Ramapo Builds Off Early Lead, Takes Down Mountain Lakes 15-9

This Gibbs Conference matchup featured a 2-3 Ramapo (N.J.) team coming off three straight losses to top-tier opponents, and traveled to Mountain Lakes (N.J.) to take on a 4-2 Lakers squad that was looking to get back in the win column after a strong start to the season before losing to Chatham in their previous game.   Both teams were looking to get off to a quick start and Ramapo did just that, leading 7-2 at half behind great defensive work from a slew of senior contributors including Tyler Ramiccio (Manhattan) and Shane LaDuca (St. Anselm) who each had two assists alongside sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='171341' first='Luca' last='Frisco'] between the pipes who had a phenomenal performance.   Including the Mountain Lakes standouts below, junior [player_tooltip player_id='143667' first='Lawson' last='Fagan'] (Dartmouth) tallied four assists and senior Holden Gillespie (Bucknell) recorded two goals and an assist, while Ramapo sophomore Luca Thomas notched a hat trick and two helpers on the day. In addition, juniors Chris Kerin and [player_tooltip player_id='127985' first='Mason' last='Braen'] each found the back of the net once.   Mountain Lakes showed a good amount of fight late in the game, outscoring the Raiders 5-3 in the 4th quarter with a lot of help from sophomore FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='176275' first='Jayden' last='Hernando'] playing make it, take it and battling hard at the X to keep the game close.   Both teams will face off on Saturday against two more Gibbs Conference opponents, with Ramapo looking to keep the momentum rolling when they travel to Bergen Catholic (4-4), while Mountain Lakes will be looking to defend its home field against a tough Ridgewood (4-2) team.    Frisco had a great day in cage for the Raiders, notching 13 saves and playing a big role in Ramapo's early lead. He was facing an extremely talented group of Laker shooters and turned them away time and again. He displayed his athleticism on multiple off-stick saves and covered a good amount of the cage with his large 6'3" frame. The 2Way product stood tall in net, communicating well to a group of high-level defenders at his disposal and showcasing his quick hands and maturity, staying calm under pressure in tight and being quick to get the ball up and out for a transition chance the other way. With Frisco being so young, it will be a lot of fun to watch him develop and grow throughout his high school career.     A true facilitator who worked from X most of the game, he finished with a hat trick and two assists while displaying his vision and deception to cause issues for his matchups. He started off the scoring in this game, coming from X, using his body to shield his stick, and continued to work inside for a good angle and utilized stick fakes for what seemed to be an easy goal. He also showed off his quick hands in tight with a man-up goal on a quick-stick shot on the crease, and also scored after battling for a loose ball in front. From X, Goldstein was constantly surveying with his head up, and his teammates did a great job working hard off-ball to find an opening and make a play.     Seyffer immediately grabbed my attention, not only with his size, but also with his stick skills and dodging ability against his matchups. He finished with four goals and an assist, while beating his opponents in multiple ways. He showcased the ability to use his speed and strength to get past his defenders and also utilized both hands interchangeably to become less predictable. The Vermont commit showed off good fundamentals on the doorstep, but also became just as effective from distance, changing planes and mixing up shot locations to keep the defense guessing. Seyffer worked well with the man-up unit that was put to work a lot in this game and did a great job of being a threat and then finding an open teammate to get the defense moving.     Hernando was one of, if not the best player on the field for the Lakers in this matchup, finishing with 21 face-off wins at a 81% clip and making it look easy most times by winning the clamp clean and coming away with the ball. He looked to start a few transition chances; however, nothing ever really materialized in unsettled situations, but late in the game, when Mountain Lakes was looking to mount a comeback, he was consistent and reliable. When he wasn't able to win it clean, he mixed it up in the ground ball scums, and a few times when he did lose possession, he made sure to get back on defense and played hard all the way until the final whistle. Having a workhorse at the face-off X will be pivotal if the Lakers are going to make a deep playoff run once again this spring, and Hernando will be a huge reason why if that's the case.     Corvelli was everywhere for his team, never giving up on plays, and kept fighting hard all the way until the end. He finished with five goals and a pair of assists, with two of his goals coming as the only offensive scoring for the Lakers in the first half. The Denison commit played smart, fast, and showcased his toughness at the X attackman position, doing a great job of finding his teammates to generate offense, and when he had a good look at the cage with his hands free, he made it count. In man-up sets, he displayed good vision to find skip lanes and soft spots in the defense, with a gritty style of play showing he's not afraid to take a hit or two on his way to the cage. With Fagan and Gillespie held to minimal production in this contest compared to their usual output, Corvelli came up clutch and showed his ability to be a large factor in this offense.

This Gibbs Conference matchup featured a 2-3 Ramapo (N.J.) team coming off three straight losses to top-tier opponents, and traveled to Mountain Lakes (N.J.) to take on a 4-2 Lakers squad that was looking to get back in the win column after a strong start to the season before losing to Chatham in their previous game.