On Monday night, January 9, the TABC Storm Varsity Hockey team traveled to the lion’s den to take on the MTA Lions for what was dubbed the “Winter Classic.” Playing against a team with two TABC hockey alumni, Yoni and Gabi Stone, the Storm coaches Mo Fuchs and Yak Apfelbaum knew that the Lions would come out fired up and playing hard. After a senior night celebration for MTA, the puck dropped on this highly anticipated matchup with the packed gym creating a playoff atmosphere. The Storm came out strong, firing numerous shots on MTA and creating many chances. A few minutes in, captain Zach Rothenberg took the puck behind the net and flipped it over the net towards the middle, where Efraim Tiger patiently waited to tip the puck into the net to give the Storm a 1-0 lead. A few shifts later it was Rothenberg who was left in front and buried a pass from Tiger, giving the Storm a 2-0 lead. The Storm took the lead into the locker room for the first intermission.
The second period continued the onslaught with the Storm creating many chances which were denied by the MTA goaltender. TABC goalie Solly Weiser kept the Storm up by two with some key saves, most notably a glove save mid-way through the period. Entering the third period the Storm looked to continue their momentum and on the first shift Rothenberg put a rebound into the back of the net to extend the lead to three. Shortly thereafter, on the power play, defenseman Akiva Wieder passed the puck across to Tiger who found Rothenberg at the side of the net for his third of the night. After an MTA goal, the Storm found themselves once again on the power play, where Rothenberg scored his fourth of the night on a backhand from the side of the net. The Storm take this 5-1 win into the break, looking to continue their quest Saturday night, February 4, at home against JEC.
The drama continued as both schools crossed the street to the Yeshiva University gym. The game was intense, but the Storm once again emerged the victors 55-46. Mo Proctor led all scorers with 26 while Andrew Haberman poured in another 16.
