Mahwah 1, Ramapo 1 (ice hockey)

High school ice hockey in December is all about development.  Players are getting used to new linemates or defensive partners, coaches are sorting through for the right combinations and confidence is being built.

Mahwah and Ramapo are two teams that fit neatly into that description, and in many ways their 1-1 tie late Friday night at Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, New York was a fitting ending.

Ramapo owned the better of play for large chunks of the game, but the Thunderbirds relied on excellent goaltending from G.T. Wall down the stretch to preserve the one point.

Both of these teams have lost a majority of their goal scoring from a year ago.  Ramapo saw Zander Pindyck graduate and Robbi Sorrenti move to prep school at Trinity Pawling (NY).  Ralph Antonelli, Mahwah's all-time leading scorer, has graduated as well.

The lack of a natural scorer was evident on the power play, where Mahwah was 0 for 6 and Ramapo 0 for 5.  Each team had an extended 5 on 3 chance, and each managed only one shot on net during their advantage.

"I told our guys the team that stays out of the (penalty) box is the one who will win," Mahwah first-year head coach Kevin Sabella said.  "We were playing fire there for a while, a couple of dumb penalties, and our legs got tired near the end."

Wall, who had 22 saves, was brilliant in the final three minutes, making four quality saves. The best was a snap glove save on a point-blank shot by Kevin Ix with 1:33 left in the game.

For Ramapo (1-4-1), the tie was another small step in recovering from a season-opening four-game losing streak.  The Raiders skate only four seniors and are learning to exist without the scoring output they got from the Pindyck-Sorrenti line.

"We were in the Mahwah zone for most of the game, but we couldn't put the puck in the net," Raider head coach Steve Schick lamented. "We're working on that.  Our young guys are coming along, and I see it (scoring) happening. 

"We have guys who had the opportunity to have other guys that they could watch and depend on, and now they have to learn that it's their turn, their opportunity to step up and take on the responsibilities."

Mahwah (2-1-1) opened the scoring at 13:15 of the first period, with Sean Gugger winning a face off. The puck slid to Eddie Drejman, who one-timed it past Raider goalie Carl Boomhower.

The T-Birds nursed that goal into the latter stages of the third period before Ramapo knotted the game at 11:40.  Billy Griffith gathered the puck deep in the Raider zone and went on an end-to-end rush.  his shot from the low right circle was stopped by Wall, but the rebound came to Ryan Roberts near the left post and he shoved it home.

"I think we're two pretty even teams," Sabella pointed out.  "We're not as deep, but I felt we were on par with them."

Ramapo consistently went with three lines while Mahwah was using two, and the Thunderbirds' fatigue factor may have aided in the tying goal.

"We're learning a new system, and we're still making the mental mistakes," Sabella related.  "A lot of these kids did not see a ton of ice time last year, but we've got a good goalie in net, and that helps in this league.  We're only going to get better."

Schick, always the positive thinker, sees his team from the glass half full side.

"I always consider my guys to be the best team," he said with a smile.  "This is as close to a rebuilding situation as we're going to get, and I really don't consider this rebuilding.  I see this team coming along, they're buying in to what we're telling them to do.  I believe by the end of the season we're going to be right there."