The Yeshiva University Roller Hockey team traveled out to Feasterville, PA this past Saturday night to play three games before entering the mid-season break. Thanks to an early Shabbat and a 12am game, the Macs made it to The Sportsplex in Northeast Philly with plenty of time to spare before their midnight matchup vs. Lock Haven University of PA. Amid the worry of being short a few players, inclement weather on Thursday stranded superstar Daniel Bordan in NY, alleviating the extent of their short-handedness and proving the Macs with the team's top scorer (as well as their third biggest fan).
 
Despite normally struggling on Saturday nights, Yeshiva jumped to an early lead thanks to a rebound slammed home by Amichai Rosenfeld. Several minutes later, Moshe Genuth put in a Bordan sauce to place the Macs up 2-0, which was followed almost immediately by an Avi Edell snipe. The flurry of goals continued as Geno finished an Eddy dish in front for his second of the game, and rookie stud d-man Zev Markowitz fired in one of his own off an impressive steal. Lock Haven finally got on the board in between two Ami goals (for the hatty!), and Matthew Carl scored on the breakaway to put YU up 8-1 at the end of the first.
 
The second period started with Edell once again finding Geno open in the middle, resulting in another goal and capping off the hat trick for Genuth. A few minutes passed before Yeshiva struck again, this time thanks to Matthew "MC Hammer" Carl batting in a bouncing puck. Edell got one himself as his behind the back pass deflected in. With only a few seconds left in the second, Ami came through on the breakaway for his fourth of the game, putting the Macs up comfortably 12-1 heading into the second intermission.
 
The third period was relatively quiet, with Lock Haven scoring just seconds into the third. Versatile goaltender/defenseman/Gabbai Scott Weissman slammed home a rebound, and Eddy capped the offensive explosion when he put in his second of the game via a give-and-go. Josh Markowitz was solid again in goal as Yeshiva picked up a big win and hustle back to the hotel to hit the hay in anticipation of their game the next morning.
 
After a few hours of shuteye and a meaningful Shacharit, the boys were back at The Sportsplex for their 10am matchup against non-conference opponent James Madison University. Although their Virginia campus places them in the Southeastern Conference, the Dukes made the journey up north for the weekend and Yeshiva was their fourth and final opponent. 
 
A trip by JMU gave Yeshiva an early man advantage, and the Macs made the most of it when Bordan went bar down for the PP goal. A beautiful takeaway and chip by Bordo put YU up two, but an unfortunate deflection in front halved the boys' lead, and the first ended with Yeshiva up 2-1. The Dukes tied it up early in the second, but late period heroics by Daniel "la Beauté" Bordan re-established the Macs edge. On what was perhaps the goal of the season, Bordan drove to the net, quickly cut in short side, and flew over the goalpost as he floated a backhanded over the goaltender's shoulder. The goal gave Bordan the hat trick and sent Yeshiva into the third up 3-2. The final period began with a deep steal by Matty C, which he took to the net and slid behind the goalie thanks to a slick deke. A few ticks later, Bordan picked up the puck in the d-zone, deked a few Duke defensemen, brought it all the way down, and found an open Geno who put it top shelf. Another great game by the boys made them 2-0 on the day heading into their final and toughest game of the weekend, their 2pm tilt vs. local rival Hofstra University.
 
In the third and last game of the day and of the first half, a thin and tired Maccabee squad met a well-stocked and rested Pride team. Having at least twenty skaters and an entire day to recover, Hofstra was sure to be a tough opponent as Yeshiva looked to leave PA 3-0 despite a third game in 14 hours and the early departure of yet another skater (and coach). 
 
Yeshiva found itself with a power play just a minute and a half into the game. A Geno poke on a scramble in the crease gave YU the early lead which held through the period. A barn burner from the start, both teams came out flying, and the intensity and physical play was an obvious testament to the depth of this rivalry. A Pride goal tied the game at one, but baby soft hands by Captain Benjy Shulman turned the defensemen backward, landed the goalie on his backside, and placed the puck squarely in the back of the net. The 2-1 lead held for only a few minutes until Hofstra tied it up once again. Loads of penalties provided opportunities for both sides, and stellar goaltending by Josh "Joshy Marky" Markowitz kept it close for the boys, but a game of this stature was destined for overtime, and as such, after three periods the scored was still two to two. The OT period was like regulation as both teams had their chances but could not capitalize. An odd man rush lead to an unfortunate trip against the Macs, and Yeshiva was forced to kill a penalty with just two skaters on the ice. Strong kill time followed by a hard pinger by Genuth gave YU a glimmer of hope, but after a minute and a half of three on two time, the defense finally cracked, and Hofstra put in a chaotic rebound to end the overtime and the game. 
 
The boys left Feasterville having collected five out of possible six points but were still not satisfied with the OT loss to Hofstra. While the Macs currently sit in fourth place in the ECRHA, they look to build on their first half successes and will come roaring into the latter part of the season when it picks up on January 27th at ISCA in North Arlington, NJ. Make sure to follow the boys' mid-season adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (@yurollerhockey). #ToTheMacs!