After a senior-led YU Macs roller hockey team took home their maiden national title last season, many wondered how the new recruits would fit in and if there would be any championship hangover from the returnees. But after two games, the Macs have made it clear they’re ready to roll it back. Sure, it's just the ISCA games, we’re talking about, yet you wouldn’t know that if you saw them for the best 2:40 stretch these boys have ever played together.
In this late-night matchup against the Imperials, with an 11:25 PM puck drop, the Macs found themselves down 2-0 almost immediately, only to go up 5-2 even faster. Gabriel Hornblass, fresh off a 4-goal, 6-point debut in last week’s opener, got things rolling with a goal to make it 2-1. The assist went to last minute addition Meir Drazin in his Macs debut. You’ll catch both stars lighting things up for the ice hockey team too. From there, it was an onslaught: Sol Feder found new recruit Jacob Diner to tie it up, then Diner put the Macs ahead just 48 seconds later. Zach Levy followed up with a laser to Feder, who ripped one in with just 27 seconds left in the first period.
The momentum carried into the second as Benji Froom, skating for the first time since winning the national championship in April, set up Yonah Suissa to make it 5-2. That marked four goals in 2:40, leaving the Imperials impeded. That allowed Froom to groom them, following a great shift of YU zone pressure, he buried his first goal since becoming a father. If he was a force before, imagine him now with some dad strength.
Akin to last week's 7-6 win against Barely Legal, the Macs had their defensive hiccups, and the Imperials pulled within 6-5 in the third, thanks to a four-goal night from Eric Ribandenyra, But Zach Levy added some much-needed insurance with slick hands, fought his way to the mixer and scored to restore the two goal advantage. Dan Pelcer answered to cut it to 7-6, but Feder set up Ezra Csillag, another key offseason pickup who will also be skating for YU on the ice this year, to seal the deal. With help from Gabriel Rosenblatt’s clutch defense in the final minutes, the Macs held on for an 8-6 victory.
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