Champions of Class
 
By Shira Zwiren
 
When Amir Gavarin and Avi Margulies decided to start a roller hockey team at Yeshiva University, their expectations were low. For one thing, they had to find their own coach. They also needed funding. Most challenging of all, they had to figure out how they were going to be part of a league that played several of its games on Shabbos.
 
Over the summer of 2015, Avi and Amir spoke regularly with the officials of the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (ECRHA), part of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA), about joining their league. The boys hired Elyashiv Gemara to coach the team and put together a group of the strongest players they could find.
 
"When I was initially approached to coach the YU roller hockey team, I couldn't believe Amir Gavarin and Avi Margulies would manage to make the YU team a reality," said Gemara. "When I attended YU, we attempted to put together a team but it never materialized. These guys were so determined to make it happen."
 
YU's new team had no money for jerseys, equipment, or transportation to the games, so they raised the funds themselves. With the help of a generous donor, as well as some Jewish contacts who work for the National Hockey League (NHL), the team raised enough money to function as part of a league. Finally, YU's hockey team was officially a Division IV member of the ECRHA.
 
Due to Shabbos restrictions, the Yeshiva team could not play in any of the Saturday games. They had to play three back-to-back Sunday morning games, often starting at 6 am.
 
"The officials were all very accommodating and very respectful of us," Margulies said.
 
In order to make it for the Sunday morning games, the boys had to travel several hours on Saturday night to tournaments as far away as Rhode Island and Boston. The Jewish communities in New England graciously opened their homes to the Yeshiva team members who arrived late in the night and left around 5 am for davening and the day's games.
 
The first game they played was a 6 am game in Rhode Island against Niagara University. 15 seconds into the game, Niagara scored. The boys on the Yeshiva team felt discouraged, thinking they were in for a short, unsuccessful season. But then they scored their first goal. And they scored again, and again. They ended up winning their first game 23-5.
 
Yeshiva's team remained successful throughout the entire season. They won every game except one, against Shippensburg University, where they lost in overtime.
 
"The determination the captains showed in creating the team manifested itself in the way the team performed," Gemara said. "No matter how difficult a game got, the team battled and found a way to get the job done. "
 
The finals tournament was held the weekend of Friday March 4^th through Sunday, March 6^th, in Philadelphia. Since the games started on Friday, the Yeshiva team spent Shabbos with the Northeast Philadelphia community.
 
"The community was so welcoming to us," Margulies said. "The rabbi welcomed us and the community treated us like small celebrities. One of the fathers actually came to the championship game."
 
Yeshiva started the tournament in first place and won a bye to the semi-finals, where they played St. Joseph's College. In a dramatic second period, they were down 3-1 and made a complete comeback, winning the game at 5-3. Yet, the real win came as an amazing tweet by the St. Joseph's team after losing to Yeshiva:
 
 @SJCRollerHockey: "@YURollerHockey Hey boys classiest team in the @ECRHAHockey. Go take the D4 home for the NY boys! Great season!"
 
'Classy' was the theme of the season for the Yeshiva team. Everywhere they went, they set an example, showing how observant Jewish young men could pursue their passions while maintaining their religious standards. They didn't play on Shabbos. They wore kippas under their helmets. They missed the awards banquet during the championship weekend because it was held on Friday night. Margulies reported that the Northeast Philly father who came to their game on Sunday said it was such a Kiddush HaShem for his sons, who are more right-wing, to see different types of Jews still davening and observing Judaism before going off to participate in a secular league.
 
One of the most incredible stories happened in the middle of the season, when a player from the Millersville, Pennsylvania team approached the members of the Yeshiva team and told them he was also Jewish. The Yeshiva team invited this boy into their locker room to hang out, where they ended up reciting Shema and some chapters of Tehillim together. The Yeshiva boys kept in touch with the Millersville boy throughout the season, proving that they have really absorbed the lesson of Yeshiva University of always bringing an element of Torah, even while immersed in secular activities.
 
Fittingly, Yeshiva made it all the way in the finals to face the Millersville team in the championship. Yeshiva won 5-1 with goals by Avi Margulies, Jesse Gordon, and Ari Drazin. At the Friday night awards banquet that the Yeshiva boys missed, league officials announced that Avi Margulies won Rookie of the Year, Daniel Genachowski won Scholar Athlete of the Year, and Yoseph Robin won Top Goaltender and playoffs Most Valuable Player (MVP).
 
"I don't think I've ever been a part of a more unified group before," said Robin. "Right from the start of the season we all meshed really well together. Especially with fellow goaltender Yoni Jaroslawicz, there was a great level of support and motivation that really helped us achieve greatness. And the individual awards were all the more sweet because of the teammates and coaches that helped me get there."
 
Yeshiva hopes to be part of Division II next season, which will make them eligible to play in the National championship. Most of all, they hope to continue being the "classiest team in the ECRHA," and continue making a Kiddush HaShem wherever the next season takes them.