The boys traveled out to Feasterville, PA this past Sunday to close out the first half of the 2019-2020 ECRHA season with games against Boston University, SUNY Cortland, and the out-of-conference James Madison University. Despite a slow start to the season, the Macs were determined to close out the first semester on a high note with some inspired performances and marked improvements.

After a few hours of shut eye and an efficient hotel Shacharit, the squad was off to The Sportsplex for their 7am tilt against the Boston University Terriers. Without their captain/Gabbi/goaltender Scott Weisman, Yeshiva was forced to suit up rookie forward Shuki Weinstein for the weekend.

Although the boys barely hit the rink in time, it didn't take them long to kick off the scoring thanks to a sweet Matthew Carl backhand. Yeshiva struck again just a few minutes later when David Soffer took the puck the length of the ice and deked the Terrier tendy. BU opened the second with an answer but YU returned the favor on a Sof snipe. A few minutes of quiet ensued before Boston netted two in the closing minute of the second period, but it took Jonathan Sacks just five seconds to get one back off a nice sauce from MC. More strong play by the boys kept the lead at one until Yeshiva put in the insurance marker, another MC walk in and snipe. The lead held and the Macs put away the Terriers, 5-3. Solid team play and surprisingly good goaltending from Shuk in his debut lead YU to a big win in game one. 

With just an hour break, the boys were back at it with a matchup against a very good SUNY Cortland team. Having always been a division ahead of YU, this was the first time the Macs would meet the Red Dragons and it was sure to be a good one. The Macs struck first when Dave Softer took a pass from the D zone and skated it in and scored, but despite strong play by the boys, the Dragons pulled ahead 2-1 after one. Cortland opened the second with another score before superstar defenseman Zev Markowitz stole the puck on the penalty kill and schooled the goalie with a butter smooth backhanded finish. Yeshiva tied it up in the middle of the period when Sammy Smigel cleaned up on a Matty C rebound, but YU soon found themselves in a two goal hole. Another Zevi gino put the Macs within one, and when the second came to a close the boys were looking good and just a single goal out. Yeshiva came out flying to start the third, scoring just 20 seconds in off an MC finish on a Smigs' saucer. The dominant play continued, and YU took the lead when Sammy cleaned up on a 2-on-1 pass from Ari Solomon but the Red Dragons finally broke through, tying it at 6 and then taking the lead with under two minutes left. Although they played a strong game throughout and Shuki no doubt threw the team on his back, the boys looked exhausted and couldn't hold down the fort in the final minutes, ultimately taking the 7-6 L, albeit to a talented Cortland team.

Following a quick trip to House of Kosher for lunch, the boys were back at it for the final game of the day (and semester), a non-conference matchup against the affiliate James Madison University Dukes. Always a tough opponent, the Dukes held the Macs quiet until late in the second period when Rav Zev finished some slick power play passing for the first goal of the game, but the lead lasted only a few minutes as JMU scored twice before the period ended. Visibly exhausted, YU surrendered two more early in the third until Zev struck once again, this time on a rocket off a Sof and Jason Schnieder apple. But the boys couldn't muster up anything else and the hard charging Dukes got one more before the game came to a close, finishing off the Macs 5-2. The tough matchups and thin bench wore the guys down and despite significant improvement and strong team play for the overwhelming majority of the day, the boys didn't have enough in the tank for games 2 or 3.

With a few weeks to rest up and recharge, the YU Roller Hockey team is primed for big rebound next semester! Catch us next on Sunday, January 26th as we open the second half against the undefeated Neumann University Knights in Sewell, NJ, and be sure to follow us on ALL social media @yurollerhockey