Thanks Nachum!

Straight ahead on the Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, late game heroics from the worlds of Boys Varsity Softball and Girls Varsity Soccer and the results from this past Sunday’s Esther Semmelman Hockey All-Star Day. Good morning, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.

Boys hockey took center stage one final time for high schools this past Sunday as TABC played host to the Third Annual Esther Semmelman Hockey All-Star Games for Varsity, JV and for the first time, the Junior High Leagues in a day to benefit iShine. The middle schoolers led off the day as the New York and New Jersey league representatives gathered for a game that would be the first of its kind. JEC’s Bentzion Kapustin would kick the scoring off midway through the first period and the New Jersey squad would roll from there, picking up the 5-1 victory.

In the middle game, the Junior Varsity squads from three divisions, the East, Central and West were combined and drafted onto two teams, light and dark. The dark squad got on the board in the first 20 seconds of the game with a powerplay goal by DRS’ Daniel Soffer. Dark would pick up 3 more goals in the period, with stellar goaltending from DRS’ Jakey Friedman to hold a 4-0 lead into the middle frame. In the 2nd Light would attempt a comeback outscoring Dark 3-2, but still behind 6-3 on the scoreboard. Each team would score one in the third as Dark took away the 7-4 victory. TABC’s Efraim Tiger notched the hattrick for the “Men in Black,” Soffer would be right behind him with 2.

Finally, the Varsity boys took center stage with East and West once again the represented divisions. SAR’s Josh Rosenberg would notch the first of two West goals, but the East would battle back late in the 2nd with goals from DRS’ Jordy Hirschfeld and Rambam’s Daniel Yizhaky to tie the score heading into the third. But it would be TABC taking over the period for the West as Zach Rothenberg put home a goal early ,goalie Shua Beilin, keeping the East shut out for the next 10 minutes and Yair Knoller putting home the last of three West goals on the period to take the game 5-2.

Varsity Softball has gotten itself into full swing with 13 of its 17 teams having played a game, with several already at or near the midway point. Sunday saw Frisch in a doubleheader with SAR and JEC. In the game with JEC, score tied at 2-2, Cougar Yoni Potash crushes a grand slam to give Frisch the lead. JEC would score one but fall well short of a comeback, as Frisch took home a 6-3 win. Potash would also homer in the 9-3 win over SAR as Frisch takes over the West division lead at 3-0.

Sticking with the Cougars now, the boys Varsity soccer squad handed the defending champion TABC Storm their second straight defeat on the season, outpointing them 7-6. The win gives Frisch 7 points and sole possession of first place in the West. Still looming though are JEC who currently sit in 3rd at 5 points with a game in hand on the Cougars and Kushner at 4 points with 2 games in hand on the division leaders. No such uncertainty remains in the East though, as the 7-0 HANC Hurricanes are the division champions. The Hurricanes clinched this past Thursday with a 10-6 win over Rambam. Meir Levy dominated for HANC, scoring 8 goals himself in the win.

Finally, one from the “That’s why the games are never won and lost on paper” files in the Girls Varsity Soccer league. East leading 4-0 Ramaz fell in a stunner to 1-4 HANC 11-10 in overtime. The Hurricanes had come into the game on a 4-game losing streak, but were able to pull off the upset behind 7 goals from Noa Benitah, including the game winner. Ramaz still leads the East at 5-0-1 after knocking off Flatbush, but the loss now opens the door for Central who are still undefeated at 5-0. If all goes as it should, the two will meet up in the final game of the season for both teams on May 3rd with the division championship on the line. But if this game goes to show us anything, not everything goes as planned.

And that was your Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, I’m Elliot Weiselberg.