In a stunning upset that capped off an incredible season, Yeshivat Noam defeated previously unbeaten Yavneh Academy 4-2 to claim the Middle School Yeshiva League hockey championship. The victory marks Noam’s first hockey title in ten years and avenges their only regular season loss, which came at the hands of Yavneh two months earlier on Noam’s home court.

Seventh-grade standout Eitan Naor led the championship charge with a spectacular hat trick, while eighth-grade goaltender Eitan Markovitz provided stellar goaltending throughout the contest and entire playoff run. In this game Noam struck first, with Naor putting home a rebound  to take an early 1-0 lead before Yavneh’s Max Pomerantz evened the score with an impressive goal to close out the second period.

The decisive third period saw Naor score again to put Noam ahead, followed by a goal from Jayden Cyrulnik to extend their lead and send the Noam crowd into a frenzy. Though Yavneh managed to narrow the gap late in the game, Noam held strong defensively with the great play of defenseman Zack Edell and Azriel Wasserman, before Naor put the final touches on the victory with an empty-net goal in the closing moments.

Although Noam made the finals last season, the core of that team graduated, and a new group was tasked with finishing off the title run. This game as well as the entire season was a full group effort that included six sixth-graders, all of whom made valuable contributions throughout the season. Under the guidance of Coach Yaakov Saks, who worked diligently with the players from September training through their March triumph, the young squad developed into a cohesive unit capable of dethroning the league’s top team.

With their championship core intact, Yeshivat Noam now looks ahead to defending their title next season.

Congratulations to the Noam Knights on a great job and great season by the Yavneh Redhawks. Special thank you to all of the administration and teachers of both schools who came out to cheer on their students as well as to all of the fans who helped make the evening that much more special for all. Hakarat hatov goes out to the YMSSA leadership on a well run season and a great night for all involved.