Although the OP Varsity hockey team didn’t win their division or the state championship this season, the JV hockey team took home some hardware for the program. Led by the stellar goaltending of Colby Livingston, they were able to best Governor Livingston in the Westfield JV League final. The final score was 3-2 after the game went to overtime and then a shootout to decide the winner. 

The road to the championship started with a semifinal matchup against Chatham. A tough opponent, the Rams knew they were going to have to go all out to beat a stingy Cougar team. The Rams controlled the pace of play throughout the game and got off to a hot start with a goal in the first minute of the game. The Rams quickly added another goal a few moments later in the first period. The score was 2-0.

The Cougars would not go down without a fight, however. The Cougars answered with two goals in the third period to tie the game going into the final minute. In the final moments of the game, junior netminder Colby Livingston stood on his head to keep the game tied. He stopped several point-blank opportunities from the Cougars to give the Rams a chance to win the game. With seconds winding down in the game, sophomore d-man Garrett Hall took a shot on net from the point, hoping for a rebound. The opposing goalie padded away Hall’s blast but the puck squirted out to freshmen forward Colin Reis and he deposited the puck in the back of the net just as time expired. The Rams piled off the bench to celebrate the win. The victory was a testament to the Rams character as they fought hard and battled to earn a trip to the finals. 

Awaiting in the final was the GL Highlanders, a team that handed the Rams one of their few losses on the season. The Rams, however, believed they could beat them this time around and were prepared for a battle with their rival Highlanders. 

The game got off to a shaky start for the Rams as they gave up a goal in the first few minutes of the game. Furthermore, GL was controlling play and possessed the puck for most of the first period. Despite this, sophomore forward Gerard Fargiano buried a rebound from the slot late in the first period to tie the game at one. After the first period, the score was 1-1. 

The disappointing first period was followed up by a better second period. The Rams possessed the puck more and were more physical. They also got many offensive opportunities and put more pressure on the GL goalie. The Highlanders, however, would capitalize on a bad line change by the Rams. The GL forward skated in on a breakaway due to this mistake and was able to beat Colby and put his team ahead. The score at the end of two periods was 2-1 in favor of the Highlanders. 

The Rams had been down before in games and had come back to win, so they believed they could do it again. While Colby Livingston denied countless opportunities from the Highlanders, the Rams peppered the opposing goaltender. The Rams offensive opportunities were fruitless, however, until five minutes left in the third period when Gerard Fargiano shot the puck on goal from the left faceoff dot and the rebound came out to freshman Ciaran Kelly who deposited the puck in the back of the net to tie the game in the closing minutes. This was a big goal that hyped up the Rams faithful and gave the Rams momentum going into overtime. 

It was sudden death now. It was win or go home for the Rams. The Rams had to muster up all of their remaining energy for overtime. If they scored, they would win the championship. If they let up a goal, they would lose. It was the last few minutes of their season and they knew it. Their season would either end in happiness or disappointment. 

It wasn’t the Rams’ offensive play that shined it over time, it was their defensive play. The Rams were stingy in the d-zone and prevented many quality shots from the Highlanders. GL, however, was able to get some good shots off, shots that were thwarted by Livingston. Colby came up with many jaw-dropping saves in OT, including a diving glove same in the final moments of the extra period. 

The Rams were not able to solve the GL goalie in OT so the game headed to a shootout. The first shooter for GL was stopped by Livingston. The first shooter for the Rams was freshman Nate Bock, whose shot was also stopped. The second shooter for GL had his shot denied by Colby after an impressive save. Then for the Rams, Colin Reis was unsuccessful, making the shootout tied. In the last round of the shootout, Livingston came up big again, making a pivotal save. Then with the game on his stick, Gerard Fargiano was up. He skated down the ice, faked a shot, froze the goalie, and slid it around the tender for the Oratory JV Championship. The Rams stormed the ice as they became the league champions. This was a huge milestone for JV hockey considering last year was their first year being a team. Colby Livingston’s performance was also a huge element as most players credit him with the Oratory win. In all, JV hockey an incredibly successful season and has set the standard for next season.