Photo courtesy of Art Chill
The Ramapo club ice hockey team took to the ice on Sunday night with power, speed and a beautiful defense, coming out victorious in a shut out against Fordham University, bringing home a win.
In the first period it was clear the men came to win. Within the first six minutes, Ramapo made the first goal of the game, scored by junior defenseman Marc Concato and assisted by freshman defenseman Keith Henning and senior forward and captain Nolan Oullette.
“I got the puck at the point and put it in the net for the first goal, and that really set the tone for the rest of the game,” said Concato.
This first goal was critical for the Roadrunners, serving as a kick-start for the rest of the players.
Ramapo received only one penalty in the first period for a minor interference, but that certainly did not take away from the aggression and high energy being put forth by all players. With six seconds left in the first period and sophomore Keith Gay as goalie, Fordham took a shot, but was no match for the sophomore superstar, as he played one of his best games yet.
Despite his commendable performance, Gay gave the credit to his teammates.
“Honestly, I gotta give it to the rest of the team; they played their hearts out,” said Gay. “They were backchecking, blocking shots, diving, laying out bodies for me. They made my life easy.”
After an outstanding first period, the Ramapo goalie continued to come through for the team and shut down all attempts by Fordham.
The second period produced no goals but two minor penalties for Ramapo and one for Fordham. The scoring may have slowed down but the energy did not. Gay held it together, blocking every shot on goal.
The third period began with the Roadrunners offense relentlessly taking shots against Fordham's goalkeeper. At 13:21, sophomore defenseman Matt Rose scored an unassisted goal, securing the win for Ramapo. This last period successfully displayed the determination and strength of this team, both offensively and defensively.
Gay made 49 saves by the end of the third period. Gay was named the Player of the Month by the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference, posting two shutouts in January, the other against Columbia.
After the Roadrunners tied with Fordham in the beginning of the season, this win became something to work toward and was a chance for Ramapo to come out on top. When asked how it felt to take home this win, sophomore defenseman Ryan Worth said the team was prepared for the Rams.
“We knew they were gonna come out flying, and we were ready, but we got an early goal and that was it,” said Worth.
The Roadrunners will take on Columbia University on Saturday at 9 p.m. at Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, New York.
rsontag@ramapo.edu
