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By Marvin A Azrak
It was a triumph years in the making. There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes to get the first Jewish Orthodox college Ice hockey team off the ground. Even if a maiden victory wouldn’t transpire instantly, the wait would be worth it. The vision was bigger than just wins, rather religious unity. Yet on Sunday night, the Yeshiva University Men’s Ice Hockey team ensured their new fans wouldn’t have to wait long for that “Mactatsic” feeling.
They clinched their first-ever win in only the program’s second game, taking down ACHA veterans NJIT 8-6 in a heart-pounding showdown at RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House in Newark, New Jersey.
Right off the rip, there wasn’t a sense of trepidation as in the opener against Stevens. These boys were hungry for history. After a galvanizing pregame speech by coach Adam Carlo, the boys wasted no time making their presence felt, with captain Sol Feder firing off an early point shot to give Yeshiva the lead. Feder wasn’t done. The 20 year-old Bostonian, who took the reins of the foundation, was just getting started.
He hit a post moments later before rocketing another one with a power-play beauty assisted by assistant captain Yosef Tropp.
However, the Highlanders were not going down without a fight. They came back strong, capitalizing on some defensive slip-ups, and were rewarded for their efforts with a late power play. The host ship, which was sinking seemed to be turning back towards land. But YU’s green machine had other plans.
Assistant captain Ariel Greenberg, responsible for the first goal in Macs history, stole the show, swiping the puck and turning on the jets for a breakaway shorthanded goal, giving Yeshiva a 3-0 lead entering the first intermission.
Things became tight in the second period, with NJIT turning up the heat and bombarding goaltender Matthew Loren. Yet the New Rochelle native stood tall, making point-blank saves to keep Yeshiva on top. However, the Highlanders kept coming until they reached the high land of scoring. They took advantage of sloppy defensive play by the Macs and pulled within 3-2.
Needing a tally to stop the bleeding,a Greenberg pass was deflected to the point where Tropp wired his first-career goal. Then,Feder blasted home another, from Yonah Suissa, completing his first ACHA hat trick, making it 5-2 and busting out Patrick Kane’s famous “Heartbreaker” celebration in the process. Yeshiva felt comfortable with their play, but it led to them taking their foot off the gas as NJIT closed to within 5-4, entering the third period.
To start the goal-fest in the final frame, Feder came through with a man-advantage missle after another sweet feed from Tropp. However, unsure about giving up their victory high land to the new kids on the block, NJIT answered with two quick ones, tying the game at 6.
The Macs were already shorthanded, dressing 16 skaters, including four defensemen. They were gassed and needed to dig deep. They desired a hero, and their captain delivered again.
Feder grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, powered through the defense, and scored a jaw-dropping goal while practically airborne. With less than seven minutes left, the tide turned back in Yeshiva’s favor, giving them a 7-6 advantage and securing Sol’s fifth goal.
NJIT desperately pushed for an equalizer and even had a power play, but the Macs remained composed and focused. Loren stepped up with clutch stops, finishing with 29 saves before the team’s ultimate warrior was rewarded for his toughness. Jacob Diner refused to sit out. The Montreal man played through wrist injury sustained earlier in the game and sealed the deal with an empty-net goal, sending Yeshiva’s bench into a wild celebration.
Yes, it might not have been the prettiest win, but you must start somewhere, and this one is just the beginning. Here’s to many more victories to come!
