It was better late than never. Yeshiva University's ice hockey squad wrapped their home games for the inaugural season with a bang, scoring their first home victory in a lively 4-2 showdown against CCNY Beavers at Mackay on Sunday.
The boys were on fire, bombarding the Beavers' goalie, who performed stellarly. In a surprising twist, defenseman Yaakov Seif stepped up as the EBUG goaltender for the last two periods, subbing in for Matthew Loren due to personal reasons, and boy, was he clutch!
Benji Froom, cruising on the top line with Yonah Suissa and Marvin Azrak, managed another hat trick, finishing the season series with 7 goals and 10 points in just two games against their rivals. The first goal was a beauty, early in the second period, as Froom and Suissa pulled off a slick 2-on-0 while the Macs were short-handed for five minutes, with Azrak voluntarily serving the penalty. Then, moments after Azrak's penalty was over, Froom forced a turnover, expertly using defenders as a screen to slot one home, making it 2-0. The Beavers snagged a goal to narrow the gap, but Yeshiva fired back in the third, with Suissa capitalizing on a loose puck, going down Broadway, slightly shifting right, and sliding it through the goalie's wickets on a breakaway to make it 3-1. Froom then sealed the deal, capitalizing on a broken play in the slot to roof it to the top shelf, making it 4-1. “Benji is incredible, but you wouldn’t know it because he’s a down to earth guy,”, Azrak said. “He lets his play do the talking, but does everything with a calming smile.”
However, the Beavers didn’t go away though. With the Macs on the power play, captain Sol Feder took a slap shot towards the net, but it ricocheted off the skate of Azrak, who had boxed out the defender and was screening the goaltender in front of the net. CCNY came the other way on an odd-man rush and scored, making it 4-2. Yet it would be the closest they got, as Seif and the Macs' defense locked things down to secure the victory. The senior night also saw outgoing graduate Rafi Nemet making waves with his work ethic and physical play. Teammate Azrak praised his fellow Brooklynites impact, saying, "Rafi is an amazing teammate. His passion for structured hockey pushed me to be better, and he is someone who truly wants the best for the entire team."
As for Seif, the sophomore from Monsey, NY, he made history as the youngest goaltender in program history to bag a victory in this unexpected EBUG role. He said he’d played goaltender before in high school, but not in a while.
Azrak lauded Seif, stating, "Seif deserves all the flowers he's getting from the boys. He doesn't complain, always works hard in practices and games, vying to improve, and I think you're starting to see results." “He had a hat trick in our scrimmage last practice and came up huge for us today.”
The game was an absolute thrill ride and marked a perfect conclusion to the home stretch for Yeshiva University Ice Hockey. With this victory under their belt, they aim for many more triumphs on home ice in the years ahead.
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