Hockey Wins MCHC Championship

When college sports teams win championships, many people think of campus-wide celebrations and mass chaos.

The stars of the team would be lauded as god-like figures due to their skill, hard work and dedication.

While the players on the Fordham men's hockey team do have these characteristics, they did not find many celebrations on campus on Sunday Feb. 21 after winning the MCHC Championship.

The team did not seem to care much, though.

Since hockey is only a club sport, many students on campus do not even know that Fordham has a team.

The players and coaches realize this, but it only motivated them more to win and earn the respect of everyone around them.

The team had only one goal in mind this season: to take home the MCHC crown, and that is exactly what they were able to accomplish.

The team was on a mission all season long and played well throughout both their league and non-league schedules.

The team finished the regular season 16-4-0-1 overall and 14-1-0-1 in league play.

They challenged themselves with extremely talented non-league opponents, and even though they lost games to nationally ranked teams like SUNY Farmingdale, the team used these experiences to grow and get better.

"Even though we did not always play our best in non-league games, they helped us to improve and to stay hungry for our ultimate goal of winning in the playoffs," Head Coach Tim Collins said.

Coming off a disappointing loss last week to Farmingdale, Fordham was excited to get back on the ice on Friday night for the semifinals of the MCHC playoffs.

Fordham was pitted against a solid Suffolk Community College team that fought hard all season long.

The Rams were looking for revenge on the only conference team that was able to defeat the Rams all season.

After Fordham defeated the Stars 8-4 in October, Suffolk was able to defeat the Rams in regulation in November and then again in overtime in December.

The Stars from Suffolk were no match for the Rams on either end of the ice this time as Fordham rolled to a 7-0 victory.

The Rams got strong play from their top-line of seniors as well as from some younger players.

Senior forwards and all-league players Kevin Baum and Christian Cholhan both scored goals for the Rams.

In addition, they opened up opportunities for some younger players such as freshman forwards Tom Greco and Anthony Sardo.

Greco scored one goal, and Sardo was phenomenal all game long as he finished with a hat trick.

The team was extremely happy to get all of their players involved, especially the younger guys.

The defense and goaltending were also exceptional as Fordham completed its third shutout of the season.

Following that impressive victory, Fordham waited to find out who would be its opponent in the championship game on Sunday. It turned out to be the Columbia Lions.

Although the Rams handily defeated Columbia in both of the teams' regular season matchups, the Rams knew they would have to play well after Columbia's high-powered offense smacked around the St. Thomas Aquinas defense, which had been the second best in the conference all season long, for 12 goals in the semifinals.

The Rams were up to the task though as they were able to edge out the Lions by a score of 6-5.

The team played an intense game under the highest stakes, and was able to hang on for a victory against a Columbia team that was playing very well.

The defense was able to at least slow down the Columbia offense and the offense was able to get just enough for the victory. 

The team claimed its first MCHC championship since 2006 to put the perfect capstone on a great season.

As the team looks forward, there is much to be excited about for Fordham hockey.

Although the team will graduate star forwards Kevin Baum and Christian Cholhan, the Rams also seem to have a plethora of young players who will able to fill the void.

This year's freshman class seems especially promising, with several players who contributed and scored on a regular basis.

Freshmen John Timoni, Anthony Sardo and Tom Greco look to lead a freshman class that hopes to only improve over the next three years.

The team will also return its star goalies, junior Greg Sobchuk and sophomore Craig Hoffman. These two boasted the two best GAA in the conference, and look to dominate even more next year.

All in all, the future is bright for Fordham and its hockey program.

Even if the team does not get the recognition both on campus and throughout the hockey world that it deserves, the Rams always seem to be able to perform on the ice.

The team plays with pride and earns the respect that it deserves. The team works hard both on and off the ice and for that the coach could not be prouder.

"These guys are not only working hard on the ice but also in the classroom and in everything they do," Coach Collins said. "I am proud of how they play and all that they have accomplished, but I am most proud of the attitude with which they approach not only the game but also class."

Fordham hockey has accomplished a lot this season without much recognition.

The team focuses on just getting things done and that has led to all of the success that the team has had this season.

Fordham looks to continue on its trail of success in the future, and maybe maybe the world will notice all of the feats that this team has accomplished.