Ramapo Keeps It Simple and Stays Undefeated

It's almost the New Year, and they haven't lost a game yet. Not only is Ramapo 6-0 this season, but the victories—such as Thursday night's 5-1 win over rival Indian Hills—keep getting more convincing.

And they don't feel like they've done anything particularly fancy yet.

"It's simple hockey," said coach Lee Barber. "We dump the puck in, we chase it, we forecheck, we cycle, and we play physically. It's the way I played the game growing up in Canada."

Ramapo's first two goals were the result of throwing pucks in the direction of the opponents' net, and crashing the crease.

Goalie Carl Boomhower calls them "ugly goals," but in a madhouse atmosphere more befitting of an English club soccer game, they were pure symphony.

You can throw out the rankings and the records when these sister schools square off. Yet this match-up featured highly touted Ramapo against a vastly improved Indian Hills squad (4-2) before a pre-holiday crowd of 1,049—making it the largest crowd to see a high school game at the Ice Vault in Wayne in several years.

Indian Hills came out strong and actually had a 9-5 edge in shots on goal midway through the first period. But it was Ramapo's Kevin Kazlow cashing in from the doorstep with just 32 seconds remaining in the first period, and providing a big momentum shift in Ramapo's direction. Ryan Soderlund converted from close range less than two minutes into the second period, and then Dan Collins' screaming wrist shot beat Indian Hills' goalie Robert Freund high to the glove side with four minutes left in the second.

Indian Hills got back into the game on a Steven Hoogendorn goal off a scramble with 26 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-1.

"It was one of those games where I don't think the final score was indicative of how close the game was," said Barber. "We knew the longer we let them stay in the game the more they would believe in themselves, and that's what happened."

Hills took comfort in their performance against one of the state's public school powers.

"We put some pressure on them," said Braves' coach Phil Murphy. "They were in the right place at the right time to cash in on some rebounds, but on another day I believe we can beat them. We played with them for most of the game."

Although it has drawn the ire of a few opponents, Ramapo's ritual of celebrating goals with their fans continues to bring down the house. Kyle Mangin banged home a loose rebound with 9:21 left before freshman Sean Johnson buried a wrist shot through traffic with 3:33 left. Both skated across the ice to hold up a glove to the plexiglass where the Ramapo mascot holds a big read "Easy" sign—just like the one in an office superstore's ad campaign.

"The more I see of our ritual, the more I like it," added Barber. "We're getting used to playing to packed houses now, and the guys are doing a better job with it. I always tell the kids to enjoy the moment, so why shouldn't they be a hero and touch an 'Easy' button for the fans?"

Johnson experienced the rivalry for the first time in his brief varsity career, and was glad to engage Ramapo's growing legion of adoring fans.

"I was nervous coming into the game, but I tried to channel that into positive adrenaline," said Johnson. "To get that goal was a thrill. Hitting the 'Easy' button is an awesome feeling—one I'll never forget."