By AJ Salio, Alvernia Community News Lab
Photos by AJ Salio
Aston, Pennsylvania- A Saddening Turn of Events after Ramapo College breaks the 2-2 tie with a minute left in the Second period, sealing the deal with two more goals, leading to a 5-2 loss for Alvernia. On Nov. 21st, 2025, the Alvernia club hockey team took on the Division II Ramapo Roadrunners from Ramapo College in one of their tournament games in their East Coast showdown tournament. This tournament provides the team with an excellent opportunity to face opponents they wouldn’t normally encounter. The tournament features a non-traditional league competition that allows Division II and Division III schools to compete against each other. Alvernia has won the title of this tournament three times in its past, dating back to 1970. This loss was the team’s second loss to Ramapo in this tournament, in what could’ve been anyone’s game.
Ramapo got to it first, scoring the first goal just over seven minutes into the period. This was quickly answered by a beautiful passing play from Evan Connibeer to Dom Garcia, with Logan Buch making the net fly. Connibeer received the puck from Reese Wilson and skated it up the ice. He runs into trouble and looks to Dom Garcia, dishing him a beautiful backhand pass. Garcia then takes the puck and sends it cross-net to Buch, who put it right where it needed to be. A beautiful display of being at the right place at the right time, you couldn’t have written it any better. Ramapo then answered, and came up with a power-play goal, tipping the ice and gaining a two-one lead to end the first period.
The Wolves came into the second period hot, with a top-shelf one-timer goal from Logan Buch, assisted by Evan Connibeer and Ben Mauer in the first minute of the Second period. Phil Juzwick kept the puck and dumped it down to Mauer, who collected it and sent it up to Connibeer. Connibeer pitched it back to Mauer, who sent it across to Buch, who put it in the net. Just like that, the Golden Wolves made it anyone’s game. Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Roadrunners ran the clock down to the last minute, putting one in the net with just under a minute left in the second period. The teams have done an excellent job at keeping the pressure on and thinking quickly on their skates thus far, but unfortunately, the Road Runners were able to break through the cracks just a little more. With a total of 18 shots from both teams, 3-2 read the scoreboard at the end of the second, with the Roadrunners in secure of the lead.
During the intermission after the Second, Ian Dumas and AJ Salio were lucky enough to talk with resident hockey expert Joe Ciccarelli, who connected the team’s game from the day before to today’s game, saying, “The two-week rust that we had showed a little bit.” Following up with, “Today’s a completely different game; You can see it in the kids, you can see it in everybody… Everybody is on their game, I think everybody is playing their heart out right now. It’s a great game to watch.” In regard to the outcome of today’s game, Ciccarelli added, “This could be a four-two game, it’s going to switch either way at this point… whoever scores next, that’s who wins this game.” Whether this prediction will prove true, we have yet to see, but as Ramapo opened the Third period with a breakaway goal, things weren’t looking so good.
Going into the third, the game looked to still be within reach, but unfortunately, Ramapo came in hot with a breakaway goal just under two minutes into the Third. This goal made victory look a little further away for the Wolves, but nonetheless, they kept pushing. Exhausted from a great two periods of hockey, Alvernia kept chipping away. With a little over 18 minutes left in the period, anything could happen. The Wolves maintained their aggression and kept putting it on net, but it wasn’t enough. With the daunting two-goal lead hanging over their heads, some of their spark started to die. Ramapo’s next move would only make things worse. Ramapo was able to collect the puck at center ice and pass it up for a quick two-on-one goal just two minutes after their previous goal. The Roadrunners continued to run away with the game as the Wolves continued to give it their all, drained and desperate, trying to turn the game around. The pressure remained, and the shots kept coming, but the time was running thin. A hat-trick’s worth of goals were needed to tie the game, but nothing came. The period was nearing an end, and the score stayed the same. The game ended with a final score of 5-2 in favor of Ramapo, with 28 total shots and 29 from the Golden Wolves.
An excellent game of hockey was played. Facing a Division II team, the Wolves held together strong, staying neck and even though this game resulted in a loss, Alvernia will continue showing DII teams that they have what it takes to compete. The Wolves will continue to push it on the ice, and they will fight their way to the top, giving it everything they’ve got.
