In their game against Slippery Rock University on Nov. 26, the roller hockey team found themselves down two goals late in the third period.
But the Roadrunners found a way to rally, scoring three goals in 1:10 to come away with a 5-4 victory. Junior Mike Montalto brought the Roadrunners within a goal when he scored on the power play on an assist from senior Pat Masur with 3:59 remaining.
Barely a minute later, senior Mike Chiaffarelli scored back-to-back goals seven seconds apart to put the team ahead as he buried consecutive shots on passes from Montalto.
"It's nice to be able to score, but the stats don't matter to me," Chiaffarelli said. "I'm just glad we were able to come from behind and win the game."
The Roadrunners allowed three goals in the second period and found themselves down 4-2 heading into the third period. The team peppered Slippery Rock senior goaltender Austin White with 12 shots in the third.
They had fourteen shots in the first two periods combined.
The Roadrunners' two-game weekend was in jeopardy, as they were coming off a 14-4 loss to Niagara University and avoided going 0-2 on the weekend with the win. A second loss would have dropped the team to 3-3 for the season.
"It was a good bounce back from the loss in the first game," Chiaffarelli said. "Going 0-2 this weekend would have really hurt us in the standings, so it's good that we avoided that."
Ramapo's goaltender, senior Nick Calabrase, made 18 saves on 21 shots in the game. He stopped all eight shots in the third period, keeping the team in the game at 4-2 and preserving the one goal lead in the final
minutes.
"Nick has been rock solid back in goal so far this season. I expect him to always be at the top of his game, but his remarkable goaltending against Slippery Rock gave our team the much needed left to get back in the game," said head coach Eric Yoskowitz.
Junior and captain Jeremy Higginson opened the scoring for the Roadrunners at 5:34 in the first to tie the game at 1-1. Montalto had the Roadrunners' only goal of the second period on, with senior Kevin Wilson and Chiaffarelli credited with assists.
Montalto and Chiaffarelli were named the first and second stars of the game respectively. Montalto had two goals and three assists in the game, and Chiaffarelli had two goals and one assist.
The Roadrunners will not play again until Feb. 1, but Yoskowitz is confident that his team will stay focused and will be prepared after the long break.
"The players are to take the initiative over winter break to stay in shape mentally and physically by skating, going to the gym and maintaining a proper diet," he said. "Starting on Jan. 19, we will resume our normal practice schedule to prepare for the second half of the season and to compete for a division three title."
mhausch@ramapo.edu
