The Maritime hockey team went into Newark, N.J. this evening and picked up an emotional victory against the Fordham Rams by a final score of 5-2, placing them in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship Game tomorrow, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m., against first-seeded C.C.M.
 
        Dan Tyx (Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville East) put the Privateers on the board just one minute into the game as he kept his stick on the ice and simply tapped in a soft pass by Jesse Wynn (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund's Prep) (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund's Prep) during a crowded goal-mouth scramble to give the Privateers a 1-0 lead. After the goal, the game began to get a little feisty as tempers flared and goaltender Harris Burger (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) got run into on numerous occasions, but not without the support of his teammates as no extracurricular activities by the Rams went unpunished. The Privateers took a 2-0 lead on the power-play as Vincent Pedulla (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey), who was a dominant physical force throughout the game, gave Nick Galli (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By The Sea) a good, short pass which was then fired with great precision from the right circle, past goaltender Craig Hoffman's glove hand and right under the bar.
 
        The Rams picked up their physical game as they engaged in a solid fore-check and registered a few shots on goal, which eventually paid dividends as they cashed in on their first of the night when John Doyle whistled a heavy slapper from the right circle past Burger's right arm to cut the deficit in half for the Rams midway into the first period. Burger made up for the goal as he displayed good footwork, maneuvering deep inside the crease, and keeping his defensemen fresh as he was consistently eating up first-shot attempts without giving away any dangerous rebounds to the hungry Ram forwards who were crashing the net all night. The eagle-eyed goaltender created a buzz in the crowd as he made a few tough saves through traffic while shorthanded, including one impressive glove save off a hard, low shot just outside the left circle to keep his team ahead.
 
        Steven Altini (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By the Sea) almost gave the Privateers a 3-1 lead but the Rams' goaltender made a desperate paddle save to keep his team down by just one goal. The Privateers did get into some penalty trouble in the first but the Rams couldn't cash in as the boys in maroon shut it down with big blocks and key saves. Wynn made a timely block in the dying seconds of the first period during a shorthanded situation on a Josh Hempel (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch) (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch) penalty which carried over into the second with no results for the Rams.
 
        The second period was all Fordham as they came out firing from just about everywhere. The Privateers came out a little flat for the second stanza as they lacked the same fire and passion they displayed in the first period. However, Burger was there for them, standing on his head, erasing all mistakes and mental collapses in front of him. He made a game-saving stop early in the second as he slid across the crease with his right pad extended to make two impressive saves on Billy Lane, keeping the puck from crossing the goal line. Just minutes later, Billy Lane came back with a semi-breakaway and got a good backhanded shot off, only to be frustrated by Burger once again. The Privateers went into the changing room still up 2-1, despite being heavily outshot 34-12.
 
        The Privateers came out for the third with their hearts on their sleeves, hitting anything and everything that moved. Pedulla set the tone early on with a bone-crunching hit that echoed into the press box of the AmeriHealth Pavilion, and a power-play goal, as he redirected a beautiful pass by Hempel just inside the slot. They weren't done however, as Dillon Dolansky (Monroe, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic) (Monroe, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic) ripped a quick, low shot which found a tiny hole through Hoffman's legs. The puck had eyes as it flew from its release-point just inside the blue line, right along the ice, and straight into the middle of the net, without any disruption in its path by enemy sticks. The surprised sophomore defenseman did a little dance to show his appreciation of the puck's cooperation.
 
        The Rams wouldn't go away without a fight as they cut the deficit in half, when Tom Greco one-timed a centering pass just inside the slot, but it was too-little, too-late as the rest of the game fell on the shoulders of captain Thomas Mehmet (Little Neck, N.Y./St. Mary's) who made a few impressive blocks, including a diving block while shorthanded due to an infraction caused by Tyx earlier. In the final minutes, Mehmet broke up a rush and heard the jubilant cheers from the crowd, as well as his teammates, as every single effort so late in a game never goes unnoticed. The Rams pulled their goalie and the extra attacker came onto the ice, but it didn't matter as Mehmet took possession of the puck inside his zone and chipped it out with a high lob into the gaping net, sealing the victory for the Privateers. Burger finished strong with 46 saves as the shot tally was in Fordham's favor, 48-22.

        The Privateers move on to face first-seeded C.C.M. in the MCHC Championship Game tomorrow at the AmeriHealth Pavilion. The puck drops at 5 p.m.