Yeshiva University hit the road to Sewell, New Jersey in the penultimate weekend of the regular season looking for two much needed victories. With the Eastern Division of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association so tightly packed, the Maccabees could not afford to lose any ground in the final sprint to the playoffs.
The day started with a meeting with Drexel University, a stingy team that was looking to make some noise late in the season. The Dragons out of Philly kept it close, surrendering just one goal in the first period, belonging to rookie defenseman David Soffer. Yeshiva definitely sustained pressure, outshooting Drexel 10-1 in the first frame but the goals were yet to come.
The uneventful game dragged on with Yeshiva, one of the league’s highest scoring teams, only able to muster up one power play tally, that by captain Ari Drazin, to take a narrow 2-0 lead into the third.
After an early score by Drexel, Yeshiva’s offense exploded all over the overmatched Drexel team. Jake Ratzker and Drazin scored minutes apart and then Drazin notched the hat trick moments later to give YU the four goal cushion. New recruit, Daniel Bordan, slammed the final nail in the coffin and Yeshiva finished the early Sunday match with a 6-1 win.
With just an hour to rest up, Yeshiva knew they had a big game ahead against Penn State University, one of the top teams in the league, ranking 17th in the nation. With Penn State sitting at 13-3-1 and Yeshiva just a few points back at 12-3, it was time for the Macs to make a statement.
The Nittany Lions would break the ice on a mad scramble just minutes into the contest but Yeshiva would not flinch. No more than six seconds later, Donny Fuchs rifled the puck in over the PSU goalie to bring the game back to square one. With Yeshiva looking to take control of the game, they swarmed the Penn State net for the rest of the period. Finally, the Macs scored twice more in the final minute of the period thanks to a power play blast from the point by Daniel Bordan and a nifty goal by Jake Ratzker, 13 seconds after.
Penn State would not go down quietly, and they opened the scoring in the second period to cut the lead down to 3-2. Once again, the Macs answered right back, outshooting Penn State 13-1 the rest of the frame, finding the twine three more times thanks to Ratzker, Drazin and Fuchs.
With the game very much in hand, Yeshiva cruised to the win, outscoring Penn State 3-1 in the third with goals contributed by Ratzker, Soffer and Avi Edell to give YU the statement 9-3 win.
The two wins put Yeshiva in a good position as they look to gain a top 2 seed in the East and earn a first round bye in the regional tournament in March.
The Macs have two games remaining on the schedule taking place next week. With a 12:00 p.m. game vs Rochester Institute of Technology (12-3) and a 3:00 p.m. match against Syracuse University (5-8-1). Both games are out on Long Island at Skate Safe America, 182 Bethpage Sweet Hollow Rd, Old Bethpage, NY. The team looks forward to seeing everyone there!
By Joseph Robin
