Somerset, New Jersey, 8-0; the Red Bank Generals from Red Bank, New Jersey, 6-1l; the Nassau Cubs, 5-2; and the Cubs again 3-2 in the championship. Assisting with coaching duties as a volunteer was Declan Quinn of Englewood Field Club, whose son Declan also contributed to the Moriah team’s defense.
Organizer Zvi Rudman, proud of the team’s accomplishments, said, “We came in as heavy underdogs against well-established ice hockey programs. The boys played their hearts out. They should be extremely proud of themselves not only for being winners on the ice but off the ice as well.”
The team consisted of: Max Levy, Gabriel Hornblass, Gabriel Nahari, Gabriel Volodarsky, Henry Wolf, Aidan Burgida, Bennett Burgida, William Goldsmith, Asher Rudman, Josh Moshenberg, David Rosen, Aiden Sholomon, Declan Quinn and Eitan Rosenblatt.
By Gabriel Rosenblatt
