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Sports

Maroons Dominate Spartans, 7-2

Seven players score in Ridgewood's 7-2 win over Paramus.

HACKENSACK—With help from the Maroon faithful, the Ridgewood ice hockey team got up big and put away Paramus 7-2 in a win at the Ice House yesterday.

"It is nice to see our players do so well. They deserved it. They skated strong and gave a great effort," Ridgewood coach Mike Lucchesi said.

However, the crowd was not the only ones pumped up, "Each player came out extremely excited to play today's game," he said.

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The excitement truly showed in the unselfish performance, in which six different players scored goals. The Maroons' team-oriented nature and the "ability to take advantage of opportunities," propelled Ridgewood (9-8) to the win over the Spartans (5-12).

From the initial face off, the Maroon faithful made their presence known. Paramus applied early pressure with airtight passing and puck control. Just when the Spartans seemed to gain momentum, Ridgewood's Ralph Volpe swooped in for a steal and scored the game's first goal at the 11:46 minute mark.

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Most of the period was filled with misguided pressure from Paramus' offense, and Ridgewood's ability to capitalize.

Following the Volpe goal, Paramus applied pressure, once again. Gameplay began to get rough in Ridgewood's territory, but goalie Kasey Zegel held tight. At 7:18 in the first period, Paramus missed a crucial opportunity, allowing a Jake Middleton breakaway for Ridgewood's second goal. Not even three minutes later, Kevin Entwistle assisted with a steal, and was rewarded with a goal on the opposite end, at 4:09, giving Ridgewood a 3-0 lead.

The first period rounded out, with both teams getting power plays, and Zegel stoning the Paramus attack. She ended the day with 19 saves on 21 shots.

The second period began on that same note. At the 14:02 minute mark, Ridgewood's Peter McGinley laid in a backhanded goal.

Although, Ridgewood was in the lead 4-0 at this point, it sustained its attack. Ridgewood's Entwistle got two shots on goal within five seconds of each other.

Just when the Spartans seemed down and out, they scored two goals within one minute—Matt Hazuda at 9:33 and Pete Reveille at 8:34—making it close at 4-2. 

Both goals seemed to spark life in the Paramus squad, with a newfound pressure and aggressive defense. But it didn't last long—Rob Garvey launched a laser slap shot for another Maroon goal at 4:22.

At the 1:58 minute mark, Ridgewood was awarded a power play and took full advantage, directing 10 shots on goal. The 11th shot—from Kenny Turnbull—went in with one second left in the second period.

The pace slowed significantly in the third period, due to Ridgewood's careful puck control. This methodical pace took the Spartans out of their rhythm, and allowed Entwistle to tally his second goal and the team's seventh for the Maroons.

No time for rest as Ridgewood hits the ice again today with an 8:15 p.m. tilt verse DePaul Catholic at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne.

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