Ice hockey advances to playoffs after senior night

Photo courtesy of William Jackson.

 

The Roadrunners finished up an outstanding regular season with two strong wins against Empire opponents. Beginning with Friday night’s game at Fordham, Ramapo goalie Dennis McGarry registered his second consecutive shutout in a 5-0 victory. McGarry stopped all 15 shots on net he saw, while the Ramapo defense continued to dominate the opponent’s zone. 

Sophomore forward Thomas Moskal registered two goals in the contest, while alternate captain and senior Christopher Dressler once again led the roadrunners with three points: one goal and two assists. Senior forwards Eddie Dahdah and Gary “Goose” Ragusa each netted a goal as well. 

Saturday night’s game against Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) was senior night for the team, as Dressler, Dahdah, Ragusa, Luke Campomenosi, Thomas Stapleton, Eric Frieman, Holden Gruber and their families were each honored before the game with a ceremony commemorating their time as Roadrunners. 

The game that followed was a great way to end their Ramapo careers as they defeated SCSU by a score of 11-0. Goalies Paul Fiorello and Dennis McGarry combined for a shutout, with Fiorello sticking in net for the final two periods.

Dressler and Campomenosi showed out for senior night, each registering a hat trick in their final regular season game. For Dressler, it was his team-leading fifth hat trick of the season. Also netting goals in this one were Moskal, Dahdah, Rory Mauer and Peter Paszkiel. The Roadrunners finished with 71 shots on goal, while holding SCSU to 15 on the night.

“The team did a great job of acknowledging the seniors during senior night,” said Dressler. “Following the ceremonies we were able to rally for a huge double digit victory with a combination of great offense and solid goaltending by Paul and Dennis.”

“It was special having been honored alongside the other graduating seniors on Saturday night,” said Campomenosi. “They have all played such integral roles over the years, helping build this team into what it is today.”

Ramapo finishes the regular season with an outstanding 13-1-1-1 record, the best win percentage in the Empire division. To no one’s surprise, Dressler led the Roadrunners in points this season with 46, while Moskal and Dahdah came in second and third with 37 and 35, respectively. Dressler’s 46 points led the entire Empire Division, and was tied for 12th in the nation among Collegiate Hockey Federation players. 

Goaltender Dennis McGarry finished second in the division with a 2.26 goals against average among players with at least 10 games played, and his .929 save percentage was also second among the same criteria. 

“It was bittersweet knowing that was likely the last home game of my career,” said Campomenosi. “But myself and the rest of the team are shifting our focus to the playoffs and the national tournament.”

Up next for the Roadrunners is the Empire Division playoffs. Ramapo will face the winner of Quinnipiac and Fordham on Saturday night at a neutral site in Connecticut. The game will be at 9 p.m. and available to watch on YouTube as always. If the Roadrunners win, the finals will be on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the same location.

 

wjackso2@ramapo.edu