Saints upset third-ranked pee-wee hockey team to advance closer to championship
WARWICK The Ramapo Saints Pee-Wee hockey team, which draws its 11 and 12 year-old players from across Orange County and Pike County, Pa., defeated the Red Bank Generals by a score of 3-2 on Feb. 2 in a game that kept fans breathless until the final buzzer.
During the regular season the Saints lost twice to the Generals who are ranked third in the nation.
Outsized by the Generals and classified as the underdogs, the Saints entered the rink confident they could defeat them by playing a perfect game, one-shift at a time.
From the opening face-off the Saints surprised the Generals with their speed, intensity and hockey acumen.
The Saints offense, comprised of Justin Belcher, Aaron Bohlinger, Matt Cavallaro, Donnie Feldman, Cole Garabed, Mike Hermancin, Nick Pelosi and Mike Sacchi, stunned the Generals by scoring the first goal of the game.
The offense applied constant pressure during the game and found the back of the net three times.
The Saints cast of blue liners - Mark Amatetti, Conor Havey, Ryan Malota, Rhett Padgett and goaltenders Dante Durante and Noah Daigle - all consistently came up big to shut down the Generals and frustrating their offensive units.
As a result of each players effort and determination to win, the Saints dominated every aspect of the game, shocking their arch rivals in a 3-2 defeat.
The victory puts the Saints only two wins away from going to the national tournament.
With the Generals eliminated, the Saints are the New Jersey State finalists and advance to the Atlantic Districts to play a three-game series against the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers scheduled for March 10 and 11 in Vineland, N.J.
The winner of that series advances to the USA National Hockey Tournament in Reston, Va., on March 28.
The Saints, with a record of 44-7-6, are currently ranked 22nd in the nation, moving up from the 28th position.
The Saints are coached by Steve Pelosi, Paul Cavallaro, Rob Malota and Steve Garabed.