Fordham has had a tradition of excellence in its hockey program even though it is only a club team. The team has had six consecutive winning seasons and was looking to improve on its 10-9-0-1 record from a year ago. With the Rams' impressive league record of 14-1-0-1, the team has done that and more this season, but the players and coach feel like they are still not getting the respect they deserve.
"We have routinely beaten all of the teams that our schedule has thrown at us," Head Coach Tim Collins said. "We have crushed the No.12 team in the Atlantic [Hofstra], but no one will respect us as a legitimate threat yet."
The team was hoping that it could take advantage of a non-league game scheduled for this past Friday in order to finally be taken seriously. Farmingdale State, who beat Fordham 5-1 earlier in the year, is a perennial powerhouse that has risen all the way to No.2 in the Atlantic this season according to the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
Unfortunately for the Rams, the game did not go as planned, as they were pummeled from the start in a 9-1 beating. Fordham was not able to stop the high-powered Farmingdale offense nor get anything going against their stingy defense. Playing short-handed due to the fact that the team had already clinched the top seed in the playoffs, the Rams were not able to match up with one of the most talented teams in the country.
"We started the game short-handed, missing many of our top players, which in turn led to the blowout," Collins said. "In addition, this was a non-league game, and I think the players were just looking to move on to the playoffs. I think we should not dwell too much on the loss and just focus on our strong league record. We have the playoffs staring on Friday, and taking home that trophy is our No.1 priority."
Even though the Rams were not able to grab their much desired landmark victory, the team still has much to be proud of and much to look forward to in the upcoming week. The Rams have clinched the No.1 seed in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs, starting on Feb. 19.
The team was by the far the best team in the conference all year, losing only two games, one of which was in overtime. Fordham led the conference in both goals scored (with 121) and goals against (with 37). The Rams boasted the league's two top point scorers in senior forwards Christian Cholhan (20 goals, 25 assists) and Kevin Baum (19 goals, 33 assists), who also were the two top assist men in the league. In addition to stellar offensive production the team had the two best goaltenders in terms of average goals against in the conference in junior Greg Sobchuk (2.12 GAA) and sophomore Craig Hoffman (2.14 GAA). The players now feel that even though they have not beaten the marquee non-conference teams on its schedule, it can still gain respect by taking care of business in the playoffs next weekend.
"Our goal for the season was to bring home the MCHC championship and we still have a chance to do that," Collins said. "Our players lost focus during the Farmingdale game but only because we were focused on the bigger prize, which is winning our conference crown."
Therefore, even though the team lost an opportunity to knock off Farmingdale, it still can put a capstone on a great season.
"This truly is one of the finest seasons that Fordham hockey has ever enjoyed," Collins said. "Both on and off the ice, in practice and in the classroom, this is a great bunch of guys, and we feel that we have already won the greatest prize but we also want that MCHC crown."
Fordham hockey lost this week, but it seems that this has made the team only more determined to bring home that championship. With a newly focused determination, the team will be only more dangerous as it takes the ice next Friday in the playoffs.
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